Due to circumstances people often must do what they can to earn a living. One cannot choose into what situation they are born. If socioeconomic circumstances make it difficult to pursue one’s passion for work that exhilarates them then one must strive to rise above their circumstance, albeit, however tedious and lengthy that process might be. This can look like saving money to relocate, earning a desired degree, or patiently pursuing job opportunities until a good one presents itself. Others find that work that was once rewarding is no longer satisfying. Perhaps that work served a primary purpose that was important for a period of years and now due to stage of life or other life changes new work is needed. Understand, the workplace is saturated with people who are just getting by financially and psychologically in a j…o…b.

There are plenty of disgruntled, placated people living for their next day off. Worse, we do not live in a vacuum. The thoughts and behaviors of each person impacts others. Where there is strong negativity in the majority of the work environment, those environments are marked by lack of innovation and motivation. Passionate people are anomalies and they are a social contagion. Some persons may want a j…o…b. That is OKAY. If you are not one of them, get up and do something about it. Start now, small behavior over time later leverages massive results. You can make tangible changes; professional coaching can help. Determine to transform your j…o…b into meaningful work.

ioPSYte^® has a standard flat rate for a pay as you go option. The flat rate is reasonable and on level with current market values. A second option is piece work, meaning that contract for a specific project can be defined and paid in stages for an agreed aggregate fee. Last, ioPSYte^® can become part of your staff represented in a discounted monthly fee depending on length of engagement. Some opt for this option as it allows for dynamic focus as development and needs shift during transformation of employees and process. If you have a special circumstance or a recommended pay structure that meets your needs it is worth discussing!

We start with a simple, no charge conversation. Think of it as a social networking business interaction. Click on "Contact Us" at the bottom of this page. During our conversation we will informally discuss potential needs and objectives. If you believe we are a good Science Practitioner-Organization fit we will discuss and schedule next steps.

This is a valid concern, if you and/or others are asking this up front you are the kind of client ioPSYte^® seeks. A calculated and responsible approach to paying vendors is a scientific one. As science-practitioners delivering the best ROI possible is a primary responsibility. When funds seem limited, the key is to allocate portions of them in ways that best leverage future opportunity. Base those limited funds in evidence-based applications. Startups and struggling organizations often need help when it seems they can least afford it. See the FAQ “How do we get started?” and use the "Contact Us" link. Knowing what workplace variables will have the best impact for you and how to apply them in your organization can limit your initial expenditure as well as ensure you gain the momentum for sustained success.

Consistent dread of work environment is an indication that the work environment and social interactions are presenting real influence in job satisfaction and motivation. Certainly, each of us experience periods of increased distress during situations where our performance plays a heavy role in the outcomes of work and therefore our lives in general. When work represents a cognitive load that dominates both the work and non-work interface it is a warning that burnout, relationships, and health are at risk. Long-term exposure is to be avoided. Fortunately, acknowledging workplace dread has the benefit of tension, which properly addressed, leads to improved organizations. Taking the necessary steps to transform organization culture is worth it. If you have felt this way everywhere you have worked, and in many different environments, then you will benefit from a commitment to professional evidence-based coaching. If this experience is atypical for you or the work environment has shifted (e.g. acquisition, merger, change in leadership…etc.) it is likely that you are not alone in your workplace dread. A proper analyses can aid to determine which researched-based variables need adjustment.

It is somewhat of a pattern for one generation to look at younger generations as less capable and less in touch with reality than their own. In addition, grouping persons into a rigid category based on perceived shared characteristics is stereotyping and disdain for adjacent and younger generations is a downward social comparison. Both stereotyping and downward social comparisons are flawed rationale.

Research indicates that the millennial generation (Generation Y) have positive commonalities. Millennials tend to represent a healthy work/non-work interface. In an individualistic society such as the United States, sacrificing one’s life for work is often heralded, but such dedication to work is unhealthy, psychologists term this workaholism. Generation Y seems less driven by materialism and more interested in relational investment. Perhaps due to technology (a connected upbringing) they also traverse the work/non-work interface more adeptly, working to accomplish goals while placing priority on their relationships. It is an example that Generation X might heed for improved quality of life. Lastly, Generation Y has been shown to value CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), organizations who are concerned with the betterment of environment and society. In conclusion, it is best to discover each person and their unique qualities and potential (individuation), versus exercising cognitive heuristics (mental shortcuts), such as downward social comparisons and stereotyping. Generation Y has much to offer organizations with their creativity, social focus, and flexibility!

IOP (Industrial Organizational Psychology) is a broad field and as a result industrial organizational psychologists fulfill many varied roles in organizations. If your need or area of interest was not addressed here, please reach out via phone or click "Contact Us" below. Expect a prompt response to your inquiry.



First, recognize the role that fear plays cognitively (in our minds). Stress and fear are negative moderators to PsyCap (Psychological Capital). Psychological capital is the summative mental capacity to perform in any situation. Basically, it is the way one frames (thinks about) their ability to perform (behave) toward a desired result. It is both the real and imagined mental factors that correlate with behavior and therefore real outcomes. When we have tried with extensive effort to act and we fall short over time we might lose hope and feel trapped in our current states. An outside perspective is frequently the fresh perspective that aids us to overcome. We are all prone to biased thinking (cognitive heuristics), meaning we have blind spots, or gaps in our mental constructs or schemas (the way we have ordered our thinking about work). A Science Practitioner, through observation and interpersonal feedback can reveal crucial variables to transform erroneous thinking and patch mental gaps.

First, recognize the role that fear plays cognitively (in our minds). Stress and fear are negative moderators to PsyCap (Psychological Capital). Psychological capital is the summative mental capacity to perform in any situation. Basically, it is the way one frames (thinks about) their ability to perform (behave) toward a desired result. It is both the real and imagined mental factors that correlate with behavior and therefore real outcomes. When we have tried with extensive effort to act and we fall short over time we might lose hope and feel trapped in our current states. An outside perspective is frequently the fresh perspective that aids us to overcome. We are all prone to biased thinking (cognitive heuristics), meaning we have blind spots, or gaps in our mental constructs or schemas (the way we have ordered our thinking about work). A Science Practitioner, through observation and interpersonal feedback can reveal crucial variables to transform erroneous thinking and patch mental gaps.

You are not alone; this statement is a frequent one among many organizations. Is it that there is not innovative and hard-working talent available or is it something else? People have tendency to place weight on the person alone for all that person’s behavior. Of course, persons are responsible for the way they respond to their circumstances. Yet, we underestimate the influence that the environment has upon a person. This is referred to in the psychology community as the Fundamental Attribution Error or Correspondence Bias. It simply means giving too much credit to individual factors as the causes of behavior and not enough credit to the work environment as a component of behavior as well.

What is the point here? The point is that that research indicates that certain work environments lend themselves to performance and others predict DWBs/CWBs (Deviant Work Behaviors/Counter-Productive Work Behaviors). Where there are patterns in the organization, such as struggles with employee retention and a toxic culture there are environmental influences perpetuating the situation (as other environmental influences perpetuate high employee retention and a performing culture). Challenges in acquiring and retaining a talented workforce are a function of the hiring, onboarding, and socialization process as well as organization culture, of which leadership is a primary independent variable. Simply, a scientific approach to talent acquisition, onboarding, socialization, and organization culture is the way to foster different outcomes. Whether aware, when hiring, persons tend to perpetuate their prior results, catering to particular personalities and the “feel” of things rather than an intelligent and deliberate process that qualifies candidates on the dimensions that exhibit a quality person-occupation and person-organization fit. A sound method properly instituted results in scores for comparisons among candidates. It will incorporate a broad information intake versus dependence on an interview method, singular assessment, etcetera.

Undoubtedly, there are influential business coaches in the market. Understanding one of the many foundational differences between a business coach and a Science Practitioner will aid to help you feel confident as to where to spend what proportion of your resources. As with any consulting service (IOP Services included) the degree to which the consulting organization measures (operationalizes) the results of their services towards organization revenue and savings reflects their quality and resulting impact.

Business coaches typically possess MBAs which are rooted in business philosophy whereas Science Practitioners possess MAs, MSs, and PhDs in applied psychology with strong focus in evidence-based people/workplace interaction. A business coach is typically process and methodology focused. It does not mean that they do not recognize the value of persons and exercise care for them. Nonetheless, Science Practitioners are people-focused and concerned with methodology and process as they pertain to motivation and performance. The following illustrates a practical contrast between the two using what is a common and evident real-world scenario, to some degree, in almost all organizations. 

A work team is having an issue with team performance. The business coach may approach the situation with knowledge of business process, leadership, and various other factors from an MBA perspective. The business coach may be invested in a proprietary methodology, meaning they have a branded toolset or programs that steer the organization to follow a predetermined course toward a predefined outcome. As with any commitment to a system there are trade-offs, to commit to a system an organization must adopt some behaviors and avoid others. Not necessarily irrational, to achieve goals one must exercise consistent behavior over time toward a focused result. How does the Science Practitioner approach the challenge?

Like the business coach the Science Practitioner sees structure and deliberation as needed frameworks for performance. In contrast, the Science Practitioner is uncommitted to a branded methodology or system. The Science Practitioner will observe and gather feedback from the environment and weigh those measurements against evidence-based research using validated measures. If a boxed methodology fits the needs of the organization and its people as indicated by applied psychology (science), it can be implemented. The weakness in dedication to pre-defined methodologies is a tendency to underestimate the influence of the environment and the dynamics of social psychology and individual factors. A methodology may be highly effective in one organization and lack validity in another as it may interact with the nuances of organization culture and psyches differently in varying persons, groups, and situations. As much as necessary and always to some degree, the Science Practitioner recognizes the need to aid the organization to produce their own systems which reflect these underlying variables as witnessed at varying potency per that organization. The Science Practitioner looks beyond methodology, grasping why each methodology is useful to what degree in what circumstances. This is rooted in evidence-based understanding of psychological factors which constitute past and ongoing influential variables in the workplace. The Science Practitioner sees the people as possessing the potential creativity and motivation for outcomes…the methodologies, procedures, and policies are the biproducts of that creativity and motivation.

If your organization is presently indicative of high levels of job satisfaction and healthy culture and the need is for a business philosophy, a business coach may be suited to your needs. If your focus is the work environment itself and human performance as it applies to an existing business philosophy, then a Science Practitioner might best serve your requirements.

In terms of psychology, to be mindful is to be in the moment. It is to be aware of one’s cognitions (thoughts) and emotions. Being mindful does not mean that we ignore the future but instead that we leverage focus on the present to impact the future. When we are aware of the present circumstances, environment, and our mental geography it gives us the ability to be intentional in our behavior. Much of our behaviors are the decisions we make. We decide to act in certain ways whether we are exercising automaticity or consciously choosing a course of action. Being mindful of our thoughts, resulting emotions, and why we have shaped them the way we have allows us to take responsibility to participate where we can, impacting what we can, conserving effort from that which we have no control over. This section of ioPSYte^® website serves to create a community of mindfulness where we exercise mindfulness on a workplace topic that each of us can work to transform or improve.

Members have access to all blogs and webinars as well as graduated access to training and consulting services based on membership level. May 1, 2022 will introduce ioPSYte^® memberships along with the first blog and webinar in a continuing series. Please refer to the “Blog Library” and “Webinar Library” May 1, 2022, where we will focus on the construct Job Satisfaction and its components, as well as ways to operationalize change from an individual perspective.