I’m baaaaaack.
Sort of.
As many of you know, I recently started working on a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and last night I was inspired. I had originally planned on doing my dissertation on something to do with virtual companies (keep in mind I’m still in the very early stages of thinking about this), but last night a better idea came to me.
As I see it (and I’m sure this will come as absolutely no surprise to some of you) here’s the problem that needs to be solved: How do we create win-win situations for employers and the heavy users of social media that work for them? I’ll put it more plainly: How can we create working environments that allow people to go out and build their own brands in their industries through social media (become “web celebrities” if you will) while still keeping an eye focused on meeting organizational goals and objectives? I’m going to spend the next few years exploring this very issue, and will be documenting that experience here. I’m sure I’ll write about other things I’m learning along the way related to psychology in business as well.
Basically, I’m completely shifting the focus on www.karlynmorissette.com to my academic work. I’m very excited about this and really can’t wait to get started. BTW, for those of you who are feeling saucy (or don’t know how to spell my name…it’s ok…I get it wrong sometimes too), you can also access this site from www.rebelphd.com. And if someone really wants to create me a logo…that would be pretty cool 
For those of you who are looking for one of my older posts, check out the Archive link. They’re all there…the good, the bad and the ugly. And of course, you can always read my latest thoughts on the subject (along with many other people’s who are way smarter than me) on .eduGuru.
And please excuse the extremely minimalist (and kind of spazzy) design of the site…I wanted a fresh start. And something quick. It’ll get better, I promise!
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Yay! I think this is a truly *great* idea. This puts you at the forefront as companies and organizations grapple with this new phenomenon of having – and wanting – social media “douchebags” in their employ. Many fear it, many have no idea what to do with it, and that gives you an opportunity to explore – and help define – a frontier. How many people get to say that? For that reason alone, this is a genius idea. Congratulations.
Sounds exciting and a bit crazy given the lack of proper research but what a chance to define it! Looking forward to reading more.
Karlyn, a GREAT idea. I’m going to be most interested in your methodologies, and in how the scope of the project (and social media) grows & evolves in the time span of your work. Good luck, and congrats on the really interesting idea.
Karlyn,
This is a really exciting topic with a lot of dimensions. I’m eager to watch the journey unfold. And KarlynMorissette.com is harder to remember than rebelphd.com? Hmm…. Congratulations on a brilliant idea.
@Tony – Thanks!
@Jesse – Yeah I spent some time in the library last night after I came up with the idea and really there’s nothing….a few things on the periphery of it but that’s it.
@ColB – Believe me, I’ll be interested in what methodologies and scope I end up using too LOL….I’m trying not to worry about that for right this second.
@Michael – I’ll admit, it was at least partially inspired by that article you sent me yesterday! I just thought to rebelphd.com thing was more funny than anything haha
Karlyn,
What a great way to showcase something you’re working so hard on – especially since it’s great and really relevant topic. Can’t wait to see what you find.
Amanda
Karlyn,
Awesome idea! You’ve hit on so many relevant points to my daily work existence and my life in general. Both my sister and brother-in-law have their PhD’s in I/O so it’s something I’ve always been around. Also, I’m totally one of those social media douchebags (whatever, I own up to it!) that is doing my own thing to establish myself as a presence (academicoatmeal.com) but work for a marketing agency (secondmelody.com). So, sometimes it’s tough to figure out how ‘my thing’ fits in with the overall company goals, you know? So, any research findings you could share would be really helpful. Both to me and to the owner of the company who is trying to figure out what the hell to do with me, ha ha.
Also, randomly, I went to high school with Colleen Brennan Berry back in nineteen-ninety-nevermind and now we both randomly end up on the same blog! It is a small world. Whattup, Colleen?
Anyway, sorry for the inordinately long post but excellent stuff and I’m psyched to see what your research discovers.
Wow — organizational psychology alone sounds fascinating and this research program quadruple-y so! You could definitely spin this topic into conference paper / journal article / doctoral thesis / book GOLD for years, and it’s such an important question. When you read those polls periodically about how many employers just block access to social media sites, it’s just such a missed opportunity. Are you considering colleges and universities in your work, or focusing more on the corporate realm?
Congratulations on being such a smarty!
What an incredibly timely topic. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone address this other than suggesting to put a line on your tweets or blog stating “the views expressed are my own and not of my employer.” That’s really the extent.
Really looking forward to seeing what comes out of your research!
@ Amanda – Thanks!
@ James – I literally just said that same thing to my boss….”this will help companies figure out what the hell to do with people like me”
@ Lori – OF COURSE I’m going to include higher ed! Can’t get too far away from those roots…and of course, part of the reason I was inspired along this route is because so many of my higher ed friends have had problems with this sort of thing.
@ Kati – Yeah, and that’s more a mask than anything else. It doesn’t do anything to solve the problem (and usually doesn’t appease employers)
That’s a really cool psychology subject! Be really interesting to here where the rabbit hole takes you.
One place you might start (if you haven’t thought of this already) is all the research on celebrity CEOs (of both private companies and not-for-profit organizations, including higher ed). For some reason, it’s okay (in many quarters) for a CEO to have a strong personality and build up his personal cachet by fusing his/her persona with that of the organization — and then ditch the company for greener pastures. I mean the Board of Directors may not exactly like it, but many of them continue to hire this type of CEO.
The best thing about MA and Ph.D. programs is that you can write about topics of interest. This sounds like a great subject and I look forward to seeing your progress. If there are any projects where you need “subjects” for research, I’d be happy to help out! Good luck!
@ Kyle – Thanks!
@ Wm – I had thought of that has a way to start….not sure how applicable it will be in reference to the people who work for the CEOs but will definitely look into it!
@ Kathy – One of the reasons I wanted to document everything on here was to have an easy way to recruit subjects! I will definitely be reaching out for help and your offer has been noted
Cool on many levels! I didn’t realize your Ph.D. work was in organizational psychology–sounds like a fascinating area to study. The dissertation idea is even better. Great book potential!
Thanks Davina! Yes, I became fascinated with it at my last job where I had a god awful boss, but on the bright side got to work with an executive coach. Changed my life.