Specialty Competencies in Organizational and Business Consulting Psychology (Specialty Competencies in Professional Psychology) by Jay C. Ph.D. Thomas

Author:Jay C. Ph.D. Thomas
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2010-08-25T14:00:00+00:00

35p10

6p8

PART I V

Foundational

Competencies—

Th

e OBC Psychologist

as a Professional

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TEN

Business and Consulting Skills

A number of competencies needed for success in organizational and busi-

ness consulting psychology are not specifi c to the fi eld. Under Industrial and Organizational Psychologists (subsuming Consulting Psychologists),

the O*NET describes the extent to which a large number of knowledges,

skills, and abilities are required by the professional (O*NET On-Line, downloaded 10/10/2008). Obviously no single person’s repertoire will match the list, but it is instructive to examine the top 10 of each. Th

e knowledge list pro-

vides few surprises. Psychology is the most important item, followed closely by Personnel and Human Resources; Education and Training and Mathematics are fourth and fi ft h, just behind English Language. More salient for this chapter is the listing of Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Communications and Media, and Clerical (i.e., knowing

administrative and clerical procedures, knowing how to use word process-

ing, and designing forms). Th

ese are the sorts of knowledge expected of

anyone in middle to upper management in most organizations and in most

professions. Th

ey illustrate that success will not fl ow just from competence

in psychology; one must know how to operate in a businesslike manner to

get the job done.

Table 10.1 lists the top 20 skills for I/O psychologists from the O*NET.

Most require no elaboration; a few deserve special comment.

Writing is a skill that ought to be taught in high school or college; in

graduate school psychologists are taught to write using the style dictated by the American Psychological Association (APA style; American Psychological Association, 2009b). While APA style is appropriate for writing scientifi c papers and technical reports, the OBC psychologist writes for 146

Foundational Competencies—Th

e OBC Psychologist as a Professional

TABLE 10.1 Top 20 Skills for the Industrial and Organizational Psychologist from the O*NET

IMPORTANCE

SKILL

O*NET DESCRIPTION

RATING

96

Critical thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths

and weaknesses of alternative solutions,

conclusions, or approaches to problems.

92

Active listening

Giving full attention to what other people are

saying, taking time to understand the points being

made, asking questions as appropriate, and not

interrupting at inappropriate times.

87

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

85

Reading comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in

work-related documents.

84

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate

for the needs of the audience.

74

Coordination

Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

73

Judgment and decision

Considering the relative costs and benefi ts of

making

potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

73

Science

Using scientifi c rules and methods to solve

problems.

69

Time management

Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

68

Learning strategies

Selecting and using training/instructional methods

and procedures appropriate for the situation when

learning or teaching new things.

67

Mathematics

Using mathematics to solve problems.

66

Monitoring

Monitoring/assessing performance of yourself, other

individuals, or organizations to make improvements

or take corrective action.

64

Instructing

Teaching others how to do something.

63

Complex problem solving

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related

information to develop and evaluate options and

implement solutions.

62

Social perceptiveness

Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding

why they react as they do.

Business and Consulting Skills

147

IMPORTANCE

SKILL

O*NET DESCRIPTION

RATING

61

Active learning

Understanding the implications of new information

for both current and future problem solving and

decision making.

56

Persuasion

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

53

Service orientation

Actively looking for ways to help people.

52

Systems evaluation

Identifying measures or indicators of system

performance and the actions needed to improve

or correct performance, relative to the goals of the

system.

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