Additional Training Will Lead To A Competitive Disadvantage: Perspective From A Business School

Byrne et al. (2014) seek to make the case that further training in industrial–organizational (I–O) psychology beyond the typical PhD program is warranted in part because of the competitive disadvantages faced by I–O graduates seeking employment in business schools. In doing so, many of the assertions addressing how training in business schools differs from I–O programs appear overly simplistic and unnecessarily adversarial. In response to this, and as individuals working in a management department, we would like to address how best to leverage the differences in training and perspective that I–O and organizational behavior (OB) programs provide. We believe these differences can foster greater creativity and scholarship and ultimately deepen our understanding of organizations.