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Pre-conference workshops

Pre-conference workshops are being held on May 22nd from 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00. The workshops take approximately three hours, the fee for each workshop being 75 €. They cover topics regarding practical application of contents in the workspace as well as important methods for work and organizational psychologists.

Registration for the workshops is possible through our submission tool. We recommend early registration as there is a maximum number of participants for each workshop.

Should the minimum number of applications for an individual workshop not be reached, participants will be notified about a cancellation four weeks in advance.

 

Pre-Conference Workshops

Situational Judgment Tests

Filip Lievens, Ghent University (14:00-17:00, F-6)

more information

Over the last years, Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) have made strong inroads in practice in many countries as a new promising approach for personnel selection. At the same time, the number of publications about SJTs has steeply increased.

This workshop starts with explaining the basics underlying SJTs. Specifically, the characteristics and purposes of SJTs are explained and the various design stages (both inductive and deductive) are delineated. We will also elucidate communalities and differences with other personnel selection instruments. Finally, we will critically review recent SJT research and trends. Apart from lectures, there will be plenty of opportunity for exercise, feedback and discussion.

Why should you attend?
The aims of the workshop are:

  • To get an in-depth knowledge about SJTs as new selection approaches
  • To become familiar with the different design methodologies underlying SJTs
  • To become familiar with the state-of-the-art of SJT research
  • To pick up interesting research ideas and trends about SJTs

Who should attend?

  • Researchers interested in personnel selection
  • Practitioners interested to incorporate SJTs in their practice


Detecting and Developing Creativity in Organizations

Todd Lubart, Paris Descartes University (14:00-17:00, F-33)
more information

This workshop focuses on the ability to generate new, original ideas that are useful, adaptive and provide solutions to workplace challenges. These creative ideas may be product-oriented or process-oriented. Creative potential and its transformation into creative talent and production are key issues in current organizational contexts. The first part of the workshop will focus on human resource management issues, notably how to detect creative ability and how to develop it through training or creative thinking techniques. The second part of the workshop will identify several key factors in the workplace environment that may foster or inhibit creativity, and interact with person-centered factors for creativity. Avenues to enhance the organizational climate will then be explored.

Why should you attend?
To obtain an overview of issuers and practices concerning creativity in organizational contexts
The aims of the workshop are:

  • To develop basic knowledge about creativity
  • To be familiar with major methods to detect creative ability and develop it
  • To learn more about how to diagnose and enhance the climate climate in the workplace

Who should attend?

  • Industrial and organizational psychologists interested in workplace creativity
  • Researchers and practitioners concerned with creativity in the context of Human resource management (recruitment, capacity development), and organizational innovation


Work Engagement and Job Crafting: Their development and optimization

Evangelia Demerouti, Eindhoven University of Technology (14:00-17:00, F-102)
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The increasing popularity of self-managing teams, re-engineering, and other organizational innovations, coupled with the increased flexibility in work arrangements made possible by advances in information technology, has considerably expanded the complexity of professional job positions. As a consequence, each job position seems to be characterized by a unique constellation of working conditions that the organization can hardly be aware of. Not surprisingly, top-down organizational interventions to improve motivation and organizational performance often seem ineffective. Therefore, organizations have started to recognise that redesign approaches initiated by the individual or job holder self (bottom-up), should be promoted and combined with approaches initiated by the organization. Job crafting represents such a bottom-up approach. Specifically, job crafting can be seen as a specific form of proactive behaviour in which the employee initiates changes in the level of job demands and job resources in order to make the own job more meaningful and satisfying.

Why should you attend?
The aims of the workshop are to help participants:

  • To learn about the process through which organizations can improve the work characteristics and the motivation of their employees.
  • To learn about the link between work characteristics, work engagement (as a specific form of employee motivation) and job crafting.
  • To learn more on how develop an intervention to optimize work characteristics and increase job crafting behaviour.
  • To learn more about the possible facilitating and inhibiting factors regarding implementation of such interventions.

Who should attend?

  • (Young) Researchers who are interested in conducting research on related topics.
  • Practitioners who are involved in advising organizations on how to improve employee motivation.


Stress and recovery management

Carmen Binnewies & Verena Hahn, University of Münster (14:00-17:00, F-229)
more information

The goal of this workshop is to get familiar with training approaches aimed at promoting employees’ stress and recovery management. The workshop is based on current research in the areas of stress, recovery and work-life balance. On the one hand, on a personal level, participants will improve their own stress and recovery management skills by participating in selected exercises. On the other hand, on a meta-level, participants will get to know contents of validated training programs and learn about how to develop evidence-based training programs for their (organization’s) special needs.

Why should you attend?
The aims of the workshop are to help participants:

  • To get an overview over state-of-the art stress management and recovery management interventions
  • To participate in exercises of validated training programs
  • To learn more about how to develop evidence-based trainings to promote employees’ health and well-being

Who should attend?

  • Practitioners and researches who are interested in reflecting on and improving their own stress and recovery management
  • Practitioners and researches who are interested in developing training programs on stress and recovery management that built on scientific evidence from the field of stress, recovery and work-life balance research


Age Diversity in Organizations

Juergen Wegge & Franziska Jungmann, Dresden University of Technology (10:00-13:00, F-234)
more information

The aim of this workshop is to give an overview over the main theoretical approaches towards age diversity and to discuss practical implications of age diversity in organizations. Participants will receive information about the challenges of age diverse team work and they will learn how to manage these challenges.

The ongoing demographic change in most European countries increases the proportion of older employees and therefore the prevalence of age diversity in the work place. Human resource management is therefore called upon to find strategies for the successful integration of older employees. Age diverse teams are often discussed as one strategy to overcome problems of the demographic change. However, age diverse teams may result in both advantages (e.g., utilization of differences in experience for problem solving) and disadvantages for teamwork (e.g., intensification of emotional conflicts in groups). Thus, practical interest is growing how to influence these groups to perform at their best.

Recent research (for an overview see Wegge et al., 2008, 2012) has identified several mediating and moderating factors for performance in age diverse teams. Moreover, the important role of leaders to the health and work ability of elderly employees was revealed. Both findings serve as basis for future research and practical interventions. After presenting information on recent research on age diversity, practical implications for companies and leaders for a successful management of age diverse teams will be discussed. We present an evaluated intervention study for leaders of age diverse teams. Furthermore, we introduce a new short scale with 16 items for measuring age-differentiated leadership (FAF 16). Finally, you are invited to participate in a case study addressing the central issues and challenges of age diversity in organizations.

Why should you attend?
The aims of the workshop are to help participants:

  • to introduce to topic of an increasing age diversity due to demographic changes
  • to be familiar with recent findings on age diversity across various industries
  • to discuss possible assessments and interventions (e.g., appreciation of age diversity in teams, challenges for leadership, work design)

Who should attend?

  • Researchers and students who are interested in the topic
  • People interested in the topic and leaders who are facing the challenges of the demographic change

References:

  • Wegge, J., Roth, C., Neubach, B., Schmidt, K. H. & Kanfer, R. (2008). Age and gender diversity as determinants of performance and health in a public organization: The role of task complexity and group size. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 1301-1313.
  • Wegge, J., Jungmann, F., Liebermann, S., Shemla, M., Ries, B. C., Diestel, S. & Schmidt, K.-H. (2012). What makes age diverse teams effective? Results from a six-year research program. Work, 41, 5145-5151.


Business and Management Gaming Simulation for Change Management and Organizational Development – Part 1: Basics

Willy Kriz, University of Applied Sciences Vorarlberg (10:00-13:00, F-043)
more information

Aim of this workshop is to show and discuss different forms of serious games and their potential for organizational development and change management. Simulation Games are experiential (safe and error tolerant) and problem based learning environments based on qualitative and quantitative models of the existing systems/organizational processes and structures and/or models of alternative futures, engaging real decision makers in playing different roles, making real business decisions and understanding effects of those decisions (including long term and side effects), for exploring possible future results of actions within complex and dynamic socio-technical systems. Game-based intervention methods are used to change existing dysfunctional situations into preferred situations.

In the first part of the workshop gaming simulation will be defined and taxonomy approaches to classify different gaming methods will be shown. In the second part the historic development of the use of gaming simulations in organization and actual application areas for simulation games will be examined; methods for assessment, personnel and team development, senior management training, consulting and support of decision‐making. In the third part more specific examples will be shown how gaming approaches can support real change management processes: a) change management games as training tools for changing of mental models and behavior, b) simulation games as large group intervention methods and as incentive and building motivation for change, c) system-dynamics based scenario games for the support of decision makers, d) long-term organizational development games as a consulting approach during the whole transformation process in order to change organizational structures, culture and work flow processes. Several concrete and real case examples from practice will be discussed.

Why should you attend?

  • To develop an understanding which gaming simulation methods are used nowadays in organizations
  • To understand why and how game-based intervention methods are used in change management
  • To discuss several interconnections between gaming simulation and organizational development

Who should attend?

  • Everyone interested in designing, training, education and consulting in and for change processes and organizational development


Business and Management Gaming Simulation Methods for Change Management and Organizational Development – Part 2: The example of the simulation game SysTeamsChange

Willy Kriz, University of Applied Sciences Vorarlberg (14:00-17:00, F-043)
more information

In part 2 participants can deepen their understanding. Based on workshop part 1 a short demo play of a concrete change management simulation game will be conducted. In the session the models and objectives of “SysTeamsChange” will be described. The game was designed by Willy Kriz as an interactive education and training tool for preparing change agents and executives for change management and organizational development processes. The game is based on experiences from real change projects, research on organizational development and several theories, e.g. approaches on Learning Organizations (Senge, Argyris etc.), theories on resistance, leadership and motivation in change processes (Kotter etc.), theories on diffusion of innovation and adopter types (Rogers etc.), models on phases of change processes, effective change strategies and change actions (Lewin, Lippitt etc.). SysTeamsChange simulates in 3-5 rounds of play a company in a change process. In total 26 actors with different functions within the company are simulated. The players take the roles of change agents (4-6 players per team and 4-6 teams can take part in a session). Players can use 40 different change actions to manage the change process under budget restrictions and time pressure and to lead the simulated actors through different phases (from shock and resistance to sustainable integration of new work flow processes and structures within the simulated organization). The game is a board game in combination with a computer simulated model. In the session we will play out some decisions, debrief and discuss the game from the perspective of players. In addition we will have a meta-debriefing, discussing design principles and game didactics from the perspective of game designers, trainers and consultants. Some examples from different applications areas of the game will be show: use as educational method in master degree programs (e.g. in psychology, management and business administration); the use of the game in senior management training; the use of the game as a consulting and intervention method in real organizational development processes; the game as method to train and prepare change agents (e.g. consultants, leaders, HR-managers) and steering groups; the game for discussion of change management strategies and redefining internal change processes standards with executives.

Why should you attend?

  • To develop an understanding which gaming simulation methods are used nowadays in organizations
  • To understand why and how game-based intervention methods are used in change management
  • To discuss several interconnections between gaming simulation and organizational development

Who should attend?

  • Everyone interested in designing, training, education and consulting in and for change processes and organizational development


Funds and Fundraising

Martin Kleinmann, University of Zurich (10:00-13:00, F-5)
more information

The aim of this workshop is to discuss in depth different aspects of applying for grant proposals. Participants will receive essential information about funds and fundraising, and will learn how to avoid typical blind alleys that may lead to grant rejection decisions. Every participant should bring in one real-world research idea that has not yet been examined. These specific research ideas will serve as a basis for the workshop. In a first step, criteria for successful and less successful framings of these research ideas will be discussed and elaborated. In a second step, other relevant aspects for planning and writing grant proposals will be discussed, like identifying an adequate research funding organization, choosing constructs to be examined, sample recruitment strategies, number and kinds of studies, etc.. Based on these two steps, we will discuss how to adequately arrange the different components of grant proposals, and how to develop and sell research ideas, design characteristics, and procedures.

Why should you attend?
The aims of the workshop are to help participants:

  • To develop own research ideas
  • To be familiar with typical structures of grant proposals
  • To learn more about how to apply successfully for grants.

Who should attend?

  • Young researchers who are interested in staying in science and who are not yet familiar with funds and fundraising
  • People with new research ideas who are lacking resources to realize their ideas


Scientific Writing

Ute Klehe, University of Gießen (14:00-17:00, F-4)
more information

The aim of this workshop is to discuss the fundamentals of successful scientific writing.
Topics to be discussed include (pending also participants’ core areas of interest):

  • Structural expectations of a good article
  • The art of strategic story-telling in scientific writing
  • On writing well
  • Handling the revision process
  • Setting up a writing routine

Participants are requested to bring with them to the workshop (a) a favorite paper (the type of paper that makes you think ‘I wish I’d written this’) and (b) the first three pages of an own work in progress. Depending on participants’ interest, we will further discuss the setting up of a good writing routine. For this purpose, it may be helpful for participants to (c) keep a writing-diary in the weeks preceding the conference: When do they write? Where do they write? How successful was each of these writing attempts?

Why should you attend?
The aim of the workshop is to help participants:

  • To craft and present research that contributes to a scientific conversation
  • To become familiar with typical structural elements in scientific articles
  • To learn how to handle the review and revision process

Who should attend?

  • Young researchers who want to learn more about successful scientific writing
  • Researchers who want to improve their abilities to “bring their message across”


Web-based Survey and Experiments

Bernad Batinic, Barbara Stiglbauer, Johannes Kepler University Linz (10:00-13:00, F-2)
more information

Online surveys allow you to collect quantitative as well as qualitative data via the Internet. The realization of an online study can range from simple one page questionnaires up to complex multi-client and multi-lingual research projects (e.g., 360 degree online feedback surveys). The advantages of this method of data collection are evident: The data are available in real time, online surveys can be completed from anywhere, you can run multiple language surveys easily and the method is cost- and resources saving.

In this workshop we will give you an up-to-date overview on practical techniques of internet-based surveys: You will learn how to conduct online surveys and how to recruit a sufficient number of participants for your research study. Furthermore, the pros and cons of professional survey software tools for academics are debated, and we discuss the general benefits of online surveys as well as different aspects of data quality. You do not need any special technical knowledge to participate in the workshop.

Why should you attend?
The aims of the workshop are to enable participants:

  • To develop own online research projects
  • To be familiar with typical professional survey software tools for academics
  • To learn more about how to monitor and ensure data quality.

Who should attend?

  • Researchers who are interested in conducting their research studies with the help of the Internet quickly, cost-effectively, and with a high level of data quality.


Multilevel Modelling

Jörg-Tobias Kuhn, University of Münster (14:00-17:00, F-104)
more information

This workshop will provide a basic introduction to multilevel regression models, which are used for the analysis of nested data structures. Nesting can arise from hierarchical data structures (e.g., students nested within a school), longitudinal data structures (e.g., repeated measures nested within an individual student), or both (repeated measures nested within a student and student nested within school). Participants should have a working knowledge of the general regression model, which will also be reviewed at the beginning of the workshop, but need not have any prior knowledge of multilevel modeling.

Topics covered include fixed and random effects, random intercepts models, random slopes models, the meaning of contextual effects and longitudinal data analysis. The workshop will combine brief theoretical input sessions with practical sessions based on prepared data sets. We will be using the lme4 package in R, although SPSS syntax will be provided as well.

If possible, participants should bring their own notebooks with R installed.

Why should you attend?

  • The aim of the workshop is to help participants develop a practical understanding of multilevel modeling.

Who should attend?

  • The workshop is designed for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty.


Introduction to Meta-Analysis

Philipp Doebler, Heinz Holling, University of Münster (10:00-13:00, F-040)
more information

Participants of this workshop will learn the basics of meta-analysis. The aim is the theory and application of the most common meta-analytic techniques. The workshop uses the statistical software R (and especially the meta for package) to perform meta-analysis, but does not presuppose a deep understanding of this software.

After a general introduction, effect sizes and their calculation will be explained. A focus will be on correlations, a type of end-point often encountered in work psychology. Homogeneity and heterogeneity in meta-analysis, forest plots, and finally fixed and random effects models for meta-analysis will be covered.

If possible, participants should bring their own notebooks with R installed.

Why should you attend?
The workshop will help participants:

  • to become familiar with the statistical evaluation of the quantitative evidence required in modern systematic reviews,
  • to get a thorough grip on the fundamentals of meta-analysis,
  • to conduct a meta-analysis with the free software R.

Who should attend?

  • Researchers who want to write a systematic review and want to get started Participants of the workshop “Advanced Methods in Meta-Analysis” who are new to R or who would like to review some basics


Advanced Methods in Meta-Analysis

Philipp Doebler, Heinz Holling, University of Münster (14:00-17:00, F-040)
more information

In this workshop advanced topics will be covered beginning with meta-regression, i.e. the inclusion of covariates like study type or study quality in meta-analysis. Publication bias, funnel plot asymmetry, trim and fill and related hypothesis tests are explained.

The end of the workshop will cover an approach of Hedges et al. to multiple outcomes, i.e. what to do when primary studies report correlated outcomes, especially when some of these outcomes are missing in some studies. Like in the introductory workshop we will use the software R. Time permitting we will try to answer questions relating to participants’ current meta-analyses.

If possible, participants should bring their own notebooks with R installed.

Why should you attend?

  • The workshop aims to make meta-analytic techniques accessible to the non-expert that are often needed, but rarely covered in detail in introductory literature.

Who should attend?

  • Participants of the workshop “Introduction to Meta-Analysis” who want to deepen their understanding of meta-analysis. Researchers who are in the process of writing a systematic review.


An Introduction to R

Boris Forthmann, Günther Gediga, University of Münster (10:00-13:00, F-042)
more information

The R system is a free software environment for statistical computing that runs on all commonly used computing platforms. An active and highly skilled developer community is working on development and improvement. Although R is a freeware offspring of the programming language S, the nowadays interfaces of the R system become a good choice for a platform for beginners or users of SPSS as well.

If possible, participants should bring their own notebooks with R installed.

Why should you attend?
The aims of the workshop are to:

  • give a thorough grasp of the essentials of the R programming language
  • introduce the main objects one has to manipulate in R: vectors, matrices and lists
  • communicate important aspects of data management:
    - how data come into R (with and without a graphical interface)
    - working with data frames, directories and workspaces
  • provide functions for standard statistics and simple graphics with R
  • learn how to search and implement additional packages
  • learn how data structures and/or procedures corresponds to their SPSS counterparts

Who should attend?

  • The tutorial R workshop will be aimed at users who have no previous familiarity, or limited previous familiarity, with the R system.


Advanced Methods in R

Boris Forthmann, Günther Gediga, University of Münster (14:00-17:00, F-042)
more information

The R system is a free software environment for statistical computing that runs on all commonly used computing platforms. It has become an environment of choice for the implementation of new methodology. Thus, new statistical methods are frequently first available in form of an R package, as is the case for many specialized statistics out of the field of psychology. In this workshop we offer a closer on several packages which are of interest in work and organizational psychology.

If possible, participants should bring their own notebooks with R installed.

Why should you attend?
The aims of the workshop are to:

  • give insides of the psych und eRm (extended Rasch modeling) packages
  • work with the bootstrap methods (boot package)
  • perform MCMC methods with RBugs and WinBugs

Who should attend?

  • The advanced R workshop will be aimed at users who have some experience (e.g. having attended out a Tutorial R workshop) and who are interested in the packages we will discuss.