{"id":108814,"date":"2019-11-05T12:09:54","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T18:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/?p=108814"},"modified":"2019-11-05T12:10:35","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T18:10:35","slug":"creating-new-solutions-to-organizational-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/business\/creating-new-solutions-to-organizational-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating new solutions to organizational problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you think about business as a living organism, you start to really understand how each one is different\u2014behaving differently, responding differently, and comprised of many different parts. Because businesses, like people, are not all the same, business leaders must be open to creative solutions for the problems their organization may encounter.<\/p>\n

This is a major component of the Industrial and Organizational (I\/O) Psychology program<\/a> at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and a key factor that drew alumnus Justin Lopez, M.A., into the program while working in The Chicago School\u2019s admissions department.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cBy viewing the business as a living organism that we have to tend to and take care of, we realize that we need to ascertain feedback as to what methods and methodologies are going to be implemented for improvement and how effective those are,\u201d Lopez says. \u201cI got my degree and knew I wanted to test out some of these things we were learning in the admissions field. I knew that if we\u2019re teaching it, we should definitely be able to utilize it ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chicago School\u2019s model seeks to prepare students and alumni to live out their mission and values, and Lopez has done just that in his position as the assistant director of admissions.<\/p>\n

The constant emphasis on recruitment is a common issue in the department\u2014it\u2019s sometimes a challenge to shift the focus and strategy to include retention and development for students and employees.<\/p>\n

Admissions counselors are tasked with being able to speak about a variety of programs. With The Chicago School offering more than 30 academic degrees, Lopez is interested in the ways counselors can enhance their knowledge about these programs and provide greater insight to students.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, in The Chicago School\u2019s I\/O Psychology program, it\u2019s not always a direct career path because there are so many applications. The onus is on us to provide students with a broad picture of both programmatic learning and longer-term impact,\u201d Lopez says. \u201cThe majority of counselors will utilize me as a second voice because, as a graduate working in the field, I can speak to what the components of the program are and, more importantly, to what contribution you can make with the degree. I wish someone would have done that for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teaching all admissions counselors to speak with this authority on every program is a big ask, but it\u2019s something that would greatly enhance all aspects of the student experience. Lopez uses information from strength assessments and anonymous surveys to find ways to meet such goals<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough anonymous surveys, we find out how employees are truly feeling about the company and their position. My experience in I\/O psychology has taught me to analyze this data and find creative solutions to real-world issues, like employee development and retention,\u201d Lopez says.<\/p>\n

Lopez recently found a solution to employees feeling siloed in their roles and departments by using interdepartmental connection and communication. He found that hosting events outside of the office, makes employees more likely to relax and socialize, which breeds a wealth of positive results in the office the next day.<\/p>\n

Many organizational human resources issues\u2014like most relationship problems\u2014can be addressed with communication and understanding. Lopez believes that getting feedback, encouraging strengths, and seeing a future are key ways to address common employee retention and development issues.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIf managers are in step with their subordinates, they begin to understand how they\u2019re feeling challenged and maybe move projects to get them onto things where they\u2019ve shown a lot of success already,\u201d Lopez says. \u201cComing from a strengths-based approach allows employees to feel more comfortable in their place within the team and their opportunity for growth. If I don\u2019t have a sense of where I can go within this career, do you think I\u2019m going to be sticking around for two years to see if something magically happens? Probably not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lopez\u2019s knack for creativity and strategy is exactly why he found his niche in I\/O psychology\u2014and this sense of creativity doesn\u2019t just apply to his professional life. When he\u2019s not analyzing and implementing strategies to improve the student experience at The Chicago School, Lopez freestyles raps and has recently taken up painting. His most recent project was a surprising and creative response to the birth of his niece.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to paint something to express my excitement and joy with her birth, but I didn\u2019t know exactly what that would be. When I was more than halfway finished, I saw it: a pig flying over a rainbow. And isn\u2019t that a perfect representation of what the miracle of life really is\u2014bright and as unlikely as pigs flying?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Learn more about our Industrial and Organizational Psychology programs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you interested in learning more about The Chicago School\u2019s I\/O Psychology programs? Fill out the form below to request more information, visit the program page<\/a>\u00a0to learn more, or you can apply today through our\u00a0application portal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alumnus Justin Lopez thrives on creativity and couples that with his I\/O degree to offer creative opportunities in The Chicago School\u2019s admissions department.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":108823,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1037],"class_list":["post-108814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlumnus creates new solutions to organizational problems<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Justin Lopez thrives on creativity and couples that with his TCSPP I\/O degree to offer creative opportunities in admissions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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