Industrial and Organizational Psychology

1

Industrial and Organizational Psychology Industrial-organizational psychology (I-O) refers to the division of psychology that applies psychological principles and theories to organizations. This branch focuses on improving workplace productivity besides promoting related issues such as the mental and physical health of employees. I-O psychologists carry out numerous tasks including assessing behavior and attitudes of workers, evaluation organizations and facilitating leadership training (Spector, 2021).

The ultimate goal of the I-O is to study and understand behaviors presented by individuals at the workplace. The sub-areas of I-O are human factors, personnel psychology and human-computer interaction.

Buy this excellently written paper or order a fresh one from acemyhomework.com

2

Industrial and Organizational psychology has three major facets. The first facet is industrial psychology which involves the evaluation of individual skills and capabilities and how they match specific roles. In this facet, leaders assess employees to identify characteristics that make them fit for specific jobs. Other tasks that fall under the personnel facet are employee training, job performance measurement, and job performance standards development.

The other facet of I-O is organizational psychology. This discipline focuses more on understanding the organizational impact on an individual’s behavior and attitude. Riggio (2015) noted that employee behavior is influenced by organizational structures, interpersonal relationships management styles, social norms, and role expectations. Employees’ well-being is also affected by harassment and workplace violence (Spector, 2021). Understanding these factors helps leaders to create interventions to improve individual health and performance.

The third discipline is human factors psychology which explores employees’ interactions with the tools of work besides investigating how these tools improve productivity, health and safety of employees.

Leaders and organizational psychology professionals can apply the principles of I-O to business and non-business issues. For instance, as pointed out by Organizational Psychology Degrees (2021), leaders can use I-O to improve the employee experience. Employees comprise a key resource for commercial and non-business organizations. Therefore, their experience is integral to organizational sustenance and improved productivity. Organizational psychologists interview employees, train and assess management processes to identify areas for improvement (Spector, 2021). These tasks are essential for improving the working conditions for employees.

Interviews help psychologists understand the employees’ experience.

3

Leaders also apply Industrial and Organizational psychology to streamline workspaces and procedures. I-O covers the employees’ interaction with the workplace environment. Workrelated factors such as overworking and poor interpersonal interactions can affect an individual’s ability to deliver quality services to consumers (Organizational Psychology Degrees, 2021).

Organizational psychologists evaluate all work-related factors and their influence on individuals thus identifying opportunities to improve effectiveness through cost reduction and improved productivity.

Importantly, psychologists can apply I-O to establish an organizational culture. The culture of a charitable organization is a complex fabric woven from numerous policies, behaviors and interpersonal interactions in the workplace. Senior staff and management team members are responsible for exhibiting the behavior patterns and qualities expected of all employees (Organizational Psychology Degrees, 2021). Leaders create policies and processes that form the base for disciplinary actions and promotion. Internal can significantly impact the organization’s brand image influencing the ways customers, donors and volunteers feel about the organization.

Organizational psychologists understand the importance of internal culture on productivity, teamwork, and loyalty. They work with other employees to ensure these organizational goals are accomplished.

4

References Organizational Psychology Degrees (2021). How Can Organizational Psychology Help in a Non-Profit Setting? https://www.organizationalpsychologydegrees.com/faq/canorganizational-psychology-help-non-profit-setting/ Riggio, R., (2015). Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Routledge.

Spector, P. E. (2021). Industrial and organizational psychology: Research and practice. John Wiley & Sons.