The Biz Psych Cup – Six Years On

By Dr Dawn H Nicholson. 

I first conceived of The Biz Psych Cup back in 2019. At the time, I was completing my PhD, having pivoted into Higher Education from my corporate roles 6 years previously. I offered it to my (then) university when I applied for my academic role. Even back then, I was convinced that the best way to get students to understand Business Psychology and its application to the workplace was through bringing business and academia together. 

My University didn’t go for it. But in 2020, after joining The ABP Board as Head of University Accreditation, I saw another chance. I brought the concept to the then ABP Board in May 2021 and they agreed to a pilot. From a pilot of 5 teams and 4 challenges, we were off. The rest is – as they say – history. From there, over a five-year period, the competition has grown: last year saw 19 student teams and 7 challenges in the contest. 

Reflections on The Last Five Years 

The Biz Psych Cup represents the very best of The ABP. I believe this because it brings together students from our university partners (and beyond, since it is also open to non-accredited universities), our corporate members and our senior members – Fellows and Principals – acting in the role of Pro Coach Angels to mentor the student teams. Judging brings together ABP Board members with representatives from our corporates. In this respect, the Biz Psych Cup reaches out across so many different ABP groups and members. And the way everyone gives of their time so generously has always amazed me. 

The Biz Psych Cup matters so much because, to me, it is the ultimate learning experience – although of course I know I am biased! Here’s what I think the teams learn. 

The Importance of Collaborative Working 

Student group working can offer numerous transferable skills, which are so valuable from an employability perspective. 

The Biz Psych Cup was conceived as a competition for student teams because I am passionate about helping students gain collaborative working skills. For employers, group and team work is the lifeblood of their organisations and is ubiquitous across numerous countries.  

Although difficult to be precise, estimates of the percentage of teamwork usage in organisations suggest approximately 45% in Canada; around 50% in Europe; 30-55% in the United States and as much as 65% in Great Britain (Allen & Hecht, 2004). Organisations attach major importance to teamworking skills. Yet according to SHL research, examining 8,000 US graduates from the 2022/23 and 2023/24 cohorts, graduates rank lower in communication, collaboration, strategic and critical thinking and building relationships (Robinson, 2024).  

These are all skills that the best-performing student teams in The Biz Psych Cup have excelled at.  

Evidence-Based Practice 

As Business Psychologists, the foundation of our work is evidence-based practice (EBP). In our field, EBP is about using the best available research evidence, coupled with a deep expertise and understanding of the client organisation’s issues, to work with organisations to achieve the outcomes that will create flourishing and productive workplaces. Look at any of the posters prepared for the competition and you’ll get a sense of the huge depth and range of the research the teams undertake in responding to their challenges. 

The student teams participating in the Biz Psych Cup get the opportunity to apply EBP to pressing business challenges set by our corporate members. This involves the teams systematically searching for, critically appraising, and synthesising the most relevant research findings to identify what works best for the challenge they are looking to solve. This also brings real value to the solutions identified for our corporate challengers. 

Business and Academia: The Need for a Common Language 

The teams fortunate enough to make the judging final also need to be able to clearly articulate and present their findings to the judging panel and answer questions posed by the judges. It is not a task for the faint-hearted!  

That final presentation highlights another important skill of the best-performing Biz Psych Cup teams: the ability to speak (and understand) the language of business and bridge the gap between business and academia. Academics do not always understand the language of business and business does not understand the language of academia. Academics often live mainly in the world of ‘p-values’, ‘confidence intervals’, and ‘statistical significance’. By contrast, business people live in a world of very different ‘p-values’, i.e. it’s about people, productivity and profitability. 

The best Biz Psych Cup teams understand and clearly demonstrate the application of their research. Their solutions are framed in the language of business that the corporate challengers can easily and quickly absorb. 

Mentoring for Skills Building 

Lastly, the Biz Psych Cup teams are mentored throughout the competition by senior ABP members (Certified Principal Business Psychologists and Fellows of the Association) acting as their Pro Coach Angels. I particularly like this quote from Calum Davey, the executive director of research and best practice at the National Institute of Teaching, who previously said:

“Effective mentoring promotes a productive, supportive, and open relationship between mentee and mentor, establishes mentee goals, and especially facilitates mentee learning through modelling, reflection, professional development, peer collaboration and networking.”

And the Pro Coach Angels have also told me how much they themselves learn from the student teams. 

The Future  

To the teams, mentors, judges, challengers – and all who come together to make the Biz Psych Cup happen – I am incredibly grateful for your support. The last five years have been amazing.  

As we approach year six, the 2026-27 competition, which was launched on October 5 2026, I’m hoping for even more student teams, so that they too can enjoy the benefits of participating and skills development. 

If you're a student or academic interested in participating in the 2026-27 Biz Psych Cup, then you can find more information here. 

If you're a corporate member of The ABP interested in submitting a challenge, then you can find more information on our Community Hub here.

If you're a Certified Principal Business Psychologist or a Fellow of The ABP and interested in volunteering as a Pro Coach Angel, then please contact Dr Dawn H. Nicholson at: [email protected]

About the Author 

Dr Dawn H. Nicholson is Co-Chair of The ABP and Head of University Accreditation, with almost three decades of HR and consulting experience and a PhD in Decision-Making Psychology. A Chartered Psychologist and ABP Fellow, she has led Business Psychology programmes at Kent and Arden universities and remains active in the Business Psychology industry. As Biz Psych Cup Founder and Lead, she champions collaboration between academia and business. Passionate about guardianship and growth of the field, Dawn works to raise standards, support emerging talent, and promote the value of Business Psychology. She also enjoys countryside walks with her two lively cocker spaniels.

References 

Allen, N. J., & Hecht, T. D. (2004). The “romance of teams”: Toward an understanding of its psychological underpinnings and implications. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77(4), 439–461. https://doiorg.chain.kent.ac.uk/10.1348/0963179042596469

Crowley, L. (2024) Changing Face of the Youth Labour Market. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.  

Robinson, B. (2024, June). 2024 Graduates Lack Skills In Communication, Collaboration And Critical Thinking, Study Finds. Forbes Magazine. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2024/06/17/2024-graduates-lack-skills-in-communication-collaboration-and-critical-thinking-study-finds/