The Joel Lefkowitz Early Career Award for Humanistic Industrial-Organizational Psychology recognizes an early-career individual who has made a notable contribution to humanistic I-O psychology.
A nominee’s contribution can be in the form of an applied project, research, and/or theory-building that focuses on fostering organizations that are safe, just, healthy, challenging, and fulfilling places in which to work. The contribution should be documented in publications, presentations, and/or project reports or products.
Broad areas of contribution include advancing the dignity of and respect for workers, economic and social justice, and promoting the organization’s concern for the common good. Some examples of issues deserving attention include employment-at-will, wrongful discharge, alternative dispute resolutions, wage theft, union busting, unsafe working conditions, abusive supervision, pay inequity, living wages, work-life imbalance, sexual harassment, discrimination of all types, and organizational social responsibility.
To be considered for the award, nominees must have defended their doctoral dissertation within the last ten years. The setting in which the nominee has made the contributions (i.e., academia, government, or industry) is not relevant.
Award recipients receive a plaque and a cash prize of $3,000.
Administrative Procedures
- At least five members of the SIOP Awards Subcommittee will review and evaluate each nomination package. Subcommittee members must have expertise in humanistic psychology and should be a mix of those who identify as practitioners and academics.
- The Awards Subcommittee will recommend an award winner to the Executive Board of SIOP.
- The Executive Board may either endorse or reject the recommendations of the Awards Subcommittee, but may not substitute a nominee of its own.
- In the absence of a work that is deemed deserving of the award by both the Awards Subcommittee and Executive Board, the award may be withheld.
Criteria for Eligibility
Nominees will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Theoretical, practical, or social significance of the nominee’s contribution to humanistic psychology.
- The contribution is grounded in sound psychological research or theory.
- The contribution can improve the quality of organizations as safe, just, healthy, challenging, and fulfilling places to work.
- The nominee demonstrates a commitment to a humanistic approach to I-O psychology, for example, by taking on a leadership role in an organization or committee whose goals are to improve worker’s lives, economic and social justice, or organizational impact on the common good; or by presenting in public forums focused on such improvements.
Call for Nominations
Nomination Guidelines
- Nominations may be submitted by any SIOP member. Self-nominations are welcome.
- A nominated individual must be a SIOP member.
- Nominees must have defended their doctoral dissertation no earlier than 2014.
- A nomination letter should address how the nominee meets the criteria noted below.
- The nomination package should also include a current curriculum vitae and up to three documents (i.e., publications, presentations, reports, or other documents) that best represent the nominee’s work related to humanistic I-O psychology.
- The letter of nomination, nominee CV, and all supporting materials must be submitted online by the nominator.
- When submitting the nomination materials, nominators will also be asked if the nominee(s) are being investigated, or have been found responsible, for misconduct prohibited in SIOP’s Anti-Harassment Policy and to provide a brief explanation if this is the case.
Current Award Recipients
Award Type
Achievement & Best Paper Awards