Organizational and Leadership Psychology (OLP) Department

The changing world of business has led to a surge in the demand for organizational and leadership psychology. The field of applied psychology is booming and at the current rate, demand will exceed qualified trained professionals. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics currently predicts a 53% growth rate in the field of applied psychology by 2022.

Our department is pioneering some of the most important curricula developments in applied psychology to address the most pressing needs of organizations today. Where other institutions teach the theory of intervention, our programs provide students with the competencies, tools and understanding of psychological theory to be able effect positive and lasting change. Within each program is the ability to take your current experience and interests and build a framework from which to expand your career.

The mission for Organizational and Leadership Psychology Department (OLP) is to have practitioner scholar faculty train a new generation of Organizational and Leadership Psychology practitioners and Talent Management professionals who are skilled in working across a diverse array of global clients to make their client's organizations effective in the market place with internal cultures that support wellbeing and innovation.

The vision of the OLP department is to ensure the opportunity of elite graduate education (masters and doctorate) is accessible to the international community by utilizing cutting edge advances in pedagogy and online educational technology.

Letter from the Department Chair

Kathryn Stanley The mission of the Organizational and Leadership Psychology Department (OLP) is to have practitioner scholar faculty train a new generation of organizational development interventionists and talent management professionals who are skilled in working across a diverse array of global clients to make organizations not only more effective, but healthier places to be. The vision of the OLP department is to make the opportunity of graduate education (masters and doctorate) accessible to a global and diverse community by utilizing the greatest advances in pedagogy and on-line teaching technology.

I joined William James College to teach and develop the Masters of Organizational Psychology Program at its inception in the Fall of 2008. We graduated our first cohort the Spring of 2009. We began the Leadership Psychology doctoral program in the Fall of 2012. The content for our masters and doctoral level training in organizational and leadership psychologist comes from the collective decades of faculty experience working in client systems as internal and external organizational development practitioners. The content delivered in all our programs is a tightly woven mix of competencies. These competencies combined with significant field placement and practicum experience allow our graduates to become leaders of positive change, effective interventionists at the individual, team and systems level, and effective talent management practitioners.

This applied focus ensures that we are not teaching theory for theory sake. A comment I hear frequently from our students is, “I learned this last night and was able to apply it today at work.” This is the point – to teach what matters and is relevant so that our graduates go away with not only a full tool kit but mental models and ways of thinking and being that allow them to apply their tools to a diverse set of organizational circumstances. Last, know that by joining our programs you are joining a community. We actively maintain relationships with our alumni who have formed the Alumni Alliance in 2010. This active network of internal and external practitioners meets a few times a year and provides opportunities for continued professional development.

I am delighted you are considering joining our community.

Please contact me if you have questions.

Very best,
Kathryn Stanley
Chair, Organizational and Leadership Psychology Department

Student Veterans

The Organizational and Leadership Psychology Department is proud of the achievements of its students and alums who have and are currently serving our nation in the United States military. The leadership and organizational experiences they gain from their service creates a foundation in organizational theory, team and group dynamics and leadership upon which to build. Additionally, key types of leadership interventions and tools, e.g. New Leader Assimilation, total quality assurance, were created in the Military so often our student veterans are surprised with how much they already know.

Our Masters of Organizational Psychology offers veterans the opportunity to take their in-‐depth organizational experience and apply it to civilian for profit and non-profit organizations. The foundational theory, tools and applications our students learn through the program allow them to assume roles in organizations as organizational development practitioners, leaders, and human resources and talent management professionals.

Additionally, all our degree programs are blended and geared to the working professional. This allows our students to support their lifestyle financially while they attend the program.

For the Masters of Organizational Psychology program there are 8 residencies (7 on weekends) for the entirety of the program. For the Leadership Psychology Doctoral program there are two residencies a year. These residencies utilize experiential problem based teaching to ensure students apply what they are learning to real world cases.