Broadening the reach of I-O research in Canada

Joshua Bourdage, PhD

In many ways, the roots of I-O psychology and its growth as a discipline can be tied back to our ability to translate research findings into work that has practical utility. What can you do?

In many ways, the roots of I-O psychology and its growth as a discipline can be tied back to our ability to translate research findings into work that has practical utility – indeed, the role of I-O psychology in World Wars I and II in terms of assessment, selection, classification, and training attest to this. While recent evidence suggests that I-O psychology is growing at a rapid rate1 , most of those in the discipline are still likely familiar with having to explain to the majority of people they encounter (including friends and family) what I-O psychology is. Despite the growth and utility of the discipline, there are still many challenges related to increasing the profile of I-O psychology and educating people about our findings.

As academics, we’re often confronted with the importance of thinking beyond a research audience. The majority of our journals require a “Practical Implications” section, and granting bodies such as SSHRC typically require a knowledge mobilization plan. However, these sections can often become an afterthought, as we become mired in the minutiae of theory, statistics, and design. Its easy to lose focus of our tremendous potential to the broader world while sitting in an office late at night running SPSS.

At CSIOP-SCPIO, we’re now taking the first steps in an attempt to broaden the audience that we engage with and increase the profile of I-O psychology in Canada and beyond. These steps include the webpage you’re reading this on, a new Twitter account (@csiop_scpio), and an accompanying Facebook page. These initiatives are new, and their use will be evaluated and evolve over time. However, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to try new approaches to engaging and getting our findings out there and highlight our discipline and our members.

What can you do? As we take our initial steps into this domain, we’d love to hear your thoughts about how I-O psychology can best broaden our audience, potential resources that can be leveraged, tips from members who have been able to effectively engage in “knowledge mobilization”, and challenges that have been encountered. We hope that through these forums, we can work together to enhance our discipline!

Joshua Bourdage is Assistant professor of psychology at the University of Calgary.