Weathering the storm – finding inspiration at the DGPs conference

This September, the DGPs Conference 2024 took place in the beautiful city of Vienna, despite some unexpected challenges. Severe weather across Austria nearly forced the event's cancellation, but thanks to the quick thinking and actions of the organizers, the conference was swiftly adapted to a hybrid format. This adjustment allowed psychological scientists, whether attending in person or remotely, to connect and share their research (almost) as planned.

Despite the weather-related challenges, two of our Chair members, Professor Fabiola Gerpott and Hannah Baum, successfully made it to Vienna in person. In a city that was once home to famous psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Charlotte Bühler, they had the opportunity to present and discuss their own research on various topics. These included strategies for managing age diversity at work, which is important for fostering collaboration and enhancing performance; new ideas to measuring situational characteristics, which is important to predict how people might behave; and the role of Personal Assistants as the “social glue” between employees and their leaders, offering insights into informal influence within organizations.

A heartfelt thank you to the organizers for not only enabling us to engage with current research but also for demonstrating how to successfully adapt in a crisis. We look forward to returning next time!