Industrial and organizational psychology facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Industrial and Organizational Psychology (I-O psychology) is a special part of psychology. It studies how people behave and feel in the workplace. Think of it as the science of making work better for everyone!

I-O psychologists use scientific ideas to help companies and the people who work there. They help improve things like job performance, how happy and healthy employees are, and how motivated they feel. They also work on making sure workplaces are safe.

These psychologists do research on how employees act and feel. They figure out how to make things better through hiring, training, and good management. They also look at how work affects people's lives outside of work, like managing a career or dealing with retirement.

I-O psychology is a recognized field by big organizations like the American Psychological Association (APA). It has different names around the world, like occupational psychology in the United Kingdom and organizational psychology in Australia.

Around the World
A Look Back in Time
How I-O Psychologists Do Research
What I-O Psychologists Study
How to Become an I-O Psychologist
- Skills Needed
- Job Opportunities
Being Ethical
See also

Around the World

I-O psychology is a global science. It has different names depending on where you are.

In North America (like the US and Canada), it's called "I-O psychology."
In the United Kingdom, it's known as occupational psychology. This title is protected by law, meaning only qualified people can use it.
In Australia, it's called "organizational psychologist." This title is also protected by law.
In Europe, if you have a special "EuroPsy Certificate," you are a qualified work and organizational psychologist.
In South Africa, it's called industrial psychology.

Many countries have their own groups for I-O psychologists. In 2009, a group called The Alliance for Organizational Psychology was formed. It connects I-O psychology groups from many countries worldwide. This helps psychologists share ideas and work together globally.

A Look Back in Time

The ideas behind I-O psychology started a long time ago. They began almost when psychology itself became a science. Wilhelm Wundt opened one of the first psychology labs in Germany in 1879. Two of his students, Hugo Münsterberg and James McKeen Cattell, greatly influenced I-O psychology.

During World War I, the field grew quickly in the UK and the US.

Cattell was one of the first to see that differences between people were important for understanding work.
Walter Dill Scott was a very important I-O psychologist. He worked on ways to pick and train salespeople.

The "industrial" part of I-O psychology first focused on individual differences. It looked at how to test people and predict how well they would do a job.

During World War I, Scott and Walter Van Dyke Bingham helped the US Army. They created a test called the Army Alpha to help place over a million new soldiers.
After the war, companies started using similar tests to hire workers.

The "organizational" part of the field focused on how employees felt and behaved.

During World War I, Charles Myers in the UK studied how tired workers got in factories.
Later, Elton Mayo found that giving workers rest breaks improved their mood and reduced how many people quit. His studies helped start the idea of focusing on "human relations" at work.

World War II brought more interest in testing. The US military needed to place recruits in new, high-tech jobs. There was also concern about how war work affected employees' morale and tiredness. In the 1960s, Arthur Kornhauser studied how working conditions affected mental health. He was one of the few who focused on protecting workers.

Over time, the name of the field changed. It went from "industrial psychology" to "industrial and organizational psychology." This showed that psychologists were looking at more than just individual workers. They also studied how groups and the whole organization worked together.

How I-O Psychologists Do Research

I-O psychologists are like scientists and practitioners. This means they do both research and practical work. They use many methods to study workplaces. They use surveys, experiments, and observations. They collect information from people, company records, and questionnaires. They have developed good ways to measure things important for jobs.

They use math and statistics to understand their data. They use methods like correlation and regression. More advanced methods help them see complex relationships. They also use meta-analysis, which combines results from many studies.

I-O psychologists also use qualitative methods. These include focus groups, interviews, and case studies. They might even observe people in their workplaces. This helps them understand things like company culture.

What I-O Psychologists Study

I-O psychology covers many interesting topics.

Hiring and Choosing People

I-O psychologists help companies find and hire the best people.

Recruitment is about finding qualified people and getting them to apply for jobs. This includes writing job ads and checking applications.
Selection is the process of choosing the right people for jobs or promotions. I-O psychologists use fair, evidence-based methods. They use tools like:
- Ability tests (like tests for thinking skills or physical skills)
- Knowledge tests
- Personality tests
- Structured interviews
- Work samples (where you show what you can do)

They make sure these tools actually predict how well someone will do the job. They follow strict rules to make sure hiring is fair. Research shows that general mental ability is a good predictor of job performance.

Checking Performance

Performance appraisal is when a person's work is checked against what is expected. This helps decide promotions or pay. Performance management is about giving feedback to help workers improve. It can include coaching or mentoring. An I-O psychologist helps create ways to measure performance. They train managers on how to give fair feedback and avoid bias.

Understanding Individuals

Individual assessment means measuring differences between people. I-O psychologists do this to evaluate job candidates and employees. They measure things important for job performance. These assessments can include tests, simulations, and special centers where people show their skills.

Health and Well-being at Work

A big focus of I-O psychology is the health, safety, and well-being of employees. This includes topics like stress at work and unfair treatment.

Stress at Work

Many things at work can cause stress. Stress can lead to bad feelings, behaviors, and even physical problems. For example, conflict with a boss can make someone angry. This anger might lead to unproductive behaviors. I-O psychologists study models that explain how job stress works. They also look at stress in specific jobs, like police officers. They study how work stress affects family life.

Safety at Work

Workplace accidents are serious and can cause injuries or even deaths. I-O psychologists study how factors like overwork, tiredness, and violence can lead to accidents. They also look at "safety climate." This is how employees feel about their company's focus on safety. A good safety climate means fewer accidents. Leaders who care about safety also help create a safer workplace.

I-O Psychology and Health

A newer field called occupational health psychology (OHP) grew from I-O psychology and health psychology. OHP focuses on how work affects mental and physical health. It looks at topics like job stress, workplace violence, and work-life balance. More I-O psychologists are now working on research about work and health.

How Work is Designed

Work design is about how tasks, activities, and responsibilities are set up in a job. How a job is designed affects employees' engagement, stress, and even their chance of injury. It also affects how well teams and organizations perform. I-O psychologists look at job tasks and relationships. They want to make sure roles are meaningful and motivating. This leads to better productivity and job satisfaction. Sometimes, they redesign jobs to make them better. This can involve things like job rotation (moving between tasks) or job enrichment (making jobs more interesting).

Pay and Benefits

Compensation includes wages, bonuses, and other benefits. I-O psychologists might help decide fair pay levels for different jobs. They can also help in cases where employees claim they are not being paid fairly.

Training and Learning

Training is about teaching skills, ideas, or attitudes to improve performance. Many people need training when they start a new job. Training helps them do the job well. Research shows that good training can lead to higher sales and profits for companies. I-O psychologists design training programs. They use a "job analysis" to figure out what skills are needed. They also evaluate training to make sure it works. They check:

Reactions: Did trainees enjoy the training?
Learning: What knowledge and skills did they gain?
Behavior: Did their behavior on the job change?
Results: Did the training improve overall productivity or reduce costs?

Training helps people learn different things:

Cognitive training teaches facts and rules (like laws for police officers).
Skill-based training teaches how to do things (like using a special tool).
Affective training teaches attitudes or beliefs (like being committed to the company).

Before creating training, I-O psychologists do a "needs assessment." This helps them figure out:

Where training is needed in the company.
What should be taught.
Who needs the training.

Motivation at Work

Work motivation is the energy a person puts into their work. Understanding what motivates employees is key for I-O psychology. Motivation is what makes us start, direct, and keep up our efforts. It's influenced by what we need or want. Motivation also helps us focus, put in effort, and stick with tasks. Companies often try to create a work environment that encourages good behaviors.

Workplace Climate

Organizational climate is how employees feel about what's important in a company. It's about what behaviors are encouraged or discouraged. There are many types of climates:

Customer service climate: How much the company focuses on good service.
Diversity climate: How much the company values differences among employees.
Safety climate: How much the company emphasizes safety. Companies with a good safety climate have fewer accidents.

Climate is about the company's rules and practices that shape behavior. It's part of the bigger idea of organizational culture.

Company Culture

Organizational culture is the shared beliefs, values, and ways of doing things in a company. It affects how well a company performs, how it attracts and keeps employees, and how happy employees are. Culture has different levels:

Artifacts: Physical things that show the culture (like office design).
Shared values: What people in the company prefer (like loyalty or good customer service).
Basic beliefs: Deep-seated ideas about the company (like if it's trustworthy).

Companies can also have smaller "subcultures" within different departments or locations.

How Groups Work Together

Group behavior is about how people interact in a team. Most I-O research on groups focuses on teams. A team is a group where people work together to reach the same goals. Team members' opinions and attitudes affect how the group behaves. And the group's behavior affects the individuals.

How Well Teams Work

Companies often use teams because teams can get a lot more done than individuals. I-O research looks at what makes teams effective.

Who is on the Team

Team composition is about the knowledge, skills, and personalities of team members. It greatly affects how well a team works.

Teams with members who have higher skill levels usually do better.
Teams with a variety of skills also tend to perform better.
Team members should also get along well in terms of personality and work styles.

How Team Tasks are Designed

It's important to know if a task is even right for a team. Tasks that need people to work together are best for teams. Job characteristic theory helps design team tasks. It looks at things like:

Skill variety: Does the task use different skills?
Task identity: Can the team see the whole task from start to finish?
Task significance: Does the task feel important?
Autonomy: Does the team have control over how they do the task?
Feedback: Does the team get information on how well they are doing?

When team tasks are challenging and interesting, team members are more motivated.

Company Support for Teams

Companies need to provide resources for teams. These are called "organizational enabling resources." Examples include facilities, equipment, information, training, and good leadership. Teams also need specific resources like budgets and the right people.

Team Rewards

Rewards for individual team members should be linked to how well the whole team performs. This encourages everyone to work together.

If a team's tasks are very connected, then rewarding the whole team makes sense.
Individual and team rewards should work together. It wouldn't be fair to reward the whole team if only one person did all the work.
The company culture should support and reward teamwork.

Team Goals

Goals motivate team members when they are difficult, accepted by the team, and specific. When team members are committed to their goals, they work better together. Individual goals must also match the team's goals for the team to be effective.

Job Satisfaction and Commitment

Job satisfaction is how much a worker likes their job. It's one of the most studied topics in I-O psychology. Job satisfaction is linked to many important things:

How involved people are in their jobs.
How committed they are to the company.
How often they are absent or quit.
How well they perform.

Research shows that job satisfaction is also linked to overall happiness in life.

Productive Behavior

Productive behavior is anything an employee does that helps the company reach its goals. I-O psychologists focus on productive behavior more than just basic job tasks. This includes:

In-role performance: How well an employee does the required parts of their job.
Extra-role performance: Behaviors not strictly required but still helpful (like helping others).

By looking at both, I-O psychologists can see how effective, efficient, and productive employees are. Three key productive behaviors are job performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and innovation.

Job Performance

Job performance is about the behaviors employees show at work that help the company. It's about actions that the employee can control. Researchers try to define common parts of job performance for all jobs. It's often split into "in-role" (technical skills) and "extra-role" (like communication or teamwork). To measure job performance, I-O psychologists use reliable and fair methods. They might use tests, simulations, or ratings from managers. Training managers can help reduce errors in ratings. Job performance is influenced by:

What an employee knows (facts and how to do things).
Their motivation (how much effort they put in).

Three main things predict job performance: 1. General mental ability: How smart someone is (especially for complex jobs). 2. Job experience: How long they've done the job. 3. Conscientiousness: Being dependable and goal-oriented.

Helping Others at Work

Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) are helpful actions that are not part of the official job description. They benefit the company and other workers. Examples include:

Helping a coworker (altruism).
Being polite (courtesy).
Not complaining about small things (sportsmanship).
Going above and beyond (conscientiousness).
Being involved in company life (civic virtue).

Some research suggests people do OCBs to be noticed by their bosses.

New Ideas and Innovation

Innovation is about creating new ideas and putting them into action. Four things help individuals be creative and innovative:

Task-relevant skills: Knowing a lot about the job.
Creativity-relevant skills: Being able to focus, try new things, and look at problems from different angles.
Task motivation: Wanting to do the task and enjoying it.

At the company level, innovation is linked to:

Many employees having good technical knowledge.
The company being specialized.
How much the company talks to people outside.
How different departments are organized.

Unhelpful Work Behavior

Counterproductive work behavior (CWB) is employee behavior that goes against the company's goals. These behaviors can be on purpose or accidental. They can come from many reasons, like theft or anger from unfair treatment. Common CWBs include poor job performance, being absent often, quitting, and having accidents.

Leadership

Leadership is about influencing others to agree on a shared purpose and work towards common goals. Leaders inspire people and create shared values. Managers handle daily tasks and organize work. Leaders deal with change, while managers deal with complexity.

There are different ways to study leadership:

Leader-focused approaches: Look at the leader's traits or behaviors.
- Trait approach: Says effective leaders have certain traits (like intelligence).
- Behavioral approach: Looks at what effective leaders *do*. This includes showing care for employees and helping groups get tasks done.
- Power and influence: How leaders use their power to influence others. Leaders can use different tactics, like convincing people with logic or inspiring them.

Contingency-focused approaches: Say a leader's effectiveness depends on the situation. Good leaders can "read" a situation and change their style.
- Fiedler contingency model: Leader effectiveness depends on their traits and the situation.
- Path-goal theory: Leaders help followers reach their goals by choosing the right style.
- Leader-member exchange theory (LMX): Focuses on how leader-follower relationships grow. Strong relationships lead to better performance.
- Transformational leadership: Leaders inspire followers to do more than they thought possible.
- Transactional leadership: Focuses on deadlines and rules, more like a manager.
- Authentic leadership: Leaders are empathetic and lead with their values.

Follower-focused approaches: Look at how leaders motivate followers and lead teams. This uses ideas from motivation and team effectiveness research.
- Leading virtual teams (where people are in different places) is a new challenge. Leaders need to use technology to build relationships.

Making Companies Better

I-O psychologists also help companies change and grow. This is called organizational development (OD).

One tool is the survey-feedback technique. This involves regularly asking employees how they feel. The results help leaders make decisions.
Another tool is team-building. Since teams do much of the work, I-O psychologists help teams improve their morale, solve problems, and work better together.

How I-O Psychology Relates to Other Fields

I-O psychology is similar to organizational behavior (OB) and human resource management (HRM). They all study people at work.

OB focuses more on understanding why people behave the way they do in organizations.
HRM focuses on the practical side of managing employees, like payroll and benefits.

I-O psychologists often work closely with HR teams.

How to Become an I-O Psychologist

To work as an I-O psychologist, you usually need at least a master's degree. This takes about two to three years after your bachelor's degree. Many I-O psychologists also get a PhD, which takes longer. The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) website lists programs in the US and Canada. There are also programs in other countries. In Australia, you need specific training and accreditation to become an organizational psychologist.

Skills Needed

I-O psychologists need many skills. They need to be independent learners and have good interpersonal skills (like listening). They also need general consulting skills to help solve problems. Some specialize in areas like hiring, while others work on many different things.

Job Opportunities

I-O psychology is a growing field! U.S. News & World Report has listed it as one of the best science jobs. Salaries for I-O psychologists are generally good. Those with PhDs earn more than those with master's degrees. Self-employed consultants often earn the most.

Being Ethical

I-O psychologists must always follow high ethical standards. The APA's ethical rules apply to them. For example, an I-O psychologist should only take on projects they are qualified to do. When working in other countries, they must understand and respect local rules, customs, and cultures. They must also stick to their own ethical standards.