Rebuttal - Special Collection: Open Science Practices - a vision for the future of SAJIP

Examining the strings of our violins whilst Rome is burning: A rebuttal

Theo H. Veldsman
SA Journal of Industrial Psychology | Vol 45 | a1725 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v45i0.1725 | © 2019 Theo H. Veldsman | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 02 August 2019 | Published: 05 December 2019

About the author(s)

Theo H. Veldsman, Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, College of Management and Economic, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg; University of Stellenbosch Business School, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Abstract

Problemification: In response to the admirable objective of Efendic and Van Zyl’s (2019) article to offer recommendations to address the crisis of replication in industrial organisational psychology (IOP), I offer the counter-argument that this immediate crisis, although important, is of lesser importance in the greater scheme of the challenges faced by IOP, going into the future. It is merely symptomatic of a deeper and greater illness in IOP.

Implications: I contend that the ‘lesser’ crisis of replication pales into insignificance against the backdrop of three accelerating and snowballing, interacting meta-crises within IOP: (1) growing irrelevance (= a burning Rome), (2) an outdated, constraining research paradigm (= an antiquated violin) and (3) ill, even toxic, research community dynamics and functioning (= our stressed-out violinists).

Purpose: The aim of my rebuttal is to elucidate the three meta-crises and point out their life-threatening implications for IOP going into the future. Future-fit responses to address these meta-crises are offered.

Recommendations: Given these meta-crises, going forward in building the academic reputation of the South African Journal of Industrial Psychology (SAJIP), a number of recommendations are made regarding making SAJIP future-proof (= fit-for-purpose, fire-fighting violins and violinists).


Keywords

industrial organisational psychology; meta-crises; relevancy; research paradigm; research community dynamics and functioning

Metrics

Total abstract views: 1732
Total article views: 2514


Crossref Citations

No related citations found.