Mission

Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology, a division of the American Psychological Association (APA), develops and applies psychological theory and methods to problems of organizations. We strive to assist public and private organizations become better and more effective places to work by translating this knowledge into daily practice. DSS will give your organization the educated edge needed to build competitive advantage.

Company History

Decision Support Services, Inc. was founded by Phyllis C. Panzano, Ph.D. in 1993 shortly after earning her doctorate in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology at The Ohio State University (OSU). About that time, Phyllis joined the faculty of the Psychology Department at OSU where she has continued to serve as a visiting or adjunct professor.

From the outset, DSS has engaged in both research and consulting activities. Research has been conducted for state agencies (e.g., the Ohio Department of Mental Health), federal agencies (e.g., the Social Security Administration) and private foundations (e.g., the MacArthur Network). DSS associates also consult with public (e.g., Franklin County ADAMH Board, Dublin City Schools) and private sector firms (e.g., Rubbermaid, Limited Brands). [see Our Clients or Consulting for more info]

DSS' strong ties with OSU have resulted in benefits to both organizations. The link has facilitated our aim to stay abreast of state-of-the-art knowledge and approaches that add value to our work. The link also has resulted in research dollars for the OSU Psychology Department, provided graduate students with applied work experience and research opportunities, and has made research and consulting opportunities available to OSU faculty.

Competencies

The nature of our work is varied. A sample is highlighted below.

GROUP PROCESS FACILITATION

Groups of stakeholders are convened by organizations for a variety of reasons. For example, a group of customers may be assembled to react to new product ideas or to express concerns about current products or services. The use of groups and group process techniques are important mechanisms for advancing organizational interests.

JOB DESIGN

Jobs can be designed with a variety of interests in mind. They can be designed to maximize performance efficiency, minimize physical strain, or optimize employee motivation. Job design has implications for employee attitudes and performance and other important organizational outcomes such as turnover.

JOB SATISFACTION

Having satisfied employees is important in its own right. In addition, job satisfaction has consistently been associated with good work performance and negatively linked to costly outcomes such as turnover and absenteeism. As a result, many organizations are concerned with assessing the job satisfaction of employees and taking action to improve satisfaction.

MARKET RESEARCH

DSS designs market research studies, develops questionnaires and interprets findings related to various types of projects from customer needs assessments to product and packaging design.

PERSONNEL SELECTION AND PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

Selecting employees and systematically evaluating their performance are important to all organizations. Unbiased and valid methods for identifying individuals who are likely to be successful performers are needed by all organizations. Organizations also need reliable methods for evaluating job performance in order to identify approaches for improving individual worker and organizational performance.

PLANNING PROCESS CONSULTATION

Planning helps organizations prepare for the future by making decisions and taking actions today. Planned change shapes and guides what an organization does to deal with problems or opportunities that merit action. If managed well, planned change facilitates communication among stakeholders, accommodates diverse interests, provides a means for orderly decision-making, and lays the groundwork for the successful implementation of a plan.

SEMINARS IN I/O PSYCHOLOGY

DSS has expertise and university teaching experience in I/O psychology. Special topic seminars can be designed to augment your organizational development program.

RESEARCH & PROPOSAL WRITING

DSS designs and conducts a wide variety of research projects. Visit our website for more information. We also have extensive experience writing research proposals and grant applications. We can assist your organization with these processes.

 

 

Copyright 2002 Decision Support Services, Incorporated.
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