The SIOP Exchange

A Quiet Revolution

By Karin Soweid, SIOP Blogger

Recently, on a flight to Boston, I found myself immersed in thought about the psychological preferences that are categorized and defined by the Myers Briggs Type Indicator.  I suppose this is what one does with their ‘off time’ when they are immersed in a doctoral program in industrial-organizational psychology.  In parallel with the hum of the engines, I quietly reflected, acknowledging how many times I have taken this assessment tool over the past eight years and my subsequently varying four-letter outcomes during vastly different life experiences in that timeframe.  I couldn’t help but remark and marvel at how these considerable transitions in preference underscore a woman in her doctoral journey. 

Special Guest Post: In the Digital Era, is “Virtual Workforce” Redundant?

By Courtney Shelton Hunt, PhD
(read more about Courtney here!)

In the Digital Era, is “Virtual Workforce” Redundant?

That’s the title of my keynote address at SIOP’s Leading Edge Consortium (LEC) in Louisville, Kentucky on October 14-15, 2011. In many respects, the question is redundant of course. Though certain jobs are still bound to a specific time and place, the rise of globalization, new digital technologies (both hardware and software) and knowledge workers has resulted in profound changes in the notions of what work is, as well as where and how it gets accomplished.

Click here to view the SIOP LEC agenda

As the opening speaker, I see my role as laying a foundation for the sessions to follow, as well as promoting the continuation of the conversation and collaboration beyond the consortium. To that end, I’ve structured my comments with a Past/Present/Future focus:

Special Guest Post: Courtney Hunt

Join the Virtual Dialogue October 4 with Courtney Hunt

The SIOP Electronic Communications Committee will be hosting an online special guest on the Exchange Tuesday, October 4. SIOP's 2011 Leading Edge Consortium opening keynote speaker Courtney Hunt will be online all day to answer questions and respond to comments posted in response to her blog post regarding the virtual workforce. Anyone interested in the topic of virtual work is invited to read the post and leave comments or questions for Hunt.

Five Reasons You Need to Be at SIOP's LEC!

 

Although traditional work meant hours spent at a brick and mortar office, today’s organizations encounter the limits and opportunities of work that is no longer confined to the cubicle.

 

This October, “The Virtual Workforce: Designing, Leading, and Optimizing”will bring together thought leaders from academia and practice to discuss virtual work and exchange ideas and expertise in this exciting field.

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.