ABP Blog
Newsletter Spring 2010
Posted: 28/04/10You can download the Winter newsletter in word format here
Welcome!
Welcome to the Spring edition of the ABP’s quarterly newsletter. In this edition there is a two-page feature on the conference, with lots of information and sneak previews as to what can be expected from the conference this year! Also, this edition takes the theme of management, including an article, review of the favourite management books and management related news. So, once you’ve managed to eat all the Easter eggs, and have managed to register for the conference perhaps you could manage to read what’s inside this edition of your newsletter.
Newsletter naming competition
Is it just me or does anyone else fancy a change?
Are you fed up with this newsletter being called ‘e-newsletter’?
Surely.. we can do better than that?!
What would you like this newsletter to be called?
All newsletter names, or any other contributions, are welcomed! Please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
This edition’s highlights…
- Conference update
- There must be a better way to get stuff done!
- Top management books
SmorgasBOARD
The ABP Board would like to welcome Steve Carter!
Entrepreneur, writer and psychologist, Steve Carter is an international management and organisational development consultant and coach, known for his provocative thinking and an approach grounded in the realities of business life. Senior Partner of Apter Development LLP, his particular expertise is the transformation of performance with a strong focus the development of leaders and the top teams of an organisation.
Steve has worked extensively worldwide for global corporations such as HSBC Holdings plc, Oracle, Scania, The Economist, SABMiller, URSUS, the Boots Company, as well as other major organisations in the technology, financial services and public sectors. Prior to founding Apter Development LLP with his colleague Marie Shelton, Steve who has a MSc in Occupational Psychology from the University of London, held senior positions as Director of TDA Consulting and Head of Management Development at the Chartered Management Institute where he represented the Institute at European level with the European Forum for Management Development. He has written four books, numerous articles, and speaks at international conferences. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society; Principal Member of the Association of Business Psychologists, as well as a member of the Association of Psychological Science, the Society of Authors, British Psychological Society and Performing Rights Society.
Your ABP Board members
- Steve Whiddett (Chairman)
- Mark O’Sullivan (Treasurer and Chair of Finance Committee)
- Trisha Cochrane
- Carol Cole (Vice Chair and Chair of Standing Disciplinary Committee)
- Richard Plenty
- Peter Burton
- Stephen Benton (Chair of Membership Committee)
- Deborah Barleggs (conference co-dean)
- Jacquie Brazier (conference co-dean)
- Debbie Hance (Company Secretary and Chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee)
- Steve Carter
- Richard Taylor (ABP Administrator)
What’s new?
ABP Conference Preview!
What are you letting yourself in for when you book to attend this year’s ABP conference?
• 4 keynote speakers, each with their own story and knowledge to share – you can have your say as the new Chair of the ABP, Steve Whiddett, discusses the ABP’s developing vision for enhancing the impact of business psychology – or listen to Professor Adrian Furnham talk about corporate derailment.
• 28 practical and inspirational workshops to choose from including sessions to build your coaching, training, assessment or OD capability, designed to show you how business critical psychology is applied at Shell, Grundfos and Balfour Beatty or to get you up to date with guidance on social networking, cultural intelligence and positive psychology.
• 10 GOLD sponsors providing professional support, entertainment and goodies for the delegate bag
• 2 nights of entertainment – remember as this is the 10th birthday party we are pulling out all the stops
• 1 unique opportunity to have a free, one to one business review. Have you a current business dilemma or management issue that would benefit from an expert sounding board? Anton Fishman, serial consulting entrepreneur, will be offering a number of 30 minute confidential reviews to be run in parallel with this year’s ABP Conference agenda. You will be invited to contact Anton directly to pre book a session.
So if you really want to experience what it means to be a part of the ABP community – complete and send in your booking form today.
Jacquie Brazier & Deborah Barleggs
Deans, ABP Conference, 6-8 May 2010
Business Psychology: Endless Possibilities
Same great venue!
Come and celebrate the 10th anniversary of the conference in style with fellow ABP members at Wyboston Lakes!
http://www.wybostonlakes.co.uk
Click here for booking details
Why haven’t you registered with the HPC? Insights from “the 23%”
Last edition, we released the latest figures showing that only 77% of eligible occupational psychologists have decided to register with the HPC, compared to 95% of clinical psychologists and 93% of educational psychologists. I appealed for ‘the 23%’ who haven’t registered to give me some insight into this.
Here are some views that were fed back:
“As an occupational psychologist I have to ask what’s in it for me? I can maintain my chartered status through the BPS, I don’t use the protected occupational title anyway (and they can’t even protect the psychologist title). I don’t consider myself a health practitioner and most clinical psychologists working in the NHS never bothered to become chartered or to sign up to a practising certificate - and the NHS wasn’t bothered either - so what’s the point? I have been involved in protracted correspondence with the HPC over several months about the issue of registration and the pointlessness of it if you can’t protect the public from “psychologists” and they say it is still early days (or words to that effect). I also wrote to the (then) Chair-elect of the DOP along the same lines after she wrote to members encouraging them to register but didn’t get a reply and when I queried it through the BPS was told she didn’t think I needed a reply (trying to communicate to people at the BPS is not the easiest thing in the world).”
Michael Gutteridge
M S Guttridge C.Psychol. CSci.
AFBPsS, MANLP, MAC, MISMA, FCIPD,
Business/Coaching Psychologist & Managing Consultant
Smith Guttridge & Associates
http://www.smith-guttridge.eu
For Career Coaching go to http://www.g2.org.uk
Blog: www.sganda.wordpress.com
There must be a better way to get stuff done?!
Stefan Stern
On management
Time to ask a blunt question: is management part of the problem, or part of the solution? If it is true that the financial crisis is too good an opportunity to waste, and that “we must not go back to business as usual”, then managers will have to start doing some things differently. But which things? And how radically should they change their act? Some business leaders will feel that they are simply too busy to stop and worry about how they manage. As the old City of London quip has it, management is what you do when the markets close. Impatience with abstract agonising over management can provoke the traditional cry: “Why can’t everybody just shut up and get on with their work?” Maybe we can leave worrying about management to another day. But this will not do. As a book * published this week argues, the recent collapse of a few financial institutions was merely an extreme example of more general failure. The time has come, says the author, Julian Birkinshaw, a professor at London Business School, to reinvent management altogether.
In the same way that we speak about business models, Prof Birkinshaw says, we should recognise that businesses also have management models. The problem is, the models that many employers use – whether consciously or not – are failing. “The harsh reality is that today’s large business organisations are – with notable exceptions – miserable places to spend our working lives,” he writes. “Fear and distrust are endemic. Aggressive and unpleasant behaviour is condoned. Creativity and passion are suppressed.”
If that sounds overdone, there is evidence to support his critique. When the economist Richard Layard published his book Happiness in 2005, his research revealed that managers were the last people most of us want to spend any time with. In fact, most people would rather be alone than with the boss.
Why has the vital practice of management become so discredited? Prof Birkinshaw argues that the success of large industrial companies, from the late 19th century onwards, led us to conceive of management as a rigid and bureaucratic approach, which admittedly made sense in that early industrial setting. But we have got stuck with this out-of-date, dominant management model. We have lost sight of the basic point: that management is about “getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives”. In different settings in the early 21st century, different management models will be required.
Prof Birkinshaw provides four examples of differing approaches. The “discovery” model reflects what a company is like in its start-up phase. In this period management is likely to be relatively informal, and even vague about how work should get done and to what end. Google began life using the discovery model, and to some extent still does. But when a company grows and matures, it seeks to make its processes (and objectives) more formal. It strives for greater efficiency. Prof Birkinshaw calls this the “planning” model. McDonald’s is a classic example of a business that is managed along these lines.
Two other models are a little less obvious. The “quest” model allows employees great flexibility in the “how” of what they do at work, but is highly specific on the end purpose. Goldman Sachs is a business that embodies the quest model. And the “science” model is its mirror image: very specific on technical practices, less precise on ultimate aims. Some “professional service organisations”, such as Arup, the engineering group, have adopted this model.
Four other broad trends are irresistible, Prof Birkinshaw says. Companies are moving away from a bureaucratic structure to one that is more self-organised, he says. Hierarchy is being replaced by the wisdom of crowds. Rigid alignment – working towards a common goal – is loosening, with more oblique approaches becoming popular. And extrinsic motivation – bonuses or the threat of punishment – will in time be replaced by intrinsic motivation, Prof Birkinshaw says. The reward will be inherent in the work itself.
Not everyone will agree that these trends are unstoppable, or that fresh methods are needed. For some, management will always be what you do when the markets close. The really big question remains: how do we get stuff done? The challenge for managers is to make sure that what they do helps answer that question in a positive way.
Stefan Stern
*‘Reinventing Management’, by Julian Birkinshaw (Jossey-Bass)
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). To read more, go to www.ft.com/managementblog
Changes to BPS test user registration.
Over the past few editions there have been some brief updates regarding changes to the test registration process. Our Chair, Steve Whiddett, has been involved in discussions regarding this. This is an update from him. Two main changes were due to be introduced over the coming year.
New user register
Test users will be transferred to a new user register from July 2010. The new register will bring BPS registered test users into line with European Test Standards and there will be a need to demonstrate maintenance of professional practice, every six years, to remain on the register. Listing on the register will in the future be dependent on meeting a new set of standards. As many ABP members are dependent on the use of tests in their work, they will have a considerable interest in this development.
International standard for assessment
From June 2010 consultation will begin on an International standard for assessment, i.e. forms of assessment apart from tests. This will be led by the ISO and consultation will be open to any interested party. It was felt that this was an opportunity to help ABP members differentiate what they offer as high calibre, as competitor professions might find the new requirements too daunting. However, he agreed that it would be important to continue to focus on business relevance and to avoid and discourage the erection of unnecessary barriers of entry to the profession.
What’s your view on test user registration? Do we need ‘more’ or ‘less’ when it comes to policing test users? Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Book review
By Helen Watts
Instead of a detailed review of one book, to fit with the ‘management’ theme of this edition, I wanted to know which management and leadership books people have either found to be interesting, useful or entertaining. Some suggestions from a recent (Nov 2009 – Apr 2010) blog on the Chartered Management Institute include the following. Have you read these?
“Cultures and Organizations, Software of the Mind” by Geert Hofstede.
Making it Happen by John Harvey-Jones
“Differentiate or Die” by Jack Trout
“The End of Food” by Paul Roberts
Maverick by Ricardo Semler
The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle.
Charles Handy’s “Understanging Organizations”
“Shackleton’s Way” by Morrell and Capparell
“Fish!” by Lundin, Paul and Christensen
“The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from FDR to George W Bush” by Fred Greenstein
Seth Godin’s ‘Tribes’
‘Inside Drucker’s Brain’ by Jeffrey A Krames
‘Good to Great’ by Jim Collins
‘Operation Mincemeat’
Superfreakonomics
The Effective Executive – Drucker
Execution: The discipline of getting things done - Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, Charles Burck, and Clare Smith
Peter Senge and his book the Ffth Discipline
‘The Knowing-Doing Gap’ by Pfeffer and Sutton
“Chasing the Rabbit: How Market Leaders Outdistance the Competition and How Great Companies Can Catch Up and Win” by Steven Spear
‘The Ape In the Corner Office’
The Art of Leadership by Field Marshall Montgomery
The Future of Management - Gary Hamel
Check out the blog for further discussion!
In the news
By Helen Watts
The Equality Act 2010… coming into force October 2010!
(adapted from peoplemanagement.co.uk)
The Equality Act 2010 consolidates, harmonises and expands existing discrimination law. The bulk of it is expected to come into force in October 2010. The Act protects against discrimination in the workplace because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
These are described as “protected characteristics” and reflect existing law, with a couple of changes. The definition of disability has been widened so that it is no longer necessary for employees’ impairments to affect specified “capacities” (such as mobility). Gender reassignment will now also cover those whose reassignment process is not medically supervised. Read more!
Psychometrics
By Helen Watts
Featured in Assessment and Development Matters recently (Spring 2010) was an article asking ‘do managers need to be extraverted’ by Hugh McCredie who claims that with all else being equal, “it will undoubtedly help to be extraverted” even though they may be at higher risk of burn out.
What do you think?
In your experience of management, which traits or interactions of traits are the most important in management and/or leadership? Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
A…B…P…?
By Helen Watts
What else might ABP be a suitable acronym for at this moment in time?
… Annoyingly Bad Politicians?
Geeky Gadgets
By Helen Watts
Mendeley Desktop! Are any of you like me, with a tendency to download PDF files and then saving them randomly… so you can never find them? If so, you need Mendeley Desktop. Mendeley Desktop is free and automatically organizes your PDFs into a bibliography! Mendeley Web lets you access your library from anywhere, share documents in closed groups, and collaborate on research projects online. It also lets you neatly annotate articles and make comments. Try it! www.mendeley.com
Forthcoming events
CIPD “Building HR Capability”
May 25th 2010
As the market begins to recover the spotlight is firmly on HR and its ability to engage with the wider organisation and drive business strategy.
Join us at the conference and discover how you can align and integrate the HR function within the business and deliver key skills, behaviours and capabilities to achieve long-term organisational success.
Get the tools to build HR capability
This conference addresses the key challenges of building HR capability on both an individual and departmental level. Share the experience of leading HR directors and those redefining the role of HR to deliver improved organisational performance and sustained commercial success.
Hear case studies from:
• -BT
• -Cabinet Office
• -Cambridgeshire County Council
• -Enterprise Rent-a-Car
• -Land Registry.
Join us at the conference to:
• -understand how HR enables the business to build long-term value
• -develop an organisational culture that drives organisational performance
• -explore the requirements and skills needed by future-fit HR leaders
• -discover how to measure the impact of HR capability on business performance.
Network and engage
There will be plenty of time to network throughout the day. It’s an ideal opportunity for HR leaders to learn from, and share in the experience of fellow professionals and speakers alike.
For more information click here
The benefits of being an ABP member!
Are you taking advantage of your ABP membership benefits? …
• Right to refer to oneself as a Member/Principal Member of the Association of Business Psychologists
• Use of the ABP logo on stationery and website
• Access to extensive presentation resources from previous Events and Conferences
• Opportunity to host events that showcase the member’s own services, insights or specialist approaches to business psychology
• Opportunity to attend events free or at a reduced cost, to support you in your CPD
Remember… ALL members benefit from…
• Networking opportunities with other members including the opportunity to meet with and work with members on subcommittees to help develop the profession of business psychology
• Right to form or join existing branches, in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, The Midlands and the North
• Opportunity to form or join Special Interest Groups e.g. Business Leaders group
• Attendance at the acclaimed Members Only Annual Conference
• Advance access to online jobs listings
• Mentoring services for new and junior members
• Continuing Professional Development – access to CPD activities & training courses
• The seasonal e-newsletter, full of interesting and useful features
New services coming soon! ...
• Placement of a personal business link on the links page of the public website
• Access to the Members’ Area of the ABP website and Association information
• Access to the Members’ Area Jobs and Opportunities page
• The right, by Principal Members, to place their expertise information, email and website links on the Find a Psychologist service
• Access to the ABP Message Board
Not yet a member? Join us!
Being a member of the Association of Business Psychologists brings a host of benefits and applying is simple. To join as a full ABP member you should be a person who either manages, is partner in, or employed in, a business providing psychological services to business or the public sector. Alternatively, you maybe employed as a psychologist in a relevant capacity (e.g. in HR) in a business or in the public sector. We also offer affiliate membership. Go to the membership levels page to find out the full requirements. The subscription for all categories of membership is the same - £30 plus VAT. This is great value for money, and low in comparison with other professional membership organisations. To apply to join the ABP please click here.
Facebook!
Why not join our new facebook group, a chance for members to network, socialise, and share any ABP thoughts and comments!