Roni Reiter-Palmon

Psychology

Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology

The conference included a full day of sessions devoted to teaching I/O psychology (a first in the conference history). In a keynote address, Dr. Schnieder suggested that an integration of both sides, the I and 0 is important. This is something that we already do here at UNO. Further, the theme of science and practice and the balance between the two has been emphasized. Again, this is something that we already do and are very aware of. Other themes that were identified as needing more attention, both in course work and research are (a) cross cultural issues, (b) technology and its effects, (c) service jobs, (d) aging workforce, (e) immigration, (f) wage and income disparity. Other presentations discussed (a) ways in which to enrich undergraduate and graduate education of I/O psychology by including more active learning projects, (b) the role of I/O area concentration at the undergraduate level in the success of those students in graduate school and HR jobs, (c) ways to include diversity issues in various I/O topics. An additional important session included 6 notable researchers, practitioners and academicians which engaged in a debate about the state of I/O training. Among the issues raised and discussed was whether accreditation was needed for I/O programs, what are benefits and costs for accreditation. Whether I/O programs are aligned with practice and business needs, and to what extent should they be aligned with such needs. What is the role of I/O psychology in business schools, and related to that, how can we support I/O psychology in psychology programs, and attract faculty to psychology programs. Finally, the relationship between I/O psychology and other disciplines, both within psychology and outside of it (sociology, economics, etc.) was discussed, with a particular attention to class room instruction and research (as an instructional tool).

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