Editor Spotlight

Lillian Eby, PhD, is a professor of psychology and the director of the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research at the University of Georgia.

Tell us a bit about your background: What is your area of research? What is your most recent journal-editing experience?

I am an industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologist with interest in workplace mentoring, organizational careers, occupational health, and the work–family interface. I also have specific expertise with the substance abuse treatment workforce and its unique challenges.

Prior to my new position as incoming editor-in-chief, I served as associate editor of the Journal of Applied Psychology as well as associate editor of Personnel Psychology. I am truly honored to have been selected by my peers for this important role and excited by the opportunity to pay it forward to a field that I love.

Briefly, what are your main priorities? For example, how will you grow readership, what type of scholarship would you like to see in the journal, and what kind of content are you hoping to attract?

I want the journal to continue to be the premier outlet for the most scientifically significant, rigorous, and cutting-edge research in psychology applied to work.

My main priorities include enhancing the review experience for authors and reviewers, increasing representation of people from underrepresented groups, encouraging and supporting open science practices, increasing interdisciplinary integration, and improving the translation of our science for the public good.

I hope to grow readership by increasing the visibility of research published in the journal and continuing to publish outstanding scholarship.

I hope to attract a wide range of research related to the experience of work and employment. This includes both industrial and organizational topics; research at micro, meso, and organizational levels of analysis; inductive and deductive approaches; methodological advances with direct relevance to I-O psychology; and research using a wide range of methods (e.g., field studies, lab experiments, intervention research, computational models, qualitative inquiry, meta-analyses).

Why is this journal important for the field? What is its relevance to society/public health? What are the hot issues in your area right now?

So much of what we study has important, direct implications for individuals’ work and nonwork lives. The journal is uniquely poised to provide evidence-based, practical advice to improve the experience of work for employees as well as enhance individual, team, and organizational success.

The journal also plays an important role in advancing our conceptual understanding of workplace and employment phenomena. Much of the research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology also has important implications for social policy, employment-related legislation, and organizational practices to support employees and their families.

Some of the hot topics right now include the role of robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence in employment contexts; how the gig economy is changing the nature of work; inclusion and equity in all aspects of employment; and strategies to increase the transparency and reproducibility of our science.

What challenges, if any, lie ahead for the field?

One challenge is translating our science into recommendations and actionable strategies to increase the impact of applied psychology for the public good.

There are also rapid changes occurring in when, where, and how work is done. This presents challenges in terms of helping employees, as well as organizations, navigate and successfully adapt. Changes in the sociodemographic composition of the workforce also mean that we need to carefully examine foundational concepts and theories of individual, group, and organizational functioning.

As the workforce becomes increasingly diverse, we will also need new ways of thinking about workplace issues. This will allow us to capitalize on the many potential benefits of diversity while also recognizing potential challenges associated with these sociodemographic shifts.

Do you have plans for a special issue or changes to the editorial process? Are you making any changes?

The journal has a strong reputation and a longstanding history of success. With input from my associate editors, I am considering a variety of enhancements to the editorial process, such as giving reviewers additional guidance on preparing reviews, recognizing outstanding reviewers, and adopting editorial practices to continue to strengthen consistency, transparency, and fairness in the review process.

• Read more about Journal of Applied Psychology
• Return to Editor Spotlight homepage