Cutting the ‘bullshit’

Call to arms: DOP member Dr Kathryn Waddington has published an excellent and provocative piece in a recent edition of the Psychologist.

A 'call to arms' for all psychologists to approach academic writing differently by: 

(i) not writing articles that might be gossiped about as 'pretentious academic bullshit' which are dense and difficult to read - causing readers to suffer; 

(ii) writing with clarity and compassion - i.e. avoid writing that causes intellectual suffering in readers; and 

(iii) having the courage to be creative and consider arts-based approaches to research and publications. 

Kathryn's work has significant implications for practitioners interested in rigorous, relevant research. In her recent article, she draws on two key areas of expertise: organisational compassion and organisational gossip. The latter was the focus of her occupational psychology PhD, completed under the supervision of Clive Fletcher, who encouraged her to explore new territory. 

Today, gossip is considered a cutting-edge topic in business research, as evidenced by the 2022 Routledge publication Gossip, Organisation and Work: A Research Overview, highlighting its growing importance in the field.

Kathryn would love to see (and hear from) DOP members contributing to ongoing developments in the field of organisational gossip as a 'state of the art topic' in occupational psychology research. 

Connect with Kathryn on Linkedin