Hogan’s scientific foundation and commitment to research distinguishes us from the competition. Each year, Hogan and our affiliates publish works that contribute to the knowledge and development of (a) the Hogan assessments and (b) the field of personality and psychology. These publications build the Hogan brand and allow us to better serve our clients worldwide.

Hogan employees work to promote our brand through publishing in well- known academic outlets and presenting at professional conferences. Also, we leverage the Hogan Academic Network, a group of researchers, professors, and students across the globe, to disseminate Hogan-related research through theses, dissertations, peer-reviewed journals, and professional conferences.

This year has been no exception to our commitment to progressing the science of personality. This list details Hogan-related publications and presentations from 2013. Take a look.

In a recent article on ABC News, Alan Farnham highlights the ranking of the fastest-growing occupations provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). I was pleasantly, while not completely, surprised to see that Industrial-Organizational Psychologists made the top of the list. The article highlights two important facts about the small size of the field: a) with the field only including around 1,600 psychologists, a 53% increase doesn’t result in as many jobs as other fields and b) not many people know much about the field.

It was refreshing to read an accurate and positive description of the field in the media for once. I recently read an article describing us as occupational therapists, which is very inaccurate, but a step past my peers thinking I read minds in the work place for a living. Beyond being a mouthful to say, I am often given a blank stare and a “What the heck is that?” when I mention that I am an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist.

Farnham describes I-O Psychologists as consultants that can be hired to improve the efficiency of an organization and that their contribution can be directly linked to improved business performance. This is a very important distinction because one of the most difficult jobs an I-O Psychologist faces is explaining what we do to non-I-O psychologists. Our job is very important in that we are not only seeking to improve the efficiency in an organization, but we must also remain agents of the court (keep companies from violating employment law). For the most part, this involves conducting rigorous research to find validation evidence to support our methods.

All of our R&D staff, as well as several of our consultants and coaches are I-O psychologists. As a Consultant on the R&D team at Hogan, I spend most of my time conducting selection research for domestic clients and multinational corporations. As Farnham mentioned, we are able to demonstrate causality between our contribution and business performance. Our assessments predict performance and we have the numbers to back it up. The hard part is putting this in a business language that can be used and understood by stakeholders in an organization. Companies that have dealt with I-O psychologists get it quickly. Companies new to the idea take longer to convince. Other scientists are often the most skeptical of psychologists calling themselves scientists. In the end, the numbers speak for themselves and our ability to provide return on investment (ROI) is valuable.  

It's difficult to find time to read every new piece of rersearch that could impact the I/O field. However, to be effective, it is important to stay up to date on current research. To help, the Hogan Research Division collects and summarizes important articles every quarter. Click on the authors' names for more information about the studies.

Withholding Bosses Kill Engagement
High scores on scales comprising the Hogan Development Survey’s moving-away factor are most harmful to engagement, job satisfaction, and burnout. High scores on scales comprising other HDS factors produce mixed results (Leary et al.).

CEO, Senior Executive Personalities Impact Performance
Although it is no surprise that CEO personality and the collective personality of senior executives both influence firm performance, what may be surprising is that the two act relatively independently of one another (Colbert et al.).

Virtual Harassment More Damaging Than Face-To-Face
Virtual workplace harassment (i.e., harassment via computer-based communications) can be just as psychologically damaging as face-to-face harassment, but even more so when the person doing the harassing is anonymous or from outside of the organization (Ford).

Is Too Much Creativity a Bad Thing?
All organizations need creative people, but overall levels of creativity might be less beneficial or even detrimental to large or risk-prone organizations (Gong et al.).

Values Predict Self-Starters in Ambiguous Jobs
Individual values predict how proactive employees will be on the job, but only in weak employment situations where ambiguity is high (Grant and Rothbard).

For Extraversion, Moderation is Key
When it comes to the relationship between extraversion and call center performance, individuals with moderate extraversion scores tend to do better than individuals with either low or high scores (Grant).

Shared Leadership Drives Innovation
Shared leadership within teams helps drive innovation (Hoch).

Neurotic People May Also Be Smarter
Both neuroticism and openness to experience are significantly related to certain aspects of higher level cognitive functioning (Murdock et al.).

Workplace Bullying Impacts Mental Health
Workplace bullying not only impacts performance, but also the overall mental health of employees (Nielsen et al.).

Conscientiousness More Important in Low-Level Jobs
Although generally predictive across jobs, conscientiousness may be particularly important for lower level jobs that are highly structured and less cognitively demanding (Shaffer & Postlewaite).

In the world of I/O Psychology, we are often presented with statistical results on a daily basis. Although useful, this can be a problem if we don't understand how to interpret results presented to us or know what questions we should ask to make sure those results are accurate.

This pocket guide is a quick reference for individuals who are confronted with statistical or research terminology regularly used in I/O Psychology. It provides an overview of common statistical terms, techniques, and processes for your reference. With this information, you can be a better consumer of research results and, therefore, make better data-based decisions.

To purchase Statistics: A Pocket Guide for I/O Psychologists, visit the bookstore.