Introduction to I/O Ψ

INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL
Ψ
MDKSSOLIVEN2023
 Chapter Contents
01 02 03
Definition & History Careers & Roles
Scope
 01
Definition and Scope of I/O Ψ
 Industrial/
Organizational
Psychology
 An area of scientific study and professional practice that addresses
psychological concepts and principles concerning human beings
in the work world.

 The purpose of I/O psychology is “to enhance the dignity and

performance of human beings, and the organizations they
work in, by advancing the science and knowledge of human
behavior”
 What do I/O psychologists do?

 I/O psychologists recognize the  I/O psychologists facilitate

interdependence of individuals, responses to issues and problems
organizations, and society, and they involving people at work by
recognize the impact of factors such serving as advisors and catalysts
as increasing government influences, for business, industry, labor,
growing consumer awareness, skill public, academic, community, and
shortages, and the changing nature of health organizations.
the workforce.
- Society of I-O Psychologists (SIOP)
Major Goals
in I/O Ψ
Increase productivity and well being of
employees (that can be accomplished
using):

Two approaches:
● Industrial approach
● Organizational approach
Industrial Organizational
Approach Approach
Focuses on determining the Creates an organizational structure and
competencies needed to perform a job, culture that will motivate employees to
staffing the organization with perform well, provide them with the
employees who have those necessary information to do their jobs,
competencies, and increasing those and provide working conditions that are
competencies through training safe and result in an enjoyable and
satisfying work environment.
 Core Competencies
Industrial Psychology Organizational Psychology

Job Analysis Motivation & Work Attitudes ● Traditionally

● Traditionally
micro level of
micro level of Selection & Placement Leadership analysis
analysis
Training Culture and Climate
● Traditionally
● Measurement-
Performance Appraisal Organizational macro level of
oriented Development analysis
Major Fields in I/O Psychology

Personnel Organization Human

Psychology al psychology Factors
 Major Fields in I/O Psychology

Personnel Organization Human

Psychology al Psychology Factors
- Study and practice in areas - Concerned with the issues of - Concentrate on workplace
such as analyzing jobs, leadership, job satisfaction, design, human-machine
recruiting applicants, employee motivation, interaction, ergonomics, and
selecting employees, organizational physical fatigue and stress.
determining salary levels, communication, conflict These psychologists frequently
training employees, and management, organizational work with engineers and other
evaluating employee change, and group processes technical professionals to make
performance. within an organization. the workplace safer and more
efficient.
 02
History of I/O Ψ
History of I/O
Ψ
1 The Early
Years
(1900-1916)
● Most psychologists at this
time were strictly scientific
and deliberately avoided
studying problems that
strayed outside the
boundaries of pure
research.
History of I/O
Ψ

W. L. Bryan
 Published a paper about how professional
telegraphers develop skills in sending and
receiving.

 Did not advocate studying problems found in

industry per se, but he stressed examining real
skills as a base upon which to develop scientific
psychology.

 He is not considered the father of I/O

Psychology but rather a precursor.
 History of I/O
Ψ
Founding Figures of I/O
Psychology
Walter Frederick Lilian Hugo
Dill Scott W. Taylor Moller Münsterber
Gilbreth g
 History of I/O
Ψ
Founding Figures of I/O Psychology

Walter Dill Scott

 Published The Theory of Advertising (1903), The Psychology of
Advertising (1908) and Influencing Men in Business and Increasing
Human Efficiency in Business.

 During World War I, Scott was instrumental in the application of

personnel procedures in the army.

 He had a substantial influence on increasing public awareness and the

credibility of industrial psychology.
 History of I/O
Ψ
Founding Figures of I/O Psychology

Frederick W. Taylor

 Engineer by profession. Four Principles of Scientific Management

 Realized the value of o Scientifically study each part of a job and
redesigning the work situation develop “the one best way” of doing it
to achieve both higher output o Carefully select and train workers
for the company and a higher o Cooperation over individualism (Co-operate
wage for the worker. with workers to ensure they use the proper
 Best known in his book The methods)
Principles of Scientific o Divide work and responsibility almost
Management. equally between management and workers
 History of I/O
Ψ
Founding Figures of I/O Psychology

Lilian Moller Gilbreth

 Was one of several female psychologists who made substantial contributions in the
early era of I/O Psychology.

 Her work was more concerned with the human aspects of time management.

 Was first to recognized the effects of stress and fatigue on workers.

 Wrote popular books like Cheaper by the Dozen, which was subsequently made
into a motion picture.
 History of I/O
Ψ
Founding Figures of I/O Psychology

Hugo Münsterberg

 German psychologist His book Psychology and Industrial

Efficiency (1913) was divided into three
 was interested in applying parts:
traditional psychological
o Selecting workers
methods to practical industrial
o Designing work situations
problems.
o Using psychology in sales
History of I/O
Ψ

2 World War I
(1917-1918)
● screening recruits for mental deficiency

● assigning selected recruits to jobs in the army.

● Committees of psychologists investigated

soldier motivation and morale, psychological
problems of physical incapacity, and
discipline.
 History of I/O
Ψ
World War I
Robert Yerkes

 was the psychologist most instrumental in involving psychology in the

war, was then a president of APA.

 Yerkes continued to press his point that psychology could be of great

help to our nation in wartime.
 History of I/O
Ψ
World War I

Army Army Beta

Alpha
An intelligence test
developed by I/O
A non-verbal intelligence
test developed during
psychologists during World War I by I/O
World War I for the psychologists to assess
selection and placement illiterate recruits.
of military personnel.
History of I/O
Ψ

Between the Wars

(1919-1940)
Hawthorne Studies
● A series of research studies that began in the
late 1920s at the Western Electric Company
and ultimately refocused the interests of I/O
psychologists on how work behavior manifests
itself in an organizational context.
 History of I/O
Ψ
Between the Wars

Hawthorne
Effect
 Also referred as observer
effect.

 Is a type of reactivity in which

individuals modify an aspect of
their behavior in response to
their awareness of being
observed.
History of I/O
Ψ

4 World War II
(1941-1945)
Army General Classification Test
● A test developed during WWII by I/O
psychologists for the selection and placement
of military personnel.
 History of I/O
Toward Specialization (1946-
Ψ

5 1963)
● In this era industrial psychology evolved into a legitimate field
of scientific inquiry, having already been accepted as a
professional practice.

● More colleges and universities began to offer courses in

“industrial psychology,” and graduate degrees (both M.S. and
Ph.D.) were soon given.

● The Division of Industrial Psychology of the APA was created

in 1946.
 History of I/O
Ψ

6 Government Intervention (1964-1993)

● By 1978 the government had drafted a uniform set of
employment guidelines to which employers were bound.

● The discipline of I/O psychology now had to serve two

ultimate authorities.

○ The first authority is what all disciplines must serve—

namely, to perform high-quality work, be it conducting
scientific research or providing services to clients.

○ The second authority added was government scrutiny

and evaluation.
History of I/O
Ψ

7 The Information
Age
(1964-1993)
● Personal computer provided individuals with
access to technology.

● Internet enables individuals and businesses

throughout the world to be connected
electronically.
 03
I/O Ψ: Careers and Roles
 Careers in I/O Psychology
The work of an I-O Psychologist “contribute[s] to an organization’s success by improving the performance
and well-being of its people. An I-O Psychologist researches and identifies how behaviors and attitudes can be
improved through hiring practices, training programs, and feedback systems.”

I-O Psychologists work with organizations in terms of “testing, selection and promotion, training and
development, employee attitudes and satisfaction, and employee motivation.”

Their work in Org Dev’t include “change management, surveys, job design and evaluation, organizational
structure, team building, workforce planning, cross-cultural and diversity issues, impact of technology in the
workplace and customer service issues” among others.

They also provide research to inform action in the Human Resources space in the areas of “legal, workplace
health, compensation and benefits, employee behavior, employee issues, work-life programs and performance
evaluation and assessments” among others.

Their research expertise are in the areas of “research design and methods, data analysis and statistics,
statistical models, data privacy, confidentiality and ethics, and in-depth knowledge of the research on
employee attitudes and behaviors as they relate to organizational performance.

- Society of I-O Psychologists (SIOP)

Principal Work Settings of I/O Psychologists

Industry Consulting
20 Firms
35%
%
Government Universities
6% 39%

SIOP, 2004
 Careers in I/O Psychology
I/O Psychologists in the Industry

 Typically, I-O Psychologists in industry are “working inside an

organization’s HR department, working as a consultant with one
organization, or working as an I-O Psychologist within one
organization where the focus is providing professional service to
the employing organization.”
 Careers in I/O Psychology
I/O Psychologists in the Industry
Typically, organizations look for the Beyond these qualifications, the
following in hiring I-O Psychologists: following were identified as the Top
Competencies of I-O Psychologists:

• Extracurricular Activities • Critical thinking

• Conference Presentations • Accountability
• Published Articles • Professionalism
• Work Experiences • Verbal Communication
• An I-O degree coupled with an MBA showing • Ethical Behavior
they understood how business operates and • Interpersonal Skills
• Specialization in a field of I-O Psychology • Planning
depending on the organization’s needs. • Written Communication
• Data Analysis
• Problem-solving
 Careers in I/O Psychology
I/O Psychologists in the Academe
 I-O Psychologists in the Competencies required as I-O
Academe typically serve as Psychologists in the Academe:
faculty and/or administrators
(Department Chair, Dean, Vice • Written Communication
President, President). • Research Ability
• Verbal Communication
• Integrity and Ethical Behavior
 In the Academe, the roles of IO • Teaching Ability
Psychologists include research, • Disciplinary Competence
teaching, service, and • Creative Thinking
• Fairness
extension depending on the • Attention to Detail
orientation of the school • Trustworthiness
 Careers in I/O Psychology
I/O Psychologists in Government

 I-O Psychologists in the government do so either as an employee

manager or consultant.

 They would either work on client-facing projects with other

government agencies or would be focused within their own
department conducting research.
 Careers in I/O Psychology
I/O Psychologists in Government
Critical Experiences for I-O
Psychologists in government:
• Communicating with people outside of • Working with customers or stakeholders
current branch, agency, or organization • Monitoring work to ensure it adheres to
• Following timelines and budgets on federal law, regulations, and policies
project work • Completing high visibility assignments
• Creating and Administering own projects • Managing available resources
from start to finish • Partnering with others in the organization
• Leading project teams • Developing knowledge and familiarity with
• Writing technical reports multiple areas in the organization
• Demonstrating that project work adds • Leading subject matter expert (SME)
value to the organization meetings
• Becoming part of a task force and/or
committees
 Careers in I/O Psychology
I/O Psychologists in Consulting

 I-O Psychologists in the They normally follow three kinds of

tracks: project consultant, research
field of Consulting are
consultant, or management.
those that are “working as • Project consultants are those who
external consultants hired face clients;
to give professional advice • Research consultants are those
who do internal work.
to organizations outside of • In both tracks, one could either
their own organization” deepen their expertise within a
domain or move up to
management roles.
 References
● Aamodt M. G. (2016). Industrial/organizational psychology:
an applied approach (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.

● Hechanova M. R. M. Calleja M. T. & Villaluz V. C. (2017).

Understanding the filipino worker and organization. (2nd ed.).
BlueBooks

● Riggio R. E. (2018). Introduction to industrial/organizational

psychology (7th ed.). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
 Thanks!
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