Press Releases

Big data is a hot topic in the business world and companies are making major investments towards managing and analyzing the huge amounts of information they are collecting.

But how do mountains of data translate into smart business decisions?  It involves balancing discovery through data-digging with defining needs, asking the right questions, determining the appropriate data set and analyses needed to implement a successful business strategy.

In other words how can organizations derive the full benefit of the data?

Getting those answers is the goal of a special program for business leaders entitled “Making Sense of Big Data: How I-O Psychologists Use Big Data to Drive Smarter Business Decisions” being sponsored by The Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine.

The free program will be from 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13 in Merage School Building One. Persons interested in attending, can make reservations by emailing Clif Boutelle at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology at boutelle@siop.org

Industrial and organizational psychologists have become key players on analytical teams because of their ability and training to think critically about human behavior.

The event is designed for HR and business professionals and graduate students and will explore Big Data, the term used to describe the ever-increasing quantity of information collected, stored and used by organizations to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behavior and interactions.

Harnessing all that information to its fullest advantage is the focus of three presentations by industrial-organizational psychology authorities in the interpretation and use of Big Data.

Alexis Fink, Director of Talent Intelligence and Analytics for Intel Corporation; Rick Guzzo, Partner, Mercer and Co-Leader of Mercer’s Workforce Sciences Institute, and Sara Roberts, Co-Founder and Principle Consultant of Category One Consulting, in Omaha, NE will be the presenters.

Jolene Skinner, Global Director of Engagement and Culture at Sitel Corp. in Nashville, TN, who will moderate the program, said attendees will hear how organizations can leverage Big Data to magnify the differences between them and other organizations. “Doing this will provide decision makers the information they need to take actions that are not just imitating what others do or adopting so-called ‘best practices’ of others,” she said.

Big data can provide a key source of insight for business analysis and I-O psychologists possess the research insight and analytical skills that make them valuable HR partners who can guide critical decisions needed for business success, she added.

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For more information, contact Clif Boutelle at 419-353-0032 or email at boutelle@siop.org.


The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) is an international group of nearly 8,000 industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists who study and apply scientific principles concerning workplace productivity, motivation, leadership and engagement. SIOP’s mission is to enhance human well-being and performance in organizational and work settings by promoting the science, practice and teaching of I-O psychology. For more information about SIOP visit www.siop.org.



The Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine offers four dynamic MBA programs – plus PhD, specialty master’s and undergraduate business degrees – that graduate business leaders with the exceptional ability to help grow their organizations through strategic innovation, analytical decision-making, information technology and collaborative execution. While the Merage School is relatively young, it has quickly grown to consistently rank among the top AACSB-accredited programs through exceptional student recruitment, world-class faculty, a strong alumni network and close relationships with both individual business executives and global corporations. Additional information is available at merage.uci.edu