Student Profile
What is the career impact of an online degree or certificate from The Chicago School? In these profiles, you can learn more about some of our alumni, their professional backgrounds, and how The Chicago School’s online-blended degree programs have contributed to their career development.
Mariana Tomas, M.A. in I/O Psychology Alumni
Skills and accomplishments: Six Sigma Black Belt, Project Facilitation and Change Management
Can you tell us a little about your undergraduate work? What did you major in?
I am an alumnus of the North Park University Information Systems Management program. It is a degree in management with a focus on the information technology.
Please tell us more about your work background, as well as your experience with Six Sigma.
Basically, Six Sigma is a customer focused process for quantifying business performance in terms of the variability of product, process, or service quality. The three primary goals of this approach are to improve customer satisfaction, reduce cycle time and to reduce the overall number of defects, primarily by reducing variation. I practiced Six Sigma and Lean for almost five years within Providence Health and Services, a not-for-profit health care system which includes 27 hospitals, 214 physician clinics, senior services and supportive housing, a health plan, a liberal arts university, a high school and many other health and educational services. The health system spans five states – Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
[My projects] focus on improvements that result in better quality of care for the patients we serve. I worked with a variety of health care professionals (e.g. physicians, nurses, care managers, etc.) who would come together to form a cross-functional project team. My job was to provide facilitation and project management, change management, as well as Six Sigma/Lean expertise.
What is your current job and what are your responsibilities?
I am currently transitioning jobs. I am leaving the position of the Change Facilitator and entering the position of the Director of Business Engagement. As Change Facilitator, my focus was on the “people side” of the 12 clinical advancement teams. I worked with a Project Manager who took care of the schedule related work, and I focused on engagement, training, defining processes, and change management. I got a lot of practice managing virtual teams, and facilitating over the phone. The new role I am transitioning into is responsible for change management support to the business functions, meaning revenue cycle and access, so that people in these important areas are well supported through the transitions into a new unified system.
Why did you choose The Chicago School and why did you want to study I/O psychology?
Anyone who has to put a team together will tell you that methodology and tools account for 20% of the success. The 80% comes from building highly productive teams and facilitating the process through the phases of group formation. Before I decided to study with The Chicago School, I was already trained in facilitation methodologies, but I felt that the depth of understanding could only come through focused study in the field of I/O psychology. The Chicago School’s reputation and the flexibility of the online program were the major reasons to pick TCS over any other school.
What is the correlation between I/O psychology and Six Sigma? How do they complement each other?
To sum it up, both methods are scientific, and while Six Sigma focuses on process, I/O Psychology focuses on people. Together, they provide a holistic approach to organizational improvements.
In more detail; Six Sigma is based on the scientific method and includes data and fact based problem solving and project management methodologies. As I/O psychologists often don’t get formal training in project management or structured problem solving, which are often necessary to implement our systems effectively; on time and at cost. When an I/O psychologist understands and uses the language and frameworks of Six Sigma, the suggestions about improving employee performance in organizations are taken more seriously.
However, speaking only “Six Sigma” or another traditional process engineering language can leave the people you work with in complete confusion. Traditionally trained process improvement engineers are often lacking the I/O psychologist’s understanding how the attributes of work and workers drive business outcomes, so the two disciplines are absolutely complimentary.
How has your master’s in I/O psychology helped you in your current job?
[In the Change Facilitator role] I managed 12 virtual teams of over 200 clinicians collaborating on organization-wide clinical practice standardization; and on a very tight timeline. My master’s helped with this tremendously, especially what I learned around building virtual teams and managing them successfully.
What is the most satisfying part of your job?
The most satisfying part is definitely making my role obsolete. I believe that when a team is built to last and to be self-managed, the manager or the facilitator can step out, and the team will continue to perform.
How do you envision the MA in I/O program at The Chicago School preparing you to reach your career goals?
Organizational psychology is my passion, so I can see the connections to everything I did and I am about to do. The organizations are made of humans, but it is only recently that the business world has started recognizing that humans may need some help in organizational transitions. Such transitions are the major disruptions in the organizational life--such as large IT implementations, mergers, acquisitions, down-sizing, re-orgs, etc. The speed and frequency of organizational disruptions is only going to increase, so I see that organizations which care for the well-being of their workforce will see such help through transitions as major factor in maintaining the productivity through these difficult times. The I/O background will be indispensable for me in helping the business/finance professional transition to the new way of doing things.
How long did it take you to complete your master’s degree?
A little less than two years.
How did the faculty help and/or inspire you?
I am very impressed that the instructors are not only theorists, but also apply their knowledge in real organizational situations. This is why I found the curriculum and learning to be very relevant, and the instructors provided that background and examples from their own experience, which I found very inspiring.
Do you have advice for those interested in a career in this field?
I would say to anyone who is considering a graduate degree to study the subject that you are passionate about, and that energizes you. You will have to sacrifice other things in life to reach your goal, so your goal should be worthwhile. If you decide to pick I/O psychology, don’t just be limited to what the traditional roles of I/O psychologists were in the past. The world is changing, and you can partake – you can influence where the I/O field is going. There is much to do, the world needs you!
Learn more about how the online-blended programs at The Chicago School can help you reach your career goals. Call us at 866-907-4209 or request more information today.
