WorkCookie - Get Ahead with Industrial/Organizational Psychology in the Workplace

We discussed what personality really means in a workplace context, and why it matters more than most organizations realize. From daily interactions to long-term performance, personality shapes how people think, behave, and respond to challenges. We also explored how understanding personality can improve teamwork, leadership effectiveness, and overall organizational outcomes. In this Episode: Tom Bradshaw, Natasha Desjardins, Christine Mikhail, Paulette Elliott, Dr. Jagadesh Chander, Peter Demusi, Rashid Abuelmaali, Mayme Doubmia, Nick Krueger, Lee Crawson, Rohan Thompson.   Citations. American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Personality. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from American Psychological Association. (2018, February 13). Personality: Where does it come from and how does it work? Anaya, B., & Pérez-Edgar, K. (2019). Personality development in the context of individual traits and parenting dynamics. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology. Le, K., Donnellan, M. B., & Conger, R. (2014). Personality development at work: Workplace conditions, personality changes, and the corresponsive principle. Journal of Personality, 82(1), 44–56. McCornack, S. (n.d.). A catalog of 550 words used to describe individual traits of character. Ideonomy. 

We explored the critical role I/O psychologists play in guiding organizations through culture change, particularly when facing resistance from employees or leadership. We also examined common barriers to change, including skepticism, change fatigue, and misalignment of values, and how these challenges can surface during transformation efforts. In this Episode: LindaAnn Rogers, Tom Bradshaw, Lee Crowson, Nic Kruger, Bijou Attey, Natasha Desjardin  I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events

What if culture wasn’t a buzzword, but a measurable system you can diagnose, design, and optimize to directly improve employee wellbeing? We discussed how organizations can assess and intentionally shape culture to support employee well-being.  I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events

We dive into how inclusive cultures directly impact psychological and emotional well-being. We explored how a sense of belonging, perception of fairness, and safety of identity can influence employee engagement, stress levels, and overall employee health. I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events

What if the very “hustle” culture your organization celebrates is quietly burning out the people you can least afford to lose? We’ll examine how organizational culture contributes to burnout or helps prevent it. The discussion unpacks how norms and expectations around overworking, availability, and productivity shape employee wellbeing. I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events

We discussed how the impact of trust, openness, and the ability to speak up without fear can contribute to reducing stress, improving collaboration, increasing motivation, and enhancing performance. We also talked about leadership behaviors that encourage (or damage) psychological safety. In this episode: Bijou Attey, Tom Bradshaw, LindaAnn Rogers, Cam Dunson, Nic Krueger, Dr. Emi Barresi, Jagadesh Chander, Jerilyn White, Lee Crowson, Rich Cruz, Natasha Desjardins I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events *References Aboramadan, M., & Kundi, Y. M. (2023). Emotional culture of joy and happiness at work as a facet of wellbeing: A mediation of psychological safety and relational attachment. Personnel Review, 52(3), 567–583. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-04-2021-0285 Castro, E. (2023). The role of psychological safety on employee wellbeing in the Finnish startup environment. [Unpublished manuscript]. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-04-2021-0285 Clarke, E., Naswall, K., Masselot, A., & Malinen, S. (2024). Feeling safe to speak up: Leaders improving employee wellbeing through psychological safety. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emma-Clarke-36/publication/388525332_Feeling_safe_to_speak_up_Leaders_improving_employee_wellbeing_through_psychological_safety/links/67e253c33ad6d174c4bdc798/Feeling-safe-to-speak-up-Leaders-improving-employee-wellbeing-through-psychological-safety.pdf Clarke, E., Naswall, K., Masselot, A., & Malinen, S. (2025). Safe to stay: The role of leader behaviors and psychological safety in employee retention in high-demand workplaces. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 33(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/23970022251337643 Day, A. (2019). Building a foundation for psychologically healthy workplaces and well-being. Wiley. https://media.public.gr/Books-PDF/9781118469460-0830964.pdf Zhang, Z., & Song, P. (2020). Multi-level effects of humble leadership on employees’ work well-being: The roles of psychological safety and error management climate. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 571840. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.571840

Strategic planning is not a retreat. It’s a leadership operating rhythm. This episode discusses why annual retreats fail without quarterly integration, the importance of decision logs and risk logs, how to build strategic review into leadership meetings, and why culture determines whether strategy survives. I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events

Strategy fails not because it’s wrong, but because it was never operationalized into systems. We discussed the difference between a strategic goal and an operational objective. → Why every strategy must translate into systems, scorecards, and ownership. → The concept of “If it’s not measured, it’s not real,” → How to break a 3-year strategic move into assignable roles. In this episode: LindaAnn Rogers, Tom Bradshaw, Lee Crowson, Nic Kruger I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events

Organizations build strategies around what they sell instead of what customers are hiring them to accomplish. This episode discusses the concept of Jobs to Be Done thinking (without jargon), Why “services” is not a strategy, how to define the highest-value job your customer hires you to do, and the danger of competing on scope instead of outcomes. In this episode: Dr. Emi Barresi, Lee Crowson Nic Krueger, Natasha Desjardins, Tim Sharples   I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events

Most leadership teams think they have a strategy. What they actually have is a list of projects. Discussed: ·    The difference between strategy and operations (and why confusing them kills momentum) ·      How to identify whether a goal is truly strategic or just activity ·      Why last year’s “strategic goals” were likely execution improvements ·      The 3 diagnostic questions that reveal if something is strategy In this episode: LindaAnn Rogers, Tom Bradshaw, Lee Crowson, Nic Krueger, Natasha Desjardins, Dan Baxter   I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events   References Christensen, C. M. (1997). The innovator’s dilemma: When new technologies cause great firms to fail. Harvard Business School Press.   Christensen, C. M., Dillon, K., Hall, T., & Duncan, D. S. (2016). Know your customers’ “jobs to be done.” Harvard Business Review, 94(9), 54–62. https://hbr.org/2016/09/know-your-customers-jobs-to-be-done   Christensen, C. M., Hall, T., Dillon, K., & Duncan, D. S. (2016). Competing against luck: The story of innovation and customer choice. Harper Business.   Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. (2005). Blue ocean strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make competition irrelevant. Harvard Business School Press.   Porter, M. E. (1996). What is strategy? Harvard Business Review, 74(6), 61–78. https://hbr.org/1996/11/what-is-strategy I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job   Visit us https://www.seboc.com/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events