National

Calling all COP Members - Tell Us What You Think

4 November

We need 10 minutes of your time to help us find out what influences Organisational Psychologists to join and contribute to its college (COP). Our research shows that while Return on Investment motivates people to join the College of Organisational Psychologists (COP), it is the collective identity and pride with being associated with COP that keeps them involved.

Help us test these ideas out over the long term by completing the short survey through this link.

http://www.surveymethods.com/EndUser.aspx?C0E48890C7819197

Please note, we need to close the survey on the 14 November 2008.

IOP Conference - Keynote Speakers Announced

12 Oct 2008

The program will feature keynote presentations and workshops from the following internationally acclaimed speakers:

Professor Deniz S. Ones   
Keynote Address: Understanding and predicting counterproductive work behaviors

Professor Eduardo Salas
Keynote Address: Work Teams in Organizations: A Quarter Century of Progress

Professor Sabine Sonnentag
Keynote Address: Staying Well and Healthy: Recovery from Daily Job Stress

Professor Philip Taylor
Keynote Address: Baby Boom or Baby Bust?: A new ageing workforce research agenda

Professor Robert Wood
Keynote Address: Knowledge Based Leadership

Professor Beryl Hesketh
Keynote Address: Future Trends and Influences on Organizational Psychology

Call for Papers - Present or lead a forum at next year's IOP Conference in Sydney, 25 -28 June 2009

11 Oct 2008

Jim Kehoe, Chair of the Organising Committee of the 8th Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference, invites you to be part of the conference program.

The theme for the conference is: *Meeting the Future: Promoting Sustainable Organisational Growth*, as we explore possible answers to the question: How can I-O psychologists construct and manage work in ways that meet present needs of an organisation and its people, but with a view to long-term development and growth within the larger social, economic, and natural environment?

As well as Sustainability, other conference topics include Organisational Development and Change Management, Performance Management, Well-Being and Work-Life Balance, Health and Safety, Human Factors, Leadership, Ageing, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Indigenous and Cross-Cultural Issues.

Whether you are a practitioner or an academic, the Organising Committee invites you to contribute to the conference through:

- Individual Research Papers (20 mins)
- Symposia (90 mins)
- Posters
- Practice forums (90 mins)
- How to sessions (45 mins)
- Workshops (half or full day)

Further details on the nature of each session type and how to submit a session idea (typically only an abstract is required) can be found on the conference website: http://www.iopconference.com.au/submissions/

The deadline for submissions is 1 November 2008. However, to allow more time to organise group presentations - specifically, symposia and practice forums - we'd like Expressions of Interest by 1 November and then completed submissions by 17 November 2008. Any questions about submissions can be sent to: [email protected].

Elevator Pitch Competition Update

26 June 2008 

The Elevator Pitch competition generated great interest from organisational psychologists across the country. We were extremely pleased with the level of response we received which indicted to us that this is a topic we are all passionate about. There was also a strong response to the voting stage of the competition. The winning Elevator Pitch was:

Organisational psychology is the science of people at work. Organisational psychologists specialise in analysing organisations and their people, and devising strategies to recruit, motivate, develop, change and inspire.

The winning entry won convincingly, receiving 43% of the votes.  

 

ILLUMINATIONS Issue #1 and REACH Issue #3 now available

23 June 2008

The new editions of ILLUMINATIONS and REACH are now available in the Publications section of the website. REACH is a new bi-monthly e-Newsletter full of College news and information for COP members. ILLUMINATIONS is a quarterly e-Magazine demonstrating how organisational psychologists add value in the workplace, with a different theme featured in each edition.

8th Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference 2009

The 8th Industrial & Organisational Psychology Conference will be held from 25 -28 June 2009 in Sydney. It will bring together prominent practitioners and researchers from Australia and overseas.Keynote addresses, research papers, practice forums, and how-to workshops will explore new and challenging themes in workplace psychology.For organisational psychologists, researchers, workplace consultants, or anyone with an interest in business best practice, this conference is not to be missed.

The conference will be held at the beachfront Manly-Pacific Hotel, which is only 20 min by fast ferry from downtown Sydney and its famous Opera House.

A dedicated Conference website will be launched at the end of May. In the interim, any queries can be addressed to the Organising Chair, Prof E. James Kehoe, to [email protected].

Elevator Pitch Competition

The difficult question that many of us are asked when we tell people about our profession:

"So, what is it that organisational psychologists do?"

To address this complex question, COP recently hosted a competition where members submitted an "Elevator Pitch" - a succinct statement describing what organisational psychologists do in their work. The top five entries were recently chosen by the judging panel.

Voting has now closed. Thank you to everyone involved in the competition.

REACH Issue #2 now available

REACH is a new bi-monthly e-Newsletter full of College news and information for members. The second issue of REACH is now available to be viewed under the Publications section of the website.

Get involved in your College in 2008

2008 is going to be COP's year of transformation. With the help of each and every member, together we can improve the way the College supports and represents organisational psychologists and organisational psychology in Australia. There are many opportunities for members to get involved (click here to read about how you can help ). So how can you make a difference in 2008? Register your interest in a particular initiative by emailing Gina McCredie at [email protected].

COP's Strategic Directions

In line with the COP Business Plan for 2008-2010, we will be focused on enhancing the College in line with five strategic streams:

1. Growth: We attract members by being a thriving, forward thinking, and professional community.

2. Reach: We are a globally networked practitioner and academic profession.

3. Influence: We influence business, media and the government through our strong brand and value proposition.

4. Innovation: We strive to provide great services to our members, and we are disciplined and professional in our administration and governance of COP.

5. Capability: We support our member’s growth through world class continuing professional development.

South Australia

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a Coaching Model

A joint venture co-hosted by the Interest Group in Coaching Psychology and the College of Organisational Psychologists 

7 August 2008

Dr Russ Harris’ evening seminar, jointly hosted in July by the College of Organisational Psychologists and the Interest Group in Coaching Psychology was a resounding success, with over 90 attendees.  Dr Harris presented to a varied audience, including coaches, psychologists, HR professionals and clinicians.

He delivered a highly informative and very entertaining overview of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), introducing the audience to the model of therapy that is showing very promising results in both clinical and non-clinical areas, including treatment of depression and anxiety, and executive and life coaching.  Although it was created 10 years earlier, ACT is now seen as part of the positive psychology movement.

Dr Harris started his career as a GP and soon developed a special interest in the branch of medicine known as psychoneuroimmunology.  This interest led to further training in many types of therapy and coaching, but when he discovered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, he was so deeply impressed that he promptly went to the U.S.A. to train with its creators, Steve Hayes and Kelly Wilson, and is now a fully-accredited ACT trainer.

Apart from being a highly sought after speaker and facilitator, Dr Harris has recently published an ACT-based self-help book, titled ‘The Happiness Trap’ which is now available in major bookstores, nationally.

Dr Harris will be returning to Adelaide in November to present his acclaimed introductory workshop to ACT.  For further information go to www.actmindfully.com.au/.

We would like to extend our appreciation and thanks for a highly enjoyable evening and look forward to future opportunities to welcome Dr Russ Harris to Adelaide.

Download a recording of the presentation in the Audio Visual Library.

Networking night a success for students

Yet another successful student networking night was held on Monday the 31st March with over 60 attendees present. This was the fourth annual joint venture between the College of Organisational Psychologists (COP) and the Universities of Adelaide and SA. Jacky Dakin, SA Chair of COP, gave a brief presentation on current national COP initiatives and Shelley Rogers, SA COP Secretary, informed people on the membership pathways. A very brief COP AGM was held to elect the 2008 Committee.

The annual COP awards for the best thesis from each university were then presented to Patrick Hosking from UniSA and Sonya Vandergoot from the University of Adelaide. Congratulations to both of them.

Student attendees had the opportunity to network with a variety of organisational psychology practitioners. This allowed them to find out the inner workings of companies including, Chandler McLeod, Lee Hecht Harrison and Development at Work and explore the possibilities of placements with them and other practitioners present. At the same time finger food and many drinks were consumed.

We look forward to a successful and productive year ahead and hope to see many of you at our regular PD functions.

Jacky Dakin
Chair COP SA Branch

Western Australia

College of Organisational Psychologists WA strengthens links with UWA

23 June 2008

COPWA has today announced the UWA School of Psychology as its exclusive University sponsor. The sponsorship arrangement allows for increased collaboration between the College and UWA including better access to the University’s extensive facilities, improved contact with visiting international academics, and closer engagement between industry and UWA students, staff and Alumni.

Head of School Associate Professor David Morrison says UWA is pleased to showcase its strong support for the professional community in WA through sponsorship of the College. “UWA already offers the widest choice of applied programs in Western Australia. We work very closely with industry and are continually seeking ways to strengthen our industry links. Sponsorship of COPWA allows us to provide further support to those involved in our Industrial & Organisational Masters and PhD programmes through closer contact with the professional community. Our students in particular will benefit from access to the excellent networking and professional development opportunities provided by the College. As a strong supporter of COPWA, UWA is very pleased to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the professional community through this arrangement.”

COPWA Chair Paul Syme says the sponsorship offers excellent opportunities for the College to offer more to its membership. “The College Professional Development events in particular have been very well attended and have offered an excellent opportunity for the organisational psychology community to network, interact and continue to develop their knowledge and skills. In the next 12 months we will see a greater emphasis on utilising UWA and visiting international academics to deliver contemporary professional development to our locally based professionals. The relationship with UWA will also enable COPWA to offer more effective and comprehensive services to all layers of its memberships which includes students, postgraduates and the broader psychology community”

For further details contact Dr Elliot Wood at UWA on 6488 1151 or email [email protected] or Donna Neill of COPWA on [email protected]. Information about Industrial & Organisational Psychology at UWA can be found on the web at www.psychology.uwa.edu.au/for/prospective_postgraduates. Information on Australian Psychological Society and COPWA membership can be found at www.psychology.org.au/membership/applying.