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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