Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology applies psychological principles to the workplace.
• It aims to enhance human dignity and performance within organizations.
• This is achieved by advancing the science and knowledge of human behavior.
• I/O Psychology focuses on factors affecting people in organizations, not the broader aspects of running one.
• It relies heavily on research, quantitative methods, and testing techniques.
• Empirical data and statistics are used instead of intuition.
• The Science-Practitioner Model involves I/O professionals acting as both scientists and practitioners.
• They apply research findings to enhance organizational effectiveness.

Major Fields of I/O Psychology

• Industrial Psychology focuses on determining job competencies.

• It involves staffing the organization with competent employees and increasing competencies through training.

• Organizational Psychology creates an organizational structure and culture to motivate employees.

• It provides necessary job information, safe working conditions, and a satisfying work/life environment.

• Personnel Psychology studies and practices job analysis, applicant recruitment, employee selection.

• Determining salary levels, training and evaluating employee performance are also aspects.

• Existing tests are chosen or new ones are created to select and promote employees.

• Jobs are analyzed to provide a complete picture of each employee's duties.

• Monetary values are often assigned to each position.

• Performance appraisal instruments are constructed to evaluate employee performance.

• Various methods to train and develop employees are examined.

• Organizational Psychology addresses leadership, job satisfaction, employee motivation, and organizational communication.

• Conflict management, organizational change, and group processes also fall under organizational psych.

• Surveys of employee attitudes are conducted.

• Serving as consultants and implementing organization-wide programs is also key.

• These programs are designed to improve performance.

• Human Factors/Ergonomics focuses on workplace design, human-machine interaction, ergonomics, and physical fatigue and stress.

• It involves working with engineers and other technical professionals to create safer and more efficient workplaces.

Brief History of I/O Psychology

• Walter Dill Scott applied psychology to business through the Theory of Advertising.
• Hugo Munsterberg studied Psychology and Industrial Efficiency.
• Early names included Economic Psychology, Business Psychology, and Employment Psychology.
• Key figures include James Cattell, Walter Bingham, John Watson, Marion Bills, and Lillian Gilbreth.
• During WWI, I/O psychologists used Army Alpha (for literate individuals) and Army Beta (for the illiterate).
• Thomas Edison created a 163-item knowledge test, administered to over 900 applicants.
• Frank and Lillian Moller Gilbreth improved productivity and reduced fatigue by studying worker motions.
• The Hawthorne Studies demonstrated the complexity of employee behavior.
• Interpersonal interactions between managers and employees were shown to play a tremendous role in employee behavior.
• The Hawthorne Effect showed that employees changed their behavior and became more productive when studied.
• This was because they received attention from managers.
• The 1960s saw Civil Rights Legislation and the use of sensitivity trainings and t-groups for managers.
• In the 1970s, behavior-modification techniques were more commonly used in organizations.
• During the 1980s and 1990s, there was an increased use of sophisticated statistical techniques and methods of analysis.
• Application of cognitive psychology also grew, coupled with increased interest in the effects of work on family life and leisure activities.
• The 2000s brought diversified demographics and a global economy, which affected the role of I/O Psychology.
• Factors impacting I/O Psychology include:
  • High unemployment rates.
  • Movements toward flexible work schedules.
  • Family-friendly work policies.
  • Accommodation of more employees with child-care and elder-care responsibilities.
  • Flatter organizational structures with fewer management levels.
  • Population shifts from urban to suburbs.
  • Increasing cost of health-care benefits.
  • Potential changes in retirement age.
• Master's and Doctoral (Ph.D) programs are educational requirements.

Ethics in I/O Psychology

• Ethical Dilemmas are ambiguous situations requiring personal judgment of what is right or wrong.
• This is because there are no rules, policies, or laws to help guide decisions.

Explore the principles of Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology, which applies psychological concepts to the workplace to improve human dignity and performance. This field focuses on understanding factors affecting individuals within organizations, utilizing research, quantitative methods, and testing. Discover how I/O professionals use the Science-Practitioner Model to apply research findings, and learn about the major fields like Industrial and Organizational Psychology.