Canadian Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Guidelines for graduate training

Presented by the I/O Section of the Canadian Psychological Association June, 1989 Written by Theresa J.B. Kline, Ph.D. The University of Calgary
CONTENTS:
     Purpose
     Principles
     Canadian Context
     Content Areas for Graduate Programs in I/O Psychology
     Recommended Training Strategies for each Content Area
     Definitions of Training Strategies

PURPOSE

The purpose of these Guidelines is to provide guidance to Canadian universities in the design and delivery of Industrial and Organizational Psychology education. The document expresses the principles of I/O education endorsed by the I/O Section of the Canadian Psychological Association.

The goals of the I/O Section in producing these guidelines are to encourage the development of I/O Psychology education programs in Canada, to provide some uniformity in the core curriculum of such programs, and, ultimately, to affect the basic qualifications of graduates of such program.

PRINCIPLES

1. A survey of Section members revealed that a strong majority favoured the adoption of the Guidelines for Education and Training at the Doctoral Level in I/O Psychology published by the Society for Industrial /Organizational Psychology (SIOP) (Division 14 of the American Psychological Association).

The I/O Section of CPA, then, officially adopts the principles set forth in that document.

Any additional guidelines put forth herein are to be considered complementary to the SIOP guidelines and are consistent with their principles.

2. The I/O Section endorses the model of I/O psychologist as scientist-practitioner, as described in the SIOP guidelines. Education programs in I/O Psychology should aim to train individuals to be competent in both the science and practice of I/O Psychology.

3. The guidelines are intended to encourage the development of graduate I/O education programs and should, therefore, be sensitive to regional concerns and adaptable to pedagogical outlooks of different universities.

4. The guidelines should be sensitive to the Canadian context, more specifically the legislation affecting the practice of I/O Psychology, the characteristics of Canadian industry, and the situation of Canadian Universities.

5. The guidelines should be reviewed upon demand from the membership or when SIOP revises guidelines for American universities. Such a review should include consultation with the Membership, a review of the present context (educational and industrial), and of the SIOP guidelines.

CANADIAN CONTEXT

Educational

At the time these guidelines were written there was one established I/O program in Canada at the Doctoral level and one other in the final stages of implementation. There were also four institutions with programs at the Master's level. In addition, at least six institutions trained I/O psychologists as a specialization within other graduate applied psychology programs.

It is important to note that , except for one institution, I/O education at the graduate level is usually supported by 1 or 2 faculty members. This limits the number of formal training curses which can presently be offered at one institution and should be considered in attempting to implement these guidelines. Until such time as more faculty resources are committed to I/O education, alternatives to formal graduate courses must be sought in order to cover the content areas outlined in the SIOP guidelines.

Industrial Context

There are fewer large companies in Canada than in the U.S. Only 2-3% of companies in Canada have more than 5,000 employees. Much of the literature and training in I/O Psychology, however, deals with the application of psychological principles and research techniques to large scale human resource management issues. The market for people trained in I/O Psychology and the possible contribution of I/O psychologists to the competitiveness of Canadian companies is, therefore, limited. In many cases, smaller firms purchase the expertise they require in I/O areas through management consulting firms.

Recommendation

In order to promote the use of I/O Psychology practices in Canadian industry, to broaden the scope of the practice of I/O Psychology, and to increase the market for people trained in I/O Psychology, institutions should make an effort to concentrate on the applicability of I/O principles to smaller organizations. This can be achieved by an emphasis on: a) breadth within programs to avoid over-specialization, b) the practice of human resource management, and c) consultation skills.

CONTENT AREAS FOR GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN I/O PSYCHOLOGY

The SIOP guidelines specify 21 areas of competency which should be included in the training of I/O psychologists. In order to aid in setting priorities in the application of these guidelines, a survey asked Section members to rate the extent to which each area was necessary to the I/O psychologist. From the results of this survey, the content areas have been grouped in to the three categories of Core, Complementary, and Secondary.

The areas classified as Core are considered necessary to the effectiveness of I/O psychologists and should be thoroughly covered in graduate programs. The next section recommends preferred methods for the achievement of competence in each area. All graduate programs in I/O Psychology must measure that graduates have achieved competence in each one of these areas by the time the Doctorate is conferred.

The areas classified as Complementary are also very important to I/O psychologists and should be the subject of some training in all graduate programs. These areas can be the topic of sections of graduate course, could be mastered through training in another program within the psychology department or in other departments, or could be the focus of directed self-study program, etc. Larger, more established programs should ensure that competence is achieved in each of these areas.

Content areas classified as Secondary are important for specific occupations or applications, as a basis needed to understand other areas in I/O Psychology, or as common ground with other psychologists. This area should receive at least basic coverage at the graduate level. In some cases, advanced undergraduate training may be sufficient. In other cases, a program may wish to concentrate on one of these areas because of career opportunities for graduates.

The list of content areas which make up the basis of graduate I/O education, and both complementary and secondary areas can be found elsewhere in this document under Defining I/O Psychology

This domain includes knowledge and skill in evaluating the impact and effectiveness of programs, procedures, functions and policies aimed at improving organizational effectiveness, quality of work and work life, safety in the work place, etc., with particular attention to human resource management interventions. It includes knowledge of the theory and practice of formative and summative evaluation, experimental and quasi-experimental design, evaluability assessment, cost-benefit analysis and utility analysis. It makes use of skills in many areas mentioned above, including research methods, measurement of individual differences, statistics/data analysis and criterion development, among others.

In the survey of I/O members on Training and Education in I/O Psychology, respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of different educational methods in helping graduate students achieve competence in each of these areas. Appendix A contains definitions of training methods which were rated.

From the results of the survey, recommendations concerning education in each content area have been formulated. Note that these recommendations are based on normative information, and not statements on the actual effectiveness of pedagogical methods. Each institution should choose the methods which they believe are most effective in providing education in each of these areas.

Figure 1 presents each of the content areas along with recommendations for training and education for achieving competence in each of the areas. In attempting to implement these guidelines, institutions should consider the importance of each area within their respective programs. In general, more important areas should probably be covered using many training strategies.

In the Figure, a 'HR' represents a "highly recommended" training strategy for the content area; 'R' represents a recommended training strategy; and 'A' represents an acceptable strategy. For core areas, strategies rated as acceptable should probably only be used in addition to a highly recommended strategy.

FIGURE 1: EDUCATION AND TRAINING STRATEGIES BY CONTENT AREA

CONTENT AREA	Graduate Course Work	Advanced Undergrad. Courses	Independent Study/ Research	Supervised Experience	On-the-Job Training	Professional Workshop
Ethical, Legal, and Professional Context of I/O Psychology	HR	A	A		A	A
Organizational Theory	HR	A	A	A	A
Work Motivation Theory	HR	A	R	A
Statistical Methods/Data Analysis	HR	R	A	A	A	A
Research Methods	HR	R	A	A	A
Personnel Selection, Placement & Classification	HR	A	A	HR	A
Performance Appraisal/Feedback	HR	A	A	HR	A
Measurement of Individual Differences	HR	R	A	A	A
Organizational Development Theory	HR	A	A	A	A	A
Job & Task Analysis	HR	A	A	HR	R	A
Individual Assessment	HR	R	A	R	R	A
Training: Theory, Program Design & Evaluation	HR	A	A	R	R	A
Attitude Theory	HR	R	A
Career Development Theory	HR	A	R	A	A	A
Criterion Development & Theory	HR	A	A	A	A	A
Human Performance/Human Factors/Ergonomics	HR	A	A	A	A
Decision Theory	HR	A	A
Program Evaluation	HR	A	A	A	A	A
Consumer Behaviour	R	A	A
Fields of Psychology	A	HR	A
History & System in Psychology	R	HR	A

DEFINITIONS OF TRAINING STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE COMPETENCY IN CONTENT AREAS APPENDIX A

Graduate Course Work

Credit for a graduate course which deals specifically with a topic or within which the topic is covered. The method can include lectures, discussions, seminars, presentations, etc.

Advanced Undergraduate Course Work

Credit for one or a set of undergraduate level courses which deal with the appropriate content areas of provide training for a specific skill.

Independent Reading/Study/Research

Non-classroom instruction in which the student, in consultation with qualified faculty, assumes basic responsibility for a commitment to the accomplishment of learning objective. This method includes all forms of non-classroom instruction for which self-initiated effort is of central concern and for which such effort can successfully result in the achievement of relevant learning objectives. Examples would include self-initiated effort aimed at covering defined domains through reading; generating appropriate review manuscripts, proposals or reports; designing and conducting a research investigation; and acquiring interactive computer skills.

Supervised Experience and Field Research

Non-classroom instruction in which the student is actively engaged in projects under the direct supervision of qualified personnel. Such projects would be aimed at fulfilling specific training objectives with special emphasis given to the acquisition of skills. Participation would not be motivated primarily for compensation. This method might often be characterized by in vivo learning opportunities such that the student learns in settings similar to those to which transfer can be expected.

In all cases, however, there must be meaningful professional supervision of the training experience. Examples would include practicum and internship experiences, field work teaching/training.

On the Job Training

Non-classroom instruction in which capabilities are learned through "hands-on" experience on applied tasks under the explicit guidance of a professionally qualified task expert. Such training is typically done in conjunction with ones's "job", and participation involves compensation. In any event, on-the-job training provides first hand knowledge of the problems associated with particular I/O domains and allows for the opportunity to focus on solutions which will have an impact on the setting in which the student is working.

Professional Workshops

Successful completion of a special workshop or mini-course dealing with a specific subject matter or special skills training offered by a recognized source including possibly Universities, Colleges, Government, Consulting Firms, CPA, APA, the Academy of Management, and Provincial or State personnel associations.