I/O Psychology scenarios

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology is a field of psychology that studies human behavior in the workplace.

What is Industry?

• Industry is a division where processing of raw materials and manufacturing and trade of goods take place.

What is Organization?

• An organization is a group of people who work interdependently towards a shared purpose.

The Psychology

• Industrial organizational psychology is the scientific study of the workplace.
• The science of Psychology is applied to critical business issues.
• These applications include:
• Talent management
• Coaching
• Assessment
• Selection
• Training
• Organizational development
• Performance
• Work-life balance

What is I/O Psychology?

• I/O Psychology uses psychological principles and theories within the workplace.
• This field studies how people interact at work and perform effectively.

Subdivisions within I/O

• Industrial and Personnel psychology focuses on HR staff roles in recruitment, job analysis, selection, training, performance appraisal, compensation, and how employment law applies to these processes.
• KSAOs are the Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and other aspects related to job performance
• Organizational psychology involves:
• Micro aspects such as motivation, leadership, teams, worker attitudes, safety & well-being, and work-family balance.
• Macro aspects like organizational theory, culture, organizational development & change.
• Human factors and ergonomics focuses on:
• Modifying equipment
• Making environmental changes
• Fitting workers needs

Influences on I/O Psychology

• I/O Psychology is influenced by the following fields:
• Experimental Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Sociology
• Management
• Industrial Engineering

Who are I/O Psychologists?

• I/O psychologists are classified into two general groups: Academics and Practitioners
• Academics:
• Professors in research- and teaching-oriented universities and colleges.
• They work in areas like psychology, management, industrial relations, quantitative sciences, and occupational health & safety.
• Major activities involve teaching, conducting research, writing/presenting research papers, attending conferences, mentoring students, and university/professional service.
• Practitioners:
• HR and organizational specialists working in consulting, private, and public organizations.
• Major activities include job analysis, diagnosis, surveying employees, designing/administering selection & performance appraisal systems, training, developing psychological tests, implementing/evaluating OD & change, and data analysis.

Percentage of I/O Psychologists in major Work Settings

• Universities 36%
• Consulting Firms 29%
• Government 7%
• Private Companies 8%

The Most Popular I/O Research Topics in Eight Countries

• Canada – Career development, Employee selection, job stress, leadership
• England - Employee selection, gender, job stress, leadership, turnover
• Germany - Job Stress, motivation, training, work environment
• India - Job satisfaction, job stress, motivation, organizational level
• Israel - Career development, job satisfaction, motivation, performance appraisal, values
• Japan - Career development, job stress, leadership, motivation
• Scandinavia - Gender, job stress, shift work, unemployment
• United States - Career development, employee selection, leadership, performance appraisal

The Most Popular I/O Research Topics in Eight Countries

• 1991 - American Disability Act passed
• 1970 - APA adopts the name I/O Psy
• 1964 - Civil Rights Act passed
• 1941 - World War II war efforts begin
• 1924 - Hawthorne Studies begin
• 1921 - First I O PhD awarded, Psychological Corporation Founded
• 1917 - Mental Tests for Job Placement Developed
• 1913 - First I O text book published
• 1904 - The term industrial Psychology used the first time by W L Bryan, who had written a paper in 1899

History of I/O Psychology: (1900-1916)

• W. L. Bryan: Stressed the importance of studying “concrete activities and functions as they appear in daily life.”
• Bryan is not considered the father of I/O Psychology as he was an originator before the field was really established.

The Nameless was Named

• Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were interested in improving the productivity and efficiency of industrial engineers.
• They argued for the use of psychology in the work lives of industrial engineers.
• Led to the merger of psychology with applied interests.
• Industrial psychology became a prominent field in 1910.
• The "organizational" piece was added in the 1970s.
• Lillian Gilbreth is called the mother of management.

The 3 Founding Fathers

• Walter Dill Scott (American Psychologist)
• First to apply the principles of psychology to motivation and productivity in the workplace.
• Later, became instrumental in the application of personnel procedures within the army during World War I.
• He boosted industrial psychology.
• Hugo Munsterberg (German)
• Father of industrial psychology.
• Applied psychological methods to practical industrial problems.
• Psychology and Industrial Efficiency (1913)
• People need to fit the organization and training is an important part of integrating them.
• Applied behavioral sciences help organizations shape people to serve as replaceable parts for organizational machines which is Mechanistic.
• Frederick Taylor (American Engineer)
• Principles of Scientific Management (1911) states management and workers should cooperatively share responsibility for the design and conduct of work.
• Workers who handled heavy iron ingots were more productive when allowed work rests.
• Training on when to work and when to rest raised productivity from 12.5 to 47.0 tons moved per day.
• Company increase efficiency due to the training given to employees. Costs dropped from 9.2 to 3.9 cents per ton

World War I - I/O field catalyst

• Robert Yerkes and Walter Dill Scott:
• They screened recruits for mental deficiency by developing the Army Alpha and Beta intelligence tests.
• Classified selected recruits into jobs.
• Performance evaluations of officers.
• Job Analysis
• Soldier motivation and morale were studied
• Improved Discipline
• First journal of applied psychology began in 1917

The ALPA & BETA TEST

• Robert Yerkes created the WW-I Army Alpha and Beta intelligence tests for the war recruits.
• The tests are:
• Army Alpha: five alternate forms of the verbal test.
• Army Beta: a nonverbal test for illiterate and non-English speaking recruits.
• Individual Examination: An individual verbal examination for those who failed Beta
• This was administered on approximately two million men
• The test was criticized by Gould, S. J. as being culturally unfair, because:
• Many of alpha test participants were unfamiliar with language.
• Many were unfamiliar with the use of pencil.
• Some questions inappropriate for recent immigrants.

Between the Wars (1916-1940)The Hawthorne Studies

• In 1920, studies began and lasted more than 10 years at the Hawthorne plant of Western Electric.
• The Hawthorne Studies:
• Initially designed to study the effect of working conditions on performance such as lighting, and room temperature.
• Later studied the impact of supervisory styles, arrangement of work groups, length of work breaks, and the workday.
• Revealed the "Hawthorne Effect" which is an effect on behavior due to getting any treatment and not necessarily due to the nature of the treatment per se.

Human Relations Movement

• Human Relations Movement describes a concentrated effort by managers and their advisors to become more sensitive to the needs of employees or to treat them in a more humanistic manner, where social factors boost worker morale.

Influences on Human Relations Movement

• Hawthorne Studies
• Threat of Unionization
• Philosophy of Humanism

Ethics in I/O Field

• It is essential for psychologists to follow the Ethical Code developed by the American Psychological Association (APA) to prevent any harm to the client.
• The code includes ethical principles and statements of appropriate professional conduct.

Six Ethical Principles of APA Code

• Competence: psychologists only does work that they are competent to perform.
• Integrity: Psychologists are fair and honest in their professional dealings with others.
• Professional and Scientific Responsibility: Psychologists maintain high standards of professional behavior.
• Respect for People's Rights and Dignity: Psychologists respect the rights of confidentiality and privacy of others.
• Concern for Other's Welfare: Psychologists attempt to help others through their professional work.
• Social Responsibility: Psychologists must use their skills to benefit society.

I/O Psychology multiple choice questions. Test your knowledge of organizational psychology at the macro level, and employee performance. Learn about Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other characteristics (KSAOs).