The client is reclining on a plush leather couch in a softly lit office, the wall adorned with framed degrees and certificates of expertise in psychology.

“Tell me what’s troubling you?” the therapist inquires.

“Profits are down. Our employees are unhappy. And I don’t know where I should be going.”

This imaginary client is not a person but a business. However, the therapist is real. Dr. Nikki Blacksmith is a practitioner of industrial-organizational psychology who uses data analysis to help companies diagnose the business personality traits that are preventing them from achieving their goals.

Dr. Blackstone is the co-founder and CEO of Blackhawke Behavior Science and an adjunct faculty member at American University in Washington, D.C. She is the co-author with Dr. Maureen E. McCusker of Data-Driven Decision Making in Entrepreneurship: Tools for Maximizing Human Capital. 

On this week’s episode, Dr. Blacksmith explains that industrial organizational psychology is essentially the application of psychological principles to the workplace.  It involves understanding human behavior in work environments, covering hiring, motivation, well-being, and organizational culture. 

In addition, she emphasizes the importance of using data to make informed decisions in entrepreneurship.

​Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Nikki Blacksmith, Blackhawke Behavior Science Posted: September 2, 2024 Monday Morning Run Time: 47:06 Episode: 13.12