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What Is Industrial/Organizational Psychology?

The workplace can be a frustrating place for many employees and CEOs alike. In order to keep a place of employment running like a fine tuned machine, it often takes the efforts of many individuals.
In many ways, this is where industrial and organizational psychology comes in. This branch of psychology is the study of the workplace environment, organizations, and their employees. Technically, industrial and organizational psychology - sometimes referred to as I/O psychology or work psychology - actually focuses on two separate areas that are closely related. Some professionals might liken it to yin and yang - one can't exist without the other.
The industrial side of industrial and organizational psychology generally focuses on the individuals and his relationship to the workplace. This might cover such things as job analysis, employee safety, employee training, job performance measurement, and employee hiring systems.
The organizational side of industrial and organizational psychology, on the other hand, focuses on the organization and workplace as a whole. Increasing productivity and maximizing the performance of n organization as a whole is often covered under this area of industrial and organizational psychology. For example, professionals concerned with this aspect of I/O psychology will often look at how an organization might affect a worker's individual behavior. This might include studies on interpersonal relationships in the workplace, as well as workplace environments and organizational policies.
Both sides of industrial and organizational psychology became prominent during two different points in history. Industrial psychology, for example, came about during the first World War. Theories and techniques of this type of psychology were applied in order to assign soldiers to jobs and duty stations that suited them best.
The foundations of organizational psychology were largely influenced by what was known as the Hawthorne studies, which were performed in a Western Electric plant in Hawthorne, Illinois, during the 1920's and 1930's. Western Electric officials performed a number of experiments in which they raised and lowered the levels of light to see if the workers in the plant would become more or less productive. Researchers concluded that during the experiments, workers' productivity increased whether the light levels were raised or lowered. After World War II, psychologist Harry Landsberger studied these findings and concluded that the levels of light had nothing to do with increased productivity. They became more productive because the presence of the researchers at the time of the experiments made the workers feel as though someone was interested in their work.
REFERENCES

https://careersinpsychology.org/becoming-an-industrial-or-organizational-psychologist/

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