CLAS CONCEPT Journal Authors - Doria Diacogiannis & Kelly Morgan

CONCEPT, Villanova’s own interdisciplinary journal for graduate students, accepts submissions that are based on research that was conducted during their graduate coursework at Villanova. All submissions are reviewed by graduate student editors, faculty editors and peer reviewers, with final decisions made by the editors as to which papers will be included in the edition each year. For the 2023 edition, two HRD students' papers were selected!

We sat down with Doria Diacogiannis and Kelly Morgan, the HRD students whose research was selected, to learn a bit more about their experience in the HRD program and about their research that will be featured in the journal.

Why did you select the Villanova HRD program and the field of HR to study?

Kelly

I selected the Villanova HRD program for a few reasons! I really liked the idea of completing the program at my own pace and planning my courses around my hectic travel schedule in the fall for my work as a College Recruiter. I loved the history that Villanova's HRD program had to offer, and really appreciate how I can earn my MSHRD degree, a graduate certificate, and sit for my SHRM-CP, or any of the other HR Certification option that would count toward my capstone. The selling point in choosing the Villanova HRD program, though, was realizing how deeply rooted the staff and curriculum is in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology. I was deciding between an I-O or HR degree when I decided to go back to school and found this program to be a perfect balance of the two choices. It is both a natural extension of my current skills and experience, while providing more than enough I-O subject matter as well.

Doria

After graduating with my B.A. in Psychology, I started to gain interest in organizational psychology while hearing about the changing work trends during the pandemic. Trends like work-life balance, remote work, and employee engagement became so interesting to me, and I was eager to learn more about how organizations can adapt and improve during this unprecedented time to support the workforce. I selected the Villanova HRD program because of its prestige and history as one of the longest-running HR programs, and most importantly, because I saw a close alignment with my interest in organizational psychology. I love the focus on developing and improving effective and meaningful workplaces while supporting an engaged, productive workforce!

Share a few fun facts about you!

Kelly

I have worked as the Lead College Recruiter for my team at Lockheed Martin for close to 4 years. Early career recruiting is my passion and I hope to build a very long career in it.

I went to Penn State for undergrad (WE ARE!)

I love the beach! I paddleboard a bunch now, and my goal for this summer is to learn how to surf.

After work and before class, you will always be able to find me at my gym. I have been doing CrossFit for ~2 years now and finished their Open this year in the 80th percentile of female athletes worldwide.

Doria

A fun fact about me is that I’m a proud Baltimore Orioles fan! I love going to games at Camden Yards—so much so, that my family and I named our dog Camden!

Another fun fact about me is that I’m fluent in Greek and have spent a few summer vacations visiting my extended family in Greece. I’m very proud of my Greek heritage and enjoy baking Greek desserts with my grandmothers (and hope to master the recipes that have been passed down for generations)!

What inspired you to submit a paper to the CLAS Concept Journal?

Kelly

The paper was originally written in December 2021 as a final paper for Foundations of Strategic Human Resources with Patricia Sullivan. After Professor Sullivan gave me abundantly positive feedback on the paper, I asked if she would work with me further to prepare it to submit for CONCEPT. I submitted a copy of my paper to CONCEPT to be considered for the 2022 edition and it was declined. I spent the next year passively tweaking and editing until I felt confident enough to resubmit it for consideration for 2023... and here we are! A special thanks is in order to Patricia Sullivan for helping me run with this goal to begin with.

Doria

I actually was considering applying to become a peer reviewer for the Journal, but I then thought, why not apply as an author instead! I have always loved academic writing and researching topics of interest and thought this would be a great opportunity to escape my comfort zone and to share a paper on a relevant and timely topic, which I enjoyed writing!

Give us a brief summary of your paper that was selected for the journal.

Kelly

Realistic Job Previews (RJPs) have always been my favorite topic in the world of Industrial-Organizational Psychology. The paper aims to provide background on what exactly Realistic Job Previews are, assess the effectiveness of five different modalities of RJPs, and offer how RJPs are becoming more essential in organizational strategy, especially when it comes to recruiting. I hope you enjoy it!

Doria

Generation Z (Gen Z) has recently begun to enter the workforce with unique values, expectations, and social elements, which vary from those of their elder counterparts. Despite this generational change, organizations are failing to strategically change in preparation for their Gen Z candidates. Organizational leaders must reinforce the notion that generational differences exist in the workplace and, when nurtured properly, can fuel the strength of the organization. By understanding the psycho-social development of Gen Z over the past quarter-century or so, various HR functions such as recruitment, onboarding, and performance management may more fluidly adapt. In following the person-organization fit theory, by aligning organizational values and employee values, a strong person-organization fit may positively impact job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, and performance. To achieve person-organization fit with Gen Z professionals, I argue that the organization should elect goals as recommended by the DITTO (diversity, individualism and teamwork, technology, and organizational supports) framework to effectively adapt to the needs and values of its newest assets. In return, the organization will attain high-performing, satisfied employees who strengthen its competitiveness in its respective industry

Doria Diacogiannis is a graduate student in the Villanova HRD program. Connect with her on LinkedIn here!

Kelly Morgan Is a graduate student in the Villanova HRD program. Connect with her on LinkedIn here!

View the 2023 CONCEPT Journal here!