ABP Blog
Newsletter Summer 2009
Posted: 02/07/09You can download the Summer newsletter in word format here
Retiring Chair’s Address
Francis Butler
Welcome to the Summer 2009 (Post-Conference round-up) issue of the ABP Newsletter.
I will be stepping down from the Chairman’s role in September 2009. I was first elected to the Board in June 2004 and then elected Vice Chair by the Management Board. I stood again in 2006 and was re-elected and served as Acting-Chair in 2007 and Chair in 2008 and 2009. My time in office has always been interesting and at times turbulent.
I think I mentioned in my closing address at this year’s Annual Conference that the two things that used to drive my father mad were my being a conciliator (to him, equivocator) and optimist (always prefixed “you’re such a bloody”. As a successful Fleet Street editor and journalist for over forty years he learned you don’t conciliate, you fight. Also he retired at the end of the “hot metal” and the move to computer printing when Fleet Street was moving to Wapping, the Isle of Dogs and elsewhere muttering that Fleet Street was “going to the dogs”!
I must admit that there were times when I thought “Why am I doing this? If I was being paid to do it I would refuse”, but then the bloody optimism kicked in. And in the last two years the ABP has gone from strength to strength. The Conference Committee and the Management Board were, up until shortly before the conference, anxious about whether the conference “Business Psychology in an age of austerity” was going to be viable. In the event, although inevitably a bit down on numbers, it more than broke even. It was enormously positive and had a real buzz about it. I note that the BPS Division of Occupational Psychology is planning to have a special symposium at their Annual Conference in January 2010 entitled: Redundancy, Unemployment and Re-employment. I’m sure the new conference team is already thinking along the lines of: How Business Psychology can help manage the recovery and ensure its sustainability.
While stepping down as Chair, I am willing to serve on the Board for a further term, but I think that the ABP needs an injection of new ideas. I was deeply moved by the standing ovation I was given at the end of the conference. As I said at the time “Big boys don’t cry, but short, fat, hairy ones are permitted to be a bit emotional!” Also in the term dear to politicians I need to move on, (and possibly spend more time with my family!). The moving on bit is that in July I become Chair of the London and Home Counties Branch (L&HCB) of The BPS. (“Equivocator!” I hear you cry! On the other hand, the fact that Gene Johnson, past Chair of the DoP, and I worked on the same committee seems like a useful bit of conciliation) Up till 2007, London and the Home Counties was the only part of the UK not having a BPS Branch. Branch membership is gratis to all BPS members who either live or work in the region and has a potential membership of 12,000). My two predecessors have done wonders in being able to fill Friends House (capacity 1000+) for lectures by Zimbardo, Seligman and Bandura and we ran a very successful conference for the general public - “Psychology for all” - last March. My ambition is to fill the Albert Hall (capacity 7000) with psychologists chanting “an der Freud” rather than “an der Freude”! Bloody optimist!!
Incidentally, (shameless plug) the L&HCB are holding their AGM and Social Event on Monday 13 July from 6.00 pm at Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1 9AG. Kings Place is a new music and arts centre and office block at the side of the Battlebridge Basin of Regent’s Canal. It was opened in October 2008. The ground floor atrium level has a self-service licensed cafe. From the atrium there is access to the Regent’s Canal towpath and one floor down to the public art gallery, the Kings Place Gallery that is open 10am - 6 pm. Because Kings Place is a public building, free access to the Social Event and AGM will be by ticket only, available by emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Please type “Social Event and AGM, membership number **********” in the subject line of your email.
In formal language both Italian and French distinguish between “good bye but seen you soon” (arrividerci and au revoir) and “good bye for some time and possibly forever” (addio and adieu) while in English goodbye (etymologically – “God be with you”) covers both senses. Farewell would be too pompous and “see ya!” too colloquial so – as I will still do all the usual foolish things at next year’s Annual Conference – “ciao for now!”
BP Talk
In the past few years, a fascinating range of experiments has begun to shed light on the moral choices humans make. Philosopher Janet Radcliffe Richards asks whether the results can tell us not just how we tend to behave, but how we should behave. For an interesting analysis and a reference to ‘moral psychologists’, follow this link to Radio 4:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00l55xp#synopsis.
Conference 2009: Reflections from the Dean
Alan Redman
At the end of every Glastonbury the festival organiser Michael Eavis describes the event as the best Glastonbury yet. It’s a tradition I’m going to appropriate for the 2009 ABP conference, which was definitely the best one yet.
The conference had some other Glastonbury parallels; a silent disco, some rain on the first day, a diverse programme of events, mind-altering experiences and a few crazy-eyed veterans from the 1960s.
The turnout for the conference defied early pessimistic predictions of numbers based on the threat of imminent financial apocalypse (‘moneygeddon’). The crowd peaked at about 130 which is around 27% down on the busiest conference of 2007. The general mood about business and the future was upbeat and positive though tempered by the challenges and uncertainties we all face.
Fortunately the theme of the conference was “Business Psychology in an age of austerity” so there were plenty of sessions sharing advice, experiences and techniques for successfully navigating the challenges of the times. A cocktail-fuelled World Café kicked off the proceedings in which Jo Hennessey, Sarah Lewis and Ruth Sealy facilitated group discussions around our responses as business psychologists to this age of austerity. This session was elegantly balanced by a keynote from Martin Boroson that introduced us to one minute mediation techniques.
On the second day we were very fortunate to hear from two leading keynotes from industry and our profession: Fleur Bothwick described her diversity and inclusiveness work at Ernst & Young. Professor Ivan Robertson’s session explored his work in the area of improving well-being within organisations. Other sessions covered diverse issues such as retention in a downturn, organisational resilience, appreciative leadership and risk taking behaviour in traders.
The third day of the conference kicked off with the traditional, gentle start-time to give victims of the previous night’s bounties a chance to perform some physiological damage limitation. Sessions filling the Status Quo slot included a double-length exploration of embodied leadership, some experiential mindfulness and the power of positivity. The conference was rounded off with a keynote presentation from Jonathan Males, Olympic psychologist, who described his work with teams and athletes.
It was that last session which crystallised, for me, some of the overarching themes that emerged from the conference. Jonathan described key principles for athletic success that could be applied to our work. “Run your own race”, “do the basics very well” and “adapt where you need to” struck me as a distillation of much of the advice and reflections delivered by the conference as a whole.
I would like to thank all those people who came along to the conference and made it such an enjoyable and successful event. I also want to thank my conference team, many of whom worked very hard (I count myself among the slackers). You can download copies of the conference presentations on the ABP website as well as news and an early-bird form for the 2010 event.
So in summary: 2009 was the best conference yet but not as good as the next one.
Announcing the 2010 ABP Conference and call for contributions
Jacquie Brazier and Deborah Barleggs
Heron Consultants
2010 Conference Deans
Dates: Thursday 6 – Saturday 8 May 2010
Venue: Wyboston, Robinson Executive Centre
Fee: ‘Early Bird Offer’ – see details below
As Deans for the 2010 ABP conference we are delighted to announce next year’s dates. We are employing a ‘wiki’ approach to conference production: welcoming contributions, leveraging knowledge and contacts by reaching out to the whole ABP membership to help get 2010 off the ground. Many members have already embraced this concept and we have been delighted by offers of assistance within discrete areas; with ideas for entertainment, themes, speakers and sponsors. We welcome people who would like to take on a specific project/sub team and run with it. Similarly, if you have an idea you want to share or would like to make just one small contribution to next year’s conference do get in touch. We won’t ask you to do any more than you wish.
We have a thriving community, so keep spreading the word about the ABP conference – especially those new to the profession, HR clients, L&D clients, and entrepreneurs. We are aiming to develop an agenda for 2010 that has broader appeal keeping psychology at its heart.
Contact details: 01737 557833, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
A new Business Psychology text
It is now more than 4 years since the launch of “Business Psychology in Practice” at an ABP conference. This book, a compilation of themed contributions by principal members of the ABP, edited by Pauline Grant, has been appreciated by MSc students and experienced practitioners as well as a variety of professional and client readers. It has also been translated for the Scandinavian market.
So what has changed since 2005 and is it time for a new business psychology handbook? Pauline reckons that there are some new themes that weren’t previously represented, and are now ready for an airing. For instance, we now have a body of evidence for the value of ‘wellbeing’ interventions, making them more worthy of mainstream practice. Also, research into brain function is starting to have more of an impact into applied behavioural science. Then of course there is the relentless drive for efficiency through the use of technology. Additionally, the recent media interest in the social psychology themes that some of us recall from our undergraduate days, brings a fresh look at organisational communities. Pauline has learnt from experience that writers are more likely to meet deadlines when there is a publisher waiting to go to print! With that in mind she has submitted a proposal for a new book and will wait for the outcome before requesting submissions. Hopefully we’ll know whether this is to go ahead before the next newsletter.
The ABP Elections
We have now received a number of nominations for the forthcoming elections. We have extended the deadline for submission of nominations so there are still a few days left for those of you who are considering putting yourselves forward for the Board.
There are 8 vacancies for election to the Board and nominations for these are hereby invited from current and paid-up Principal, Ordinary or Business Members of the ABP. Nominations must be made by two current and paid-up Principal, Ordinary or Business Members of the ABP and must be received at the ABP Office by Monday, 6 July 2009. If submitted by post, they must be in the form available here. If submitted by email, they should be sent by the candidate from his or her own account containing equivalent information, and separate emails should be sent by the two nominating Members from their own accounts supporting the candidacy.
If needed, the election will be held by email during the summer, and the results announced in September. The independent scrutineer required by Article 11.11 will be confirmed shortly.
Book Review - Brand You
Peter Burton
Self help books need to be inspirational, and Brand You passes the test with flying colours. Starting with a quote from Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, “your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room”, it goes on to describe more than a dozen characteristics that combine to define your brand, and more importantly, differentiate you from others. This analysis is both more sophisticated, detailed, and motivational than I recall seeing elsewhere. The book gives clear examples of how to get a handle on some of the more slippery, but important concepts such as your values, and the archetypes you invoke when dealing with other people. The authors’ backgrounds as students of human behaviour are strongly evident here.
The advice on networking is refreshingly original. Thankfully there is no reference to elevator conversations or tedious 60-second homilies. Instead the authors recommend using a three-second introductory statement that encapsulates your ‘unique combination’. For example “I am a business psychologist with a marketing background”.
Brand You has to be one of the most comprehensible and credible works of its kind to appear for many years. I cannot recommend it too strongly, both to people running their own businesses and those working, or looking to work, in corporates. It is marred only by one inexplicable omission: the lack of an index. I found it frustrating that I could not easily get back to great ideas that had impressed me on first reading.
Brand you, written by John Purkiss and one of our founding members, David Royston-Lee, is available to buy now from the pubishers, http://www.artpub.co.uk/brandyou.htm.
Further information, including the YouTube video, can be viewed at http://www.brandyou.info. Here you can also access a free download of the contents and a sample chapter.
Website update
After a few technological hiccups, we continue to strengthen the new website, loading new material and are making significant progress with the development of the Member’s Area, database and Find a Psychologist service. Following a brief demonstration of the contents of the Member’s Area at the conference, we have decided to get the system operational as soon as possible using its current specification, but are looking into some suggestions helpfully provided by those who saw it to ensure it meets your needs.
Basic contact details have already been entered into the database but the system allows you to catalogue much more detailed information, such as professional qualifications, areas of specialisation and work interests. This will help you showcase your services and you can amend and update these details at any time.
The Member’s Area will give you access to materials and documents that will not be available to the wider public, such as minutes of Management Board meetings, election information, the survey results and AGM minutes. This part of the site also has a chat function, where you can contact other members for whom you may not have a private e-mail address. The Find a Psychologist service will draw on some of the information in the database (but not all of it!) to allow both businesses and other members search for psychologists in their geographical area or with specific skills and experience.
We would like to reassure members that the information which will be publicly available will be strictly professionally relevant and that we are looking into ways of making generated search results fair (for example, randomising the list of people who meet the specified criteria, rather than presenting them in alphabetical order).
A separate note will be sent out shortly asking you to enter information and we thank you for your patience while we try to get this right!
Membership Survey
The findings of the 2009 Membership Survey were presented at the AGM in Wyboston. Following some brainstorming sessions on how we can take things forward and build on some of the ideas put forward by members, we now have a number of suggestions to follow up on. We looked specifically at how we can more effectively market the ABP to potential new members, how we can strengthen links with business and we can communicate more effectively with members. Progress updates on these areas of work will be posted on the Members’ Area of the website, but in the meantime if you were unable to attend the conference or missed the AGM, the Survey Presentation and summary results will be available in the Member’s Area shortly.
Statutory Regulation
You would have read in the previous newsletter that, for the moment at least, the title ‘Business Psychologist’ is not to be regulated by the HPC. Whilst we have been successful in our endeavours so far, we should continue to press the Government to allow business psychologists to remain self-regulating, and in our last issue we suggested writing to your MP to congratulate parliament on a decision well-made. Several people asked, via the membership survey, if we could provide a model letter on which to base your note to your MP, so here it is. The letter will also be available to download from the website shortly.
NEED FOR RESTRAINT IN REGULATION TO PROTECT BUSINESS EFFICIENCY SUPPORT
The Health Care and Associated Professions (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order, recently approved by both the UK and Scottish Parliaments, introduces statutory regulation for a range of professions, including a number of psychology specialisations. Earlier plans to include Business Psychologists in this would have damaged support to British businesses in a crucial area. These plans have now, after protest, been dropped. But the position of the Department of Health and other vested interests makes it evident that vigilance is needed to prevent harmful further regulation in the future.
In February 2007, despite protests by the psychology professions, the Department of Health published the White Paper Trust, Assurance and Safety – The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century. This was rightly prompted by a number of significant scandals in the psychotherapy professions, but was a serious over-reaction. It proposed to extend very widely regulation by the Health Professions Council (HPC), so as to include not just clinical psychologists, but also all other psychologists, including business psychologists.
Psychotherapy, psychiatry and psychology are quite distinct professions. And business psychology is not a medical profession: it is a profession concerned to improve the effectiveness of British business. It depends on the same core understandings of mental and emotional processes as other branches of psychology, and does at times deal with individuals who are under stress or undergoing strong emotions – yet even in the latter case it addresses normal rather than abnormal psychology, and most of the work of most practitioners concerns organised groups rather than individuals.
Occupational psychologists have expertise in organisations, culture and climate, structure and values, and apply their knowledge and expertise to identify and resolve organisational issues, bringing to bear an appreciation of the cultural, organisational, team and individual levels of working. They work in areas such as organisational development, organisational structure, change management, training and development, career guidance, well-being at work, recruitment and selection. Hence their work overlaps extensively with that of HR and of management consultants. Even in those limited areas where they deal with people individually rather than in groups, such as management coaching, psychometric tests, or ergonomics, they are far outnumbered by others whom there has been no intention to regulate. It is plain that there is no common ground between the circumstances of business psychology and those of chiropodists, occupational therapists and the other professions regulated by the HPC, who simply work in a different world.
Psychology is a keen-edged, evidence-based discipline – perhaps the hardest of the soft sciences. Most occupational or business psychologists are not in the large public sector organisations where clinical or educational psychologists tend to be employed, but in small firms, in an open-market context where their competitiveness depends on nimbleness and flexibility, and where they are often in keen competition with others who come from more fluid disciplines such as HR or management consultancy. If business psychology is weakened, the quality of consultancy advice to managers will deteriorate. The potential is clear for it to become much more based on the latest management fad, and much less on the evidence-based and knowledge-focused approach built up over years by professional psychologists. The initial result will be poorer management decisions – and this will be especially in areas where the UK is critically weak, such as training and development, recruitment and selection, and talent management more generally. The ultimate result will be a less efficient and productive economy.
The Association of Business Psychologists (ABP) has opposed this extension of statutory regulation. It is not opposed to regulation as such: its Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedure are witness to this. Nor is it opposed in principle to statutory regulation, though the case still has to be made. It has for now secured the exclusion of business psychologists from the new controls. But both the Department of Health and the British Psychological Society make no secret of their ambition ultimately to achieve the statutory regulation of all psychologists as health professionals. However, it is important in this case to avoid regulation which is appropriate to the clinical setting but wholly inappropriate to the business world. Such a move would raise the costs of business psychologists and their clients; but the real costs of the proposal, though they would be hard to put into a regulatory impact assessment, would be the deterioration in standards of service supporting business in the UK, especially in the skills agenda to which the Government has repeatedly given emphasis.
On 19 March 2009 the House of Lords Merits of Statutory Instruments Select Committee drew special attention to the recent Order on the ground that it raised issues of public policy such as these. In the event of future discussion of these matters, I hope that you will speak out for the effectiveness of British business, and against the numbing hand of unnecessary constraint and bureaucracy.
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