Personnel Dynamics Lab

From left: Javon Davis, Kristen Eggler, Dr. Jeffrey Olenick, John (Mikey) Savage

We study workforce developmental processes from a variety of angles. In particular, we use computational modeling and dynamic theorizing to advance our understanding of individual, dyadic, and group processes as they unfold over time. These advances are then applied to both laboratory experiments on self-regulation and training transfer, and to field data from field sites such as NASA Space Flight Analogs, the United States Special Operations Forces, and emergency medical teams.

Interested in joining the Personnel Dynamics Lab? Apply to the Old Dominion University Psychology Doctoral Program at
https://www.odu.edu/academics/programs/doctoral/psychology

Current Research Streams

  • “Trainers matter more than you think” – Investigating the effects of trainers on training knowledge and transfer outcomes. Using data collected from United States Special Operations Forces foreign language training. With Eric Surface (Owner and Principal Scientist at Alps Insights), Kemp Ellington (Associate Professor of Management, Appalachian State University), and Kristina Bauer (Assistant Professor of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology)

  • “Dynamics of teams in Isolated, Confined, and Extreme Environments” – Studying the team process dynamics of small teams in extreme environments including NASA Space Flight analogs and the Antarctic. With Steve W. J. Kozlowski (Professor of Psychology, University of South Florida), Daisy Chang (Associate Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University), and graduate students Daniel Griffin and Ajay Somaraju. In collaboration with the Magneto Project.

  • “Employee Selection and Society” – Critical examinations of the effects of employee selection procedures on socioeconomic inequalities and their development over time. Includes investigations into the nature and effects of various selection procedures on individual, organizational, and societal well-being over time. With Ann Marie Ryan (Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University), and Goran Kuljanin (Assistant Professor of Management, DePaul University)

  • “Allyship and relationship development” – Addressing diversity and inclusion in organizations through better understanding when and how majority group members can support underrepresented populations. Work includes critically examining state of the allyship literature and measurement development to better capture the viewpoints of underrepresented populations in our measurement, and investigating the role of allyship in dyadic relationship development. Student-led research stream among Kristen Eggler, Mikey Savage, and Javon Davis, in partnership with students from the LeAF Lab.

Graduate Students

Richard Hayes is a fifth year student and has successfully proposed his dissertation covering the computational modeling of humor in the workplace. His research interests include dyads, humor, and formal theorizing. Richard also enjoys making abstract and figure art as a hobby.
Daroon Jalil is a 6th year student completing her dissertation on third-party reactions to performance feedback. Her research interests broadly fall under occupational health and social exchanges at work. During her time at ODU, she has published in several peer-reviewed journals, interned as a Researcher with the Society for Human Resource Management for four summers, and served as president of the student group, IOPSA, twice. When she isn’t working, Daroon enjoys early morning runs, hiking in the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah Mountains, cooking, and spending time with her friends and family.
Mikey Savage is a first-year student who hails from the dry and mountainous state of Utah. He graduated from Southern Utah University in April of 2021 with my B.S. in Psychology and Sociology. Mikey’s research interests include diversity initiatives in organizations, work motivation, and computational modeling. Previous projects examining task motivation, trainer effectiveness, and workplace dyads have exposed him to a number of regression analyses including Polynomial, Response Surface, Hierarchical Linear Modeling, and Cross-classified modeling.
Kristen Eggler is a third year student with interests in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Kristen’s current projects focus on ways social majority members can be active in the fight for justice and social equality while respecting the wishes and goals of those impacted by inequality. Her prior projects focused on the experiences of women in male-majority fields and the barriers and advantages of telework for DEI. As a member of SIOP, Kristen serves on the Disability, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee as well as the LGBTQIA+ Committee.
Javon Davis is a first-year student in our program who previously earned a Master’s degree in sports psychology from Northern Illinois University. His research interests include diversity and developmental processes. His current projects consist of research on humor in the workplace and self-regulatory dynamics. He has also participated in previous projects on self-efficacy development and consulting with SIOP on their Foundation Distinguished & Career Award Evaluation process. Javon also enjoys playing the saxophone and hiking.

Undergraduate Students

John Lokke – Junior Psychology student interested in goal setting and individual learning processes. Working on honors thesis about the role of mindfulness in the performance-self-efficacy relationship.
Petra Momcilovic is a senior psychology student interested in a variety of organizational and social phenomena. Her interests include culture, diversity, leadership-followership, teams, discrimination, and social inequalities.
Madalyn Stephens is a junior psychology student with interest in sense of belonging and goal setting.
Daniel Holmes is a senior psychology student interested in leadership, cultures within organizations, and growth mindsets. He is considering pursuing graduate studies in I/O Psychology.

Publications

15. Olenick, J., & Dishop, C. (2022). Clarifying dynamics for organizational research and interventions: A diversity example. Organizational Psychology Review, 12(4), 365-386. https://doi.org/10.1177/20413866221112427
 
14. Gedik, E., Olenick, J., Chang, C-H., Kozlowski, S. W. J., & Hung, H. (in press). Capturing interaction quality in long duration (simulated) space missions with wearables. Transactions on Affective Computing. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2022.3176967
 
13. Somaraju, A., Nye, C., & Olenick, J. (in press). A review of measurement equivalence in organizational research: What’s old, what’s new, what’s next? Organizational Research Methods. https://doi.org/10.1177/10944281211056524
 
12. Somaraju, A., Griffin, D. J., Olenick, J., Chang, C-H., & Kozlowski, S. W. J. (2022). The dynamic nature of interpersonal conflict and psychological distress in extreme work settings. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 27(1), 53-73. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000290
 
11. Olenick, J., Ryan, A. M., & Kuljanin, G. (2021). Basic incomes and the dynamics of wealth accumulation, individual development, and employment opportunities. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 14(4), 563-568. https://doi.org/10.1017/iop.2021.107
 
10. Van Fossen, J. A., Olenick, J., Ayton, J., Chang, C. H., & Kozlowski, S. W. (2021). Relationships between personality and social functioning, attitudes towards the team and mission, and well-being in an ICE environment. Acta Astronautica, 189, 658-670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.09.031
 
9. Rosenman, E. D., Misisco, A., Olenick, J., …& Fernandez, R., (2021). Does team leader gender matter? A Bayesian reconciliation of leadership and patient care during trauma resuscitations. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open, 2(1), e12348. https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12348
 
8. Olenick, J., Blume, B., & Ford, J. K. (2020). Advancing training and transfer research through the application of nonlinear dynamics. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(4), 541-555. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2019.1681501
 
7. Fernandez, R., Rosenman, E.D., Olenick, J., Misisco, A.,…& Chao, G.T. (2020). Simulation-based team leadership training improves team leadership and patient care during actual trauma resuscitations: A randomized controlled trial. Critical Care Medicine, 48(1), 73-82. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000004077
 
6. Olenick, J., & Bradburn, J. (2019). Organizational psychology’s contribution to the evolution of work and it’s environmental impact. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 12, 451-453. https://doi.org/10.1017/iop.2019.71
5. Nye, C., Bradburn, J., Olenick, J., Bialko, C., & Drasgow, F. (2019). How big are my effects? Examining the magnitude of effect sizes in organizational studies of measurement equivalence. Organizational Research Methods, 22(3), 678-709. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428118761122
 
4. Blume, B., Ford, J. K., Surface, E., & Olenick, J. (2019) A dynamic model of training transfer. Human Resource Management Review, 29, 270-283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2017.11.004
 
3. Fernandez, R., Rosenman, E.D., Chipman, A.K., …Olenick, J., … & Chao, G.T. (2019). Translating simulation-based team leadership training into patient-centered outcomes. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, 3(1), p.57-58. https://doi.org/10.1017/cts.2019.136
 
2. Olenick, J., Walker, R., Bradburn, J, & DeShon, R. (2018). A systems view of the scientist-practitioner gap. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 11(2), 220-227. https://doi.org/10.1017/iop.2018.8
 
1.  Olenick, J., Bhatia, S., & Ryan, A. M. (2016). The effects of g-loading and time-lag in retesting. The International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 24(4), 324-336. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.1215113. Van Fossen, J., Olenick, J., Ayton, J., Chang, C-H., & Kozlowski, S. W. J. (in press). Relationships between personality and social functioning, attitudes towards the team and mission, and well-being for crew members in Antarctica. Acta Astronautica.
 
12. Somaraju, A., Nye, C., & Olenick, J. (in press). A review of measurement invariance testing. Organizational Research Methods.
 
11. Olenick, J., Ryan, A. M., & Kuljanin, G. (in press). Basic Incomes and the Dynamics of Wealth Accumulation, Individual Development, and Employment Opportunities. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice.
 
10. Somaraju, A., Griffin, D. J., Olenick, J., Chang, C-H., & Kozlowski, S. W. J. (in press). The dynamic nature of interpersonal conflict and psychological distress in extreme work settings. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
 
9. Rosenman, E. D., Misisco, A., Olenick, J., …& Fernandez, R., (2021). Does team leader gender matter? A Bayesian reconciliation of leadership and patient care during trauma resuscitations. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open, 2(1), e12348.

8. Olenick, J., Blume, B., & Ford, J. K. (2020). Advancing Training and Transfer Research Through the Application of Nonlinear Dynamics. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology.  

7. Fernandez, R., Rosenman, E.D., Olenick, J., Misisco, A.,…& Chao, G.T. (2020). Simulation-Based Team Leadership Training Improves Team Leadership and Patient Care During Actual Trauma Resuscitations: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Critical Care Medicine, 48(1), 73-82.  

6. Olenick, J., & Bradburn, J. (2019). Organizational Psychology’s Contribution to the Evolution of Work and it’s Environmental Impact. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 12, 451-453.  

5. Nye, C., Bradburn, J., Olenick, J., Bialko, C., & Drasgow, F. (2019). How Big Are My Effects? Examining the Magnitude of Effect Sizes in Organizational Studies of Measurement Equivalence. Organizational Research Methods, 22(3), 678-709.  

4. Blume, B., Ford, J. K., Surface, E., & Olenick, J. (2019) A dynamic model of training transfer. Human Resource Management Review, 29, 270-283.  

3. Fernandez, R., Rosenman, E.D., Chipman, A.K., …Olenick, J., … & Chao, G.T. (2019). Translating Simulation-Based Team Leadership Training into Patient-Centered Outcomes. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, 3(1), p.57-58.  

2. Olenick, J., Walker, R., Bradburn, J, & DeShon, R. (2018). A Systems View of the Scientist-Practitioner Gap. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 11(2), 220-227.  

1. Olenick, J., Bhatia, S., & Ryan, A. M. (2016). The effects of g-loading and time-lag in retesting. The International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 24(4), 324-336.
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