WorkCookie - Get Ahead with Industrial/Organizational Psychology in the Workplace

Performance evaluations are designed to measure performance, but the standards used to judge that performance may not always be as neutral as they appear.

We examined the lenses of performance evaluation: How organizations define performance, how managers interpret behavior, and how standards around competence, communication, leadership, and professionalism can shape evaluations.

In this Episode:  LindaAnn Rogers, Nic Krueger, Natasha Desjardins, Gaby Cadena
 
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References
Accessible resources and APA citations
Falcone, P., & Tan, W. (2013). The performance appraisal tool kit: Redesigning your performance review template to drive individual and organizational change. AMACOM.
 
2. Best detailed guide to the process and tools
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. (n.d.). A handbook for measuring employee performance: Aligning employee performance plans with organizational goals.
Read the free handbook
Includes an eight-step process, worksheets, and examples. Start with Chapter 3. Practice guidance, particularly useful for examining how an organization moves from strategy to individual standards.
 
3. Best research foundation for setting expectations
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717.  https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
Read the free full article hosted by Stanford
A peer-reviewed synthesis of research explaining how goals affect performance and the conditions that influence their effectiveness. It informs goal design, rather than supplying a complete appraisal system.
 
4. Actual tools for understanding the job
National Center for ONET Development. (n.d.). ONET questionnaires. O*NET Resource Center.
Access the free questionnaires

Two people can have similar qualifications, work in the same role, and still walk away with different compensation. Why?

This episode explores the dynamics of compensation negotiation, including salary expectations, market knowledge, organizational pay practices, negotiation behavior, and how value is perceived during the process.

In this episode:  LindaAnn Rogers, Tom Bradshaw, Nic Krueger, Natasha Desjardins, Dr. Tim Sharples, Gaby Cadena

 

I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job

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Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI

Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events

 

References

Agan, A. Y., Cowgill, B., & Gee, L. K. (2025). Salary history and employer demand: Evidence from a two-sided audit. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 17(3), 380–413.  https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20230365

Cullen, Z. B., Pakzad-Hurson, B., & Perez-Truglia, R. (2025). Pushing the envelope: The effects of salary negotiations (Working Paper No. 33903). National Bureau of Economic Research.  https://doi.org/10.3386/w33903

Leibbrandt, A., & List, J. A. (2015). Do women avoid salary negotiations? Evidence from a large-scale natural field experiment. Management Science, 61(9), 2016–2024.  https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1994

Before the interview, someone has already made a decision about you. Your resume gets reviewed, your experience gets compared, and a short list is created.

We took a closer look at pre-hire screening. How organizations evaluate candidates, what gets prioritized, and what can shape who makes it through the first gate.

In this episode:  LindaAnn Rogers, Tom Bradshaw, Nic Krueger, Natasha Desjardins

I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job

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Leaders have unprecedented access to information, yet more information doesn’t always lead to better learning or better decisions. Amid AI-generated content, constant updates, and information overload, social learning becomes a powerful organizational asset.

This episode explores how conversation, observation, shared experience, peer learning, and collective sensemaking help people filter what matters, turn information into knowledge, and translate knowledge into action with a special guest.

I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job

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Hybrid work is here to stay, while AI and emerging technologies are redefining how work gets done. Drawing on new insights from Gallup and Deloitte’s 2026 Global Human Capital Trends, this episode looks beyond remote vs. office and human vs. machine to explore what’s next and how leaders can intentionally design work for adaptability, connection, technology, and human performance.

 

I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job

Visit us https://www.seboc.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI

Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events