SIOPSA Invitation

Join the SIOPSA Western Cape Branch for our upcoming Workshop

Tuesday Evening, 25 May 2010

1)    How do you describe your field of work to non-Industrial psychologists? by Fred Guest (IOP Scope of Practice Workshop)

and

2)     Reflection in Practice: Writing, telling and responding to our stories by Dr. Linda Price

Session 1: How do you describe your field of work to non-Industrial Psychologists? By Fred Guest.

 In a recent comment on HRTest (http://hrtests.blogspot.com/, 13 Jan 2010) the author made the following comment:

“To be perfectly honest, I am reluctant to describe my focus as "psychology", except to others in the same field. It sidetracks the conversation (perhaps due to my insufficient skill). It's much easier to connect with people by saying I'm in Human Resources. This isn't to say that the focus on psychology isn't important, or that others in I/O psychology might not mind using this phrase, …. But call me crazy, if you're reluctant to name your field…, the profession has a problem.”

The answer to the question goes to the heart of the Scope of Practice research coming out of the Future Fit process.  What does an Industrial Psychologist do?

The Scope of Practice Survey conducted during November 2009 provided some interesting insights to this question. 240 individuals completed the survey.  Do you know that nearly 48% of respondents spend less than 50% of their time doing actual Industrial Psychology work? Why would respondents describe CPD as one of the most critical factors for success in the profession, yet rate a competency like Learning and Researching as only moderately important for success?  Are we that driven by Board regulation?

To understand these and other areas better, this regional event will be an opportunity to get a copy of the survey report and share your thoughts on the content of the survey.  We want to workshop some of the themes from the survey and, using a focus group format, provide some real life examples of the type of work we do.

In the end, would you be able to describe what you do in a unique one sentence statement?

SESSION 2: Reflection in Practice: Writing, telling and responding to our stories by Dr. Linda Price.  

Reflective writing is an activity whereby the writer describes an experience and then steps back to reflect on its meaning for his/ her life.  This process creates awareness and deepens insight and it is an effective tool for facilitating personal growth.  As development practitioners, we are required to constantly improvise and devise new ways of looking at ourselves, people and situations.  Our cultural orientation influences our work and it is important to be aware of how these assumptions shape our practice.

The sharing of experience through writing, telling, listening and responding creates deep learning.  As we become aware of the variety of stories that shape our lives, and step into them by telling others (and ourselves), rich story lines unfold.  We discover links between our experiences and find creative solutions for personal and work challenges. Dr. Linda Price will discuss how journaling and narrative practices can be used to gain insight into our cultural identities and strengthen our skills, knowledge and direction.  Linda runs a professional development process called The Practice Diaries and she will also discuss aspects of her work.

Speakers

Fred Guest

Fred Guest is a Registered Industrial Psychologist and Head of Professional Services at SHL South Africa, an international occupational psychology and human resource technology firm. 

Fred holds a Masters degree in Industrial Psychology from the Rand Afrikaans University and has been working for SHL for the last twelve years.  During this time he has focused on the areas of competency design and occupational assessment - assisting companies in the manufacturing, financial and service industries in the design of competency frameworks, recruitment and selection strategies and performance management systems.

Fred has presented at a number of conferences on the design of competency frameworks for integrated talent management processes, as well as on the use of internet-based competency and occupational assessment as part of screening, selection and development interventions.

Fred is the Past-President of the Society of Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa (SIOPSA) and was President of the Society from June 2006 - 2008.

Dr. Linda Price

Dr. Linda Price is an organisational psychologist who runs an independent practice.  She works with individuals, groups and organisations in the areas of conflict mediation, diversity and career development.   Linda holds a doctoral degree from the University of Cape Town and has spent many years lecturing in the discipline of organisational psychology. Her work is informed by narrative practices and reflective writing.

Linda believes that our unique South African history and current organisational and societal challenges present both obstacles and opportunities for the quality of our working lives. She uses narrative practices to give expression to diverse voices by revealing how power relations shape experience and how people can exert agency in their lives. 

Deadline Date for bookings:
Friday morning, 21 May 2010

Space is limited so please secure your place ASAP!

This event is accredited for 2 CEUs

We look forward to seeing you at the event!

The Western Cape Branch of SIOPSA