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Peer Review

I/O at Work

Reviewed:
Sep 25, 2020 by Psychology
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Ratings

Overall Rating: 4.8 stars
Content Quality: 4.5 stars
Effectiveness: 4.5 stars
Ease of Use: 5.0 stars
Overview:

I/O at Work is a resource website for HR Catalyst, Inc. The site introduces the field of I/O psychology and posts brief (500-700 word), accessible summaries of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology research articles that have been published in premier psychology journals.  They also provide links to the article for those interested in reading the full journal paper.  The goal of I/O at Work is described as follows on the "About" link.

"I/O at Work helps to bridge the gap between I/O research and its application in the HR world (and beyond) by making it easier for practitioners to access and stay on top of recently published research. Instead of spending hours scanning multiple journals, we do much of the work for you. With this site and a few minutes a week, you can stay informed about new research by scrolling through new reviews posted each week." 

Type of Material:

Reference Material

Recommended Uses:

 

  • The website could be linked to course websites as a resource. Students could surf the site for general knowledge acquisition and to become informed about the nature and breadth of I/O psychology research (a broad usage goal). Alternatively, selected article summaries could be included as part of assignments or to stimulate in-class discussion (a more specific usage goal).   
  • The material should be of interest to nonacademic but interested parties such as HR managers.
Technical Requirements:

 

  • The website can be accessed via any browser. A PDF reader is required for downloadable white papers. 
Identify Major Learning Goals:

 

  • Users will learn about current research in the field of I/O psychology and will understand its implications for work organizations. 
Target Student Population:

College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Professional

  • The material is specifically targeted to a practitioner audience but also would be very relevant as a resource for undergraduate courses in I/O Psychology, Human Resources Management, and Management & Leadership. 
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

 

  • No prerequisite knowledge is required to derive benefit from the website's research reviews; however, a basic understanding of psychology principles and contemporary workplace dynamics (and challenges) would be helpful.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • I/O at Work offers an up-to-date overview of I/O psychology research that is under way in the profession. The "Topics" link in the site's navigation menu takes the visitor to dozens of subjects on the both the "I" and the "O" sides of the field.
  • The research summaries are brief (500- 700 words) yet offer a cogent explanation of purpose, method, and organizational implications. 
  • The research summaries are written by discipline experts (I/O psychology practitioners, I/O psychology graduate students).
  • All summaries list the title and author(s) of the original article as well as the journal in which the original article was published. A link-out to APA PsycNET (for some articles published in psychology journals) allows the visitor to search for the complete article.
  • Research summaries reference publications in numerous psychology and management journals such as Journal of Applied Psychology, Harvard Business Review, Judgment and Decision Making, MIT Sloan Management Review, Journal of Management, and many more.
  • Research summaries are posted on an ongoing basis; the site and the research are current. 
Concerns:

 

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • The featured research on I/O at Work is selected by reason of its potential interest to practitioners and clients (i.e., it takes a practitioner perspective). This supports students in linking scholarship (in psychology and management) to workplace implications. 
  • The research summaries are well-written and professionally presented. 
  • The website can be linked to course websites, and instructors can point students to particular articles, topics (via the Topics link), or journals (via the Resources) link. 
  • Instructors also can encourage students to follow the website via Twitter, a contemporary approach to staying informed and current. https://twitter.com/IOATWORK 
Concerns:

 

  • I/O at Work is not designed as a teaching tool. Instructors who use the site as a class resource will want to design assignments or class discussion protocols to meet their pedagogical objectives.
  • Without guidance, students may struggle to narrow their search within the field.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • The site is exceptionally easy to navigate. The most recent entries appear directly on the homepage. A Topics link allows the visitor to search for articles by subject area, and a Resources link allows the visitor to search for articles by journal. 
  • Topics provide links to the article summaries by topic while resources provides links to the summaries arranged by publishing journal.
  • Visitors can follow I/O at Work on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
  • A scrolling banner across the top of the homepage announces (and links to) the most recently posted research summaries. 
Concerns:

None.

Other Issues and Comments:

 

  • I/O at Work is an interesting site with good articles clearly linked to the original journal articles. We need more sites like this to help lay people understand academic work in a simpler manner. 
  • I/O at Work is an excellent practitioner resource with many possibilities for application in courses where students are learning about I/O psychology (and management) research and its value with respect to the contemporary workplace.
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