The discipline of psychology that applies psychological
theories and concepts to organisations is known as industrial-organizational
psychology.
This discipline, often known as I-O psychology, focuses on
improving workplace productivity and related concerns such as employee physical
and mental well-being.
Industrial-organizational psychologists work on a number of
projects, including analysing employee attitudes and behaviour, assessing
businesses, and providing leadership training.
The overarching objective of this subject is to research
and comprehend workplace human behaviour.
Industrial-organizational psychology may be divided into
two categories. The first is the industrial side, which entails determining how
to best match people to certain work positions.
Personnel psychology is a subset of I-O psychology that is
sometimes referred to as personnel psychology.
Employee qualities may be assessed, and then these
individuals may be matched to positions where they are likely to perform
effectively.
Training personnel, setting job performance standards, and
assessing job performance are all tasks that come under the industrial side of
I-O psychology.
The organisational psychology branch of psychology is
mainly concerned with figuring out how organisations influence individual
behaviour.
Organizational structures, societal norms, management
styles, and job expectations are all influences on how individuals behave in
the workplace.
I-O psychologists seek to enhance individual performance
and wellness while also helping the company as a whole by recognising such
variables.
While industrial-organizational psychology is a practical
discipline, it also requires basic theoretical study.
I-O psychology encompasses a variety of sub-areas,
including human-computer interaction, personnel psychology, and human factors,
all of which have their roots in experimental psychology.
Most industrial-organizational psychologists work in one of
six primary topic areas, according to Muchinsky's book, Psychology Applied to
Work: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Employee
selection entails creating employee selection
assessments, such as screening exams, to evaluate if job candidates are
eligible for a certain role.
Ergonomics is the study of how to design processes and equipment to
optimise performance while minimising harm.
Organizational
development: I-O psychologists who specialise in this
field assist businesses in enhancing their profitability, product design, and
organisational structure.
Performance
management: I-O psychologists that specialise in this
field provide evaluations and procedures to identify whether or not employees
are doing well.
Training
and development professionals frequently assess what kind of
skills are required to accomplish certain tasks, as well as create and evaluate
staff training programmes.
Workplace: This topic focuses on increasing employee happiness and
increasing worker productivity. In this field, I-O psychologists could look for
methods to make employment more enjoyable or create initiatives to improve
workplace quality of life.
Importance:
Uninitiated persons may not understand the value of an
industrial-organizational psychologist in the workplace at first look. After
all, managers are required to see problems in the workplace and try their
utmost to resolve them.
However, because most managers lack a thorough grasp of
psychology, they are frequently ill-equipped to deal with workplace problems.
Industrial-organizational psychologists, on the other hand, have received
extensive training over several years.
Because few institutions provide undergraduate psychology
degrees with a concentration on industrial-organizational psychology, most
begin with a bachelor's degree in psychology.
Candidates can then pursue a master's degree in
industrial-organizational psychology after completing this degree. A master's
degree is sufficient to begin a career in this profession, although the
majority of those who work in it pursue a PhD.
Furthermore, most workplace issues may benefit from a fresh
perspective. Managers are often too near to a particular problem to properly
plot a strategy to repair it since they are closer to the everyday goings-on of
a company.
An industrial-organizational psychologist, on the other
hand, may provide both training and a fresh viewpoint to workplace problems.
These psychologists may work in the human resources department of a
corporation. This is particularly frequent in organisations with a lot of
employees.
Industrial-organizational psychologists, on the other hand,
frequently work as individual consultants or as part of a management consulting
business. They are frequently engaged by a variety of companies to tackle
current issues.
They can frequently rapidly plan a strategy to get a firm
back on track since they have a broad understanding of current studies on
workplace dynamics.
Workplace conflict, low employee morale, and high turnover
rates all lead to a loss of profit over time, as any businessperson knows. With
the help of an industrial-organizational psychologist, a company's
concentration and production are likely to improve.
An
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist's Approach to Workplace Issues:
In order to solve workplace difficulties, an
industrial-organizational psychologist examines specific concerns. They could,
for example, inquire as to how decisions are made.
The industrial-organizational psychologist may also inquire
about the effectiveness of communication among co-worker’s or between workers
and management.
In addition, an industrial-organizational psychologist
plans, performs, and analyses research studies on workplace interactions. They
evaluate the information gathered in order to determine which problem-solving
approaches work and which do not.
An industrial-organizational psychologist's work might
enhance worker morale, increase efficiency, reduce absenteeism, and reduce
turnover. All of these actions can lead to a more successful and
better-for-workplace business.
Industrial-organizational psychologists may need to help a
workplace understand what its unique problem is before devising a strategy to
handle it, due to their considerable knowledge in human psychology and in
handling workplace difficulties.
Written By - Tanya C
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