The SIOP Exchange

Disaster in the Gulf-A Role For I-O Psychology?

Ronald Kennedy, I-OPsyc.com

I am going to make an assumption that a company with as many resources as BP has employs I-O Psychologists. They must feel sick about what is happening in the Gulf. They may have worked very hard on the safety and other systems that were in place on the Deepwater Horizon. The tragedy seems to point out that, no matter the systems in place, the human-factor is still the "weak-link."

As a consultant who has worked in many organizations, and founded a few of my own, it is ALWAYS the human-factor that is the wild card in operations. And, if there is any further proof of the ongoing importance and need for I-O Psychology within organizations, particularly those dealing in hazardous businesses, one need look no further than this unfolding disaster.

Disaster in Haiti: The Role of I-O Psychologists and SIOP

By: Ted Hayes, Personnel research Psychologist, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (nothing in this essay is meant to reflect the views of the U.S. government or OPM).

The situation in Haiti is undeniably catastrophic. Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, was leveled by a huge earthquake January 12, 2010.  Its population was estimated at about 3 million before the quake; there is no way of knowing the final toll, but current mortality estimates are well over 45,000. Haiti’s government has ceased to function. Its infrastructure is devastated, thus confounding relief agencies that have tried to set up distribution centers. 

Traditional I-O skill sets are seemingly useless: no one needs tests validated, there is no management structure, there is no one to survey, and there are no classes to teach.

Eleven Easy Ways to Destroy Your Company

Jay Goltz's list of 11 ways to destroy a company was published October 27 in the New York Times column "You're the Boss." Here are a few items on his list that relate to I-O psychologist:

"3. Interviewing. It is both art and science. Like a bad science experiment, it can cause explosions. Having someone who hasn’t been properly trained interview prospective employees is a recipe for disaster. There are many questions that you cannot ask without risking a nasty lawsuit that will cost plenty of time and money.

10. Bad controls. Many companies have gone broke because of theft or embezzlement. Your accountant should help you set up these systems.

11. Bad company policies. I was just in a spa. There was a sign posted that said that tips must be paid in cash. I asked why. (Apparently, they get asked about this a lot.) The receptionist explained that the employees didn’t necessarily claim all of the tips and the company did, so there could be a discrepancy if either got audited. Not a great story. I am sure that some customers — 5 percent? 20 percent? — will either find it inconvenient to use cash or will resent supporting tax evasion. If I am right and they lose customers, the spa will undoubtedly blame the losses on competition or the economy."

To read more from Jay Goltz, visit the New York Times' Web site.

Submitted by the SIOP electronic Communications Committee.

Airline Industry Investigation and the Role of the I/O Psychologist

By: Karin Soweid, Capella University

The recent article in The New York Times about the commuter flight that crashed in Buffalo, NY in February raises a lot of issues that an I/O Psychologist is concerned with, from compensation to fatigue and illness on the job.

To what extent does the National Transportation Safety Board employ I/O Psychologists to assist with these investigations, and how can we make our expertise known in this domain?

Multi-tasking or Multi-ignoring?

By Steven T. Hunt

 

I’m not sure if it is true, but someone told me that the most dangerous group of drivers recently changed. It used to be teenage boys. Putting young men into overpowered cars is a good formula for creating accidents and high insurance premiums. But another group of drivers has become even more frightening behind the wheel than impulsive, testosterone-laden, inexperienced young males recreating Grand Theft Auto in the family sedan (when I was a teenager, we did the same thing, only we imitated James Garner driving his gold Camaro in the TV show “Rockford Files”).

 

So what is the new “most dangerous driver”?