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• Industrial-Organizational (I/O) psychology applies psychological principles to enhance the dignity and performance of people and the organizations they work in.
• I/O psychology increases the science and knowledge of human behaviour.

Brief History

• Engineer Frederick Taylor made a time and motion study to identify the best way to increase productivity called scientific management which made time the founding father of I/O psychology.
• Taylor published a book titled Shop Management focusing management's role in employee motivation.
• Lillian Gilbreth and Frank B. Gilbreth were pioneers in engineering and I-O psychology and implemented Taylor's principals.
• The Gilbreths broke jobs down into components to reduce employeee fatigue and increase efficiency.
• Walter Dill Scott wrote "The Theory of Advertising," which is considered the first book about using psychology to solve business problems.
• Scott applied principals to advertising, selection and training of sale personnel, motivation and productivity in the workplace.
• Walter Dill Scott was APA president in 1919

Hugo Munsterberg

• Hugo Munsterberg is the father of Industrial Psychology and wrote Psychology and Industrial Efficiency.
• Munsterberg was interested in job design and the selection of streetcar operators.
• Munsterberg advocated for the use of psychological tests to measure an employees skills match the requirements of a particular job.
• Munsterberg is the Founding father of I-O psychology, and his research took place workplaces to increase efficiency.
• Munsterberg recieved credit for his writings, research, and consulting activities to increase the awareness of I/O psychology.

World War 1 through the 1920s

• The development of IQ tests became needed because of the amount soilders that were rising.
• Army Alpha is verbal while Army Beta is non-verbal, these assessed officership, espionage, military training.
• Scott and Bingham established a psychological program to create performance rating programs for soldiers and study other groups within them.
• I/O psychologists helped military/government screen and classify empployees
• Consulting firms and psychologists began to offer mentail ability testing, personnel planning, training, and personnel administration to the private industry.
• Thge Psychological Corporation and The Scott Company emerged

1930s to Pre-World War 2

• The Great Depression was in effect, where unemployment went to all-time highs and created a movement around labor relations..
• The American culture became focused on the way humans felt .
• The Hawthorne Studies researched the impact of illumination on productivity which highlighted social relations and employee attitudes.
• Social and psychological conditions can be more important than physical conditions.
• Team development, supervision, group process, worker morale were not as important as they are now in I/O psychology.
• The focus changed to motivation, leadership, and human resources and were viewed as valuable assets.

Post World War 2 through the Mid-1960s

• Kurt Lewin, social psychologist, studied the work and leadership in groups.
• Lewin identified the importance of group dynamics, change, and the nature of organization.
• Social Philosopher Mary Parker Follett, recognized organizations can be viewed from the perspective of both individuals and groups
• US businesses grew leading to rise in employment and new ways of doing things in work organizations.
• Human factors engineering - study of the interface between man and machine began in this Post WW2 era due to "boom" in the industry caused by rebuilding efforts

Beyond

• In 1970, the APA changed the name of division 14 to the "division of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
• Research was focused on selection and performance appraisal.
• Topics of interest included work motivation, job attitudes, and job characteristics
• In 1980s work in traditional areas included communication, conflict management, socialization in organizations, organization culture and climate.

Major Fields

Personnel Psychology

• It concentrates on the selection and evaluation of employees like analyzing jobs, recruiting applicants, selecting employees, determining salary levels, training employees, and evaluating employee performance.

Organizational Psychology

• It studies the behavior of employees within the organization, focusing on the issues of leadership, employee satisfaction and motivation, organizational communication, conflict management, organizational change, and group processes within an organization.

Human Factors Engineering/Ergonomics

• Work on workplace design, human-machine interaction, ergonomics, and physical fatigue and stress.

Consumer Psychology

• Study processes of when people select, perchase, use, or dispose of products, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy needs and desires.

Related Fields

• Sociology helps understand group behavior by culture and traditions.
• Research entails strategically improving employee productivity.
• Economics impacts production and distribution for business profit
• Law outlines employee rights and employer responsibilities.

Careers in I/O Psychology

I/O Psychologist in the Industry

• Focus on working inside an organization's HR department.

I/O Psychologist in the Government

• Focus on working as an employee, manager, or consultant.

I/O Psychologist in the Academe

• Serving as faculty or administrators (Department Chair, Dean, Vice President, President)

1/O Psychologist in Consulting

• Offering working as working as external consultants hired to provide professional advice to organizations.

Research in Psychology

Quantitative methods

• Experimental, Correlational, Descripitive-Surveys, Mixed-methids

Qualitative methods

• Cases study, Ehthnography, Interviews, Focus Group Discussion, Observation, Archival research