Industrial & Organizational Psychology Introduction PDF

Industrial & Organizational Psychology Introduction  The behavior of individuals acting as members of organizations has a tremendous impact on many aspects of our lives. Everything—the food we eat, the cars we drive, the houses we live in— depends on the coordinated e...

Industrial & Organizational Psychology Introduction  The behavior of individuals acting as members of organizations has a tremendous impact on many aspects of our lives. Everything—the food we eat, the cars we drive, the houses we live in— depends on the coordinated effort of individuals in organizational settings.  I/O psychology is a part of the field of psychology. Psychology is the scientific study of individual human behavior and mental processes. I/O psychologists use methods of scientific inquiry (a systematic, data-based approach) for studying organizational processes and solving organizational problems. The ‘‘data’’ may come in a variety of forms, including survey responses, interviews, observations, and organizational records.  is a field that utilizes scientific methodology to better understand the behavior of individuals working in organizational settings. this knowledge is also used to help make organizations more effective. the scientific study of individual and group behavior in formal organizational settings. to define the field of I/O psychology, it is important to distinguish between formal and informal organizations.  Organizations are: – Social entities – More than 2 people – With existence of a common goal – With a structure Effective organizations are typically more – productive, – provide higher-quality services to customers, – more financially successful than less effective organizations. Employees in successful organizations are more satisfied and fulfilled in their work than employees in less successful organizations.  Formal Organization A formal organization exists to fulfill some explicitly stated purpose, and that purpose is often stated in writing. Formal organizations also typically exhibit some degree of continuity over time, they often survive far longer than the founding members do. Business organizations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, universities…  Informal Organization Informal organization is one in which the purpose is typically less explicit than for a formal organization. Five poker players are spending time together because they enjoy playing poker and each other’s company. It is also doubtful whether this small group would continue to exist if three of the five members moved to another city or simply lost interest in poker.  The field of I/O psychology is concerned with the study of formal organizations. Does not preclude the study of informal organizational processes! For example, informal friendship ties exist in formal organizations, and they have important implications for employees.  I/O Psychology While organizational and industrial psychology seperately represent fields of study in their own right, they are parts of the broader field of industrial/ organizational (I/O) psychology. I/O psychology is defined as the application of the methods and principles of psychology to the workplace. Dual focus: -Efficiency/productivity of organizations. -Health/well-being of employees. Dual nature: -Application of the science of psychology to the workplace. -Development/discovery of scientific psychological principles at work. I/O Psychology Topics  I/O Psychology Topics The topics listed on the industrial side are typically associated with the management of human resources in organizations. The topics on the organizational side are associated with the aim of understanding and predicting behavior within organizational settings (organizational behavior).  «I» Topics Application A life insurance company decides to develop a test to select people to sell insurance policies. conduct some form of job analysis to find out what exactly is involved in selling life insurance policies, develop performance criterion measures based on this job analysis, develop a selection test to measure things that are thought to be predictive of performance, conduct a study to investigate whether  «O» Topics Application After life insurance agents are selected, they must be socialized into the culture of the specific agency in which they will be working, as well as the broader company culture. Organization needs to understand the unique stressors that are associated with this job, as well as the attributes that facilitate coping.  THE SCIENTIST-PRACTITIONER APPROACH This model captures the dynamic interaction between generating scientific knowledge and the application of that knowledge for some practical purpose. Science and practice are not independent and, in fact, often feed off each other.  MOST GRADUATE PROGRAMS in I/O psychology incorporate some form of practical experience into their curriculum. Formal internship programs (require that students work under the supervision of an experienced I/O psychologist) in corporations and consulting firms. Practical experience includes class projects, working with faculty on research and consulting projects, and field-based practicum courses. Students gain a chance to put what they’ve learned in their courses into practice in a real organization. For example, students are often surprised at how quickly organizations want things done, as well as the importance of building positive interpersonal relationships with ‘‘clients’’ in organizations.  History of I/O Psychology Frederick Taylor (1911): – Taylorism or Scientific Management Approach – Studied employee productivity – He suggested that:  History of I/O Psychology World War I – Beginning of the use of I/O psychology in the war in both the UK and the USA. – Robert Yerkes and his group offered service to army. – Development of Alpha and Beta Tests for mental ability to place recruits in suitable jobs. – Foundation for mass testing.  Between World War I and II: – I/O Psychology expanded into most of the areas that we see today. – Organizations began hiring I/O psychologiststo adress employee and productivity problems. – Research on I/O topics began to accumulate. – Myers founded National Institute of Industrial Psychology (NIIP). – The most important event of this period is Hawthorne Studies, which continued for more than 10 years at the Western Electric Company  Hawthorne Studies The original purpose of the Hawthorne studies was to investigate the impact of environmental factors— such as illumination, wage incentives, and rest pauses—on employee productivity. What made the Hawthorne studies important to the field of organizational psychology were the unexpected findings that came out of this series of investigations. Hawthorne Studies  In subsequent studies, Hawthorne researchers discovered that work groups established and strongly enforced production norms. The Hawthorne researchers also found that employees responded differently to different styles of leadership. The overall implication of the Hawthorne studies was that social factors impact behavior in organizational settings. These may seem a rather obvious conclusion today, but when considered in the historical context, it was a very novel and important finding.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r LVp-CrBnPo  World War II: -Stimulating effect on development of I/O psychology. -Problems of both I and O work. -Selection of employees, training, performance appraisal, team development, equipment design. -APA opened its doors to I/O Psychology. -SIOP (Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology) – a division of APA  Contemporary Themes Ethics and Social Responsibility Globalization and Cross Cultural Issues Environment and Sustainability  Contemporary Themes Recent trends that have had the greatest impact on organizations have been technological change, increasing use of telecommuting, other flexible work arrangements, and increased globalization. Communication technology allow things to be done much quicker in organizations than was possible even 20 years ago. This technology has also allowed employees much greater flexibility in working arrangements, but made it more difficult for them to separate their work and nonwork lives. Considering all of these trends, it is clear that the