2017 IOP Conference

The 12th Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference held recently in Sydney saw a record number of attendees, highlighting the vibrant and increasingly broad reach of the field. A persistent theme throughout the conference was the role of organisational psychology in fostering workplace wellbeing, from the initial onboarding phase, to the transition to, and beyond retirement. Professor Mo Wang, the opening keynote speaker, challenged conference participants to consider how organisational psychology might support retirees who continue to remain engaged in some form of work. Dame Carol Black, the closing keynote speaker, argued for a greater focus on interventions to identify successful strategies for the management of wellbeing in the workplace.

In a departure from previous conferences, and to recognise the important contribution of key researchers in organisational psychology, Professor Sharon Parker and Professor Alex Haslam were engaged ‘in conversation’ with Dr Stacey Parker. This more relaxed and informal discussion ranged over a number of issues, from the need to investigate job redesign as a framework for successful workplaces, to the future of the profession in an increasingly regulated environment.

To target the needs of practitioners, the conference coincided with supervision workshops and masterclasses delivered by the APS Institute and supported by the College of Organisational Psychologists. Practice panels were also introduced to tackle topics, including the future of work, health and safety, social justice, and workplace culture. The panels comprised of specialists in their fields who generously donated their time to support the conference.

Preceding the practice panels, delegates attended a business breakfast where Professor Michael Johnson and Mr John Meacock discussed the role of organisational psychology in the management of cybersecurity threats within organisations. The day culminated in the conference dinner at Darling Harbour where College Chair Dr Tim Bednall presented the Elton Mayo award to Professor Charmaine Hartel, and awarded college prizes to the highest performing students at the various organisational psychology programs across Australia.

In what was a high quality of submissions to the conference, Best Paper prizes were awarded to the following recipients.

Best Paper: Professional Practice Forum

• ‘Bringing physiology back into IO Psychology.’
• Presented by: Anya Johnson, Stefan Volk, Helena Nguyen, Neal Ashkanasy, Mo Wang, Tim Bednall, Stacey Parker, Jemma King

Best Paper: Symposium

• ‘Stress appraisals: What shapes the way we interpret work stressors, and what are the implications.’
• Presented by: Ben Searle, Andrea Espedido, Gina Chatellier, Charlotte Rush

Best Paper: Individual Research Paper

• ‘A motivational perspective on organisational socialisation.’
• Presented by: Jane Chong

Best Paper: Individual Research Paper

• ‘Idle hands make the devil's work? Machiavellian’s positive responses to workload.’
• Presented by: Alana Jansen

Best Paper: Individual Research Paper

• ‘When can hierarchy in teams help team learning? The moderating effect of a shared threat’
• Presented by: Christina Stothard

Best Paper: How-To Session

• ‘Building ‘Strong Teams’: Combining theory, practice and context to develop collaborative practice in teams.’
• Presented by: Meg Hooper, Tim Clarke

The success of the 12th Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference would not have been possible without the support of a collaborative and supportive organising committee comprising: Dr Ben Searle, Dr Tim Bednall, Ms Joanne Abbey, Ms Lucy Brogden, Associate Professor Barbara Griffin, and Mr Mark Cipants. Thanks are also due to Angela Tang, Karen Grigg, and all the staff at the APS for their support and attention to detail prior to, and during the conference. As always, the student helpers were instrumental in providing advice and support to delegates and ensuring that sessions kept to time. Finally, thanks to the presenters, delegates, sponsors and exhibitors for supporting the conference and the field of organisational psychology more generally. We are looking forward to reconvening in 2019 in Adelaide for the 13th Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference.