Industrial Organizational Psychology (Aamodt)

industrial-organizational psychology

the branch of psychology that applies psychological theories and principles to organizations

personnel psychology

• study and practice of job analysis, job recruitment, employee selection, and the evaluation of employee performance

• field of study that concentrates on the selection and evaluation of employees

organizational psychology

• the field of study that investigates the behavior of employees within the context of an organization

• concerned with the issues of leadership, job satisfaction, employee motivation, organizational communication, conflict management, organizational change, and group processes

human factors psychology

• the study of how people and machines interact and the design of safe and easily used machines and environments

• concentrate on workplace design, human machine interaction, ergonomics, and physical fatigue abd stress

the theory of advertising

What Walter Dill Scott published in 1903, where psychology was first applied to business

Army Alpha

An intelligence test developed during World War I and used by the army for soldiers who can read.

Army Beta

An intelligence test developed during World War I and used by the army for soldiers who cannot read.

Frank Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth

scientist to improve productivity and reduce fatigues by studying he motion used by workers

Hawthorne Studies

A series of studies, conducted at the Western Electric plant in Hawthorne, Illinois, that have come to represent any change in behavior when people react to a change in the environment.

western electric company in chicago

what company and where did the hawthorne studies take place?

Hawthorne effect

When employees change their behavior due solely to the fact that they are receiving attention or are being observed.

hypothesis

An educated guess that attempts to explain an observation or answer a question.

theory

a systematic set of assumptions regarding the cause and nature of behavior

journals

A written collection of articles describing the methods and results of new research.

trade magazines

a collection of articles for those in the biz about related professional topics, seldom directly reporting the methods and results of new research

magazines

unscientific collection of articles about a wide range of topics

external validity

the extent to which research results can be expected to hold true outside the specific setting in which they were obtained

field research

research done in natural, real-life settings outside the laboratory

informed consent

the formal process by which subjects give permission to be included in a study

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

a committee responsible for ensuring that research using human participants is conducted ethically

experiment

A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

dependent variable

the measure of behavior that is expected to change as a result of changes in the independent variable

experimental group

In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.

control group

In an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.

quasi-experiment

a type of research design where a comparison is made, as in an experiment, but no random assignment of participants to groups occurs and does not manipulate the independent variable

archival research

method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships

effect size

Used in meta-analysis, a statistic that indicates the amount of change caused by an experimental manipulation.

correlation coefficient

a statistic, resulting from forming a correlation, that indicates the magnitude and direction of a relationship

difference score

A type of effect size used in meta-analysis that is signified by the letter d and indicates how many standard deviations separate the mean score for the experimental group from the control group.

practical significance

The extent to which the results of a study have actual impact on human behavior.

debriefed

Informing the subject in an experiment about the purpose of the study in which he or she was a participant and providing any other relevant information

Correlation

statistical relationship between two variables

intervening variable

A third variable that can often explain the relationship between two other variables.

Job Analysis

gathering and analyzing information about the work an employee performs, the conditions under which the work is performed, and the worker characteristics needed to perform the work under identified conditions

job description

a written description of the basic tasks, duties, responsibilities, and job requirements found in job analysis

job description

result of the job analysis

Employee Selection

the process of choosing applicants for employment

person power planning

Allows for the determination of an employee's mobility within the company

Peter Principle

The idea that organizations tend to promote good employees until they reach the level at which they are not competent—in other words, their highest level of incompetence.

performance appraisal

the process of assessing how well employees are doing their jobs

Job classification

useful for determining pay levels, transfers, and promotions

job evaluation

the process of determining the relative worth of the various jobs within a firm

Job Design

• the process of defining the way work will be performed and the tasks that a given job requires

• determine the optimal way in which a job should be performed

job title

a part of job description that describes the nature of the job, its power and status and the competencies needed to perform the job

brief summary

a part of job description that describes the nature and purpose of the job

work activities

• One of the categories of information collected when conducting a job analysis

• include information regarding how, why and when a worker performs each activity

job context

• the physical and social contexts where the work is performed

• mentions stress level, work schedule, physical demands, level of responsibility temperature, number of coworkers, degree of danger, and any other relevant information

work performance

• a part of job description that contains a brief description of how an employee's performance is evaluated and what work standards are expected of the employee

compensation information

This section of the job description should contain information on the salary grade, whether the position is exempt, and the compensable factors used to determine salary.

grade

A cluster of jobs of similar worth

Job competencies

Knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and other personal characteristics that work together to produce outstanding performance in a given area of responsibility.

job specification

job competencies is called as

1. job incumbents

2. supervisors

3. outside consultants

who can conduct a job analysis?

job crafting

A process in which employees unofficially change their job duties to better fit their interests and skills.

1. committee-based

2. field-based

this should be considered when deciding which employees must participate in the job analysis

committee-based job analysis

type of job analysis where group of subject matter experts meet to generate the tasks performed, the conditions under which they are performed, and the KSAOs needed to perform them

field-based job analysis

a job analyst individually interviews/observes a number of incumbents out in the field

1. level of specificity

2. formal versus informal requirements

the types of information that should be obtained in a job analysis

1. Gather existing information

• If field-based:

2. Interview one employee at a time or conduct SME conference to interview a larger number of employees together

3. Observing incumbents

4. Job participation

If committee-based:

5. SME meets to brainstorm major duties involved in the job.

ways of identifying tasks performed in a job analysis

Ammerman technique

A job analysis method in which a group of job experts identifies the objectives and standards to be met by the ideal worker.

job participation

a job analysis method in which the job analyst actually performs the job being analyzed

task inventory

A questionnaire containing a list of tasks each of which the job incumbent rates on a series of scales such as importance and time spent.

task analysis

process by which a group of SMEs rate each task statement on the frequency and the importance or criticality of the task being performed

knowledge

a body of information needed to

skill

the proficiency to perform a learned task

ability

the basic capacity for performing a wide range of tasks, acquiring knowledge, or d developing a skill

Other characteristics

Factors that are not knowledge, skills or abilities such as personality, willingness, interest, and degrees

1. identify tasks performed

2. write task statements

3. rate task statements

4. determine essential KSAOs

5. selecting tests to tap KSAOs

5 steps in conducting a job analysis

Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

a standardized job analysis questionnaire containing 194 questions about 6 main dimensions

(1) information input

(2) mental processes

(3) work output

(4) relationship with other person

(5) job context

(6) other job related variables such as work schedule, pay, & responsibility

Job Structure Profile (JSP)

• A revised version of the PAQ designed to be used more by the job analyst than by the job incumbent.

• revisions include item content and style, new items to increase discriminatory power of the intellectual and decision making dimensions

Job Elements Inventory (JEI)

A structured job analysis technique developed by Cornelius and Hakel that is similar to the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) but easier to read.

Function Job Analysis (FJA)

a job analysis method developed by Fine that rates the extent to which a job incumbent is involved with functions in the categories of people, data, and things

Job Components Inventory (JCI)

A structured job analysis technique that concentrates on worker requirements for performing a job rather than on specific tasks

• covers 5 major categories

(1) tools a d equipments

(2) perceptual and physical requirements

(3) mathematical requirements

(4) communication requirements

(5) decision making and responsibilities

AET

An ergonomic job analysis method developed in Germany

Occupational Information Network (O*NET)

The job analysis system used by the federal government that has replaced the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT)

• states that jobs can be viewed at four levels: economic, individual, organizational, and occupational

criticial incident technique

the job analysis method developed by John Flanagan that uses written reports of good and bad employee behavior

Threshold Traits Analysis (TTA)

•

A 33-item questionnaire developed by Lopez that identifies traits necessary to successfully perform a job

• covers 5 trait categories

(1) physical

(2) mental

(3) learned

(4) motivational

(5) social

Fleishman Job Analysis System

• A job analysis method in which jobs are rated on the basis of the abilities needed to perform them

• ratings are performed in the ff:

(1) cognitive

(2) physical

(3) psychomotor

(4) sensory-perceptual

(5) social/interpersonal

(6) knowledge

Job Adaptability Inventory (JAI)

A job analysis method that taps the extent to which a job involves eight types of adaptability.

Personality-Related Position Requirements Form (PPRF)

• job analysis instrument devoted to identifying personality requirements for a job

• 107 items taps 12 personality dimensions that fall under the

big 5 personality dimensions

job evaluation

process of determining the monetary worth of a job

internal pay equity

involves comparing jobs within an organization to ensure that the people in jobs worth the most money are paid accordingly

1. Determine compensable job factors

2. determining the levels for each compensable factor

3. determine the factor weights

3 steps for determining the internal pay equity

compensable job factors

Factors, such as responsibility and education requirements, that differentiate the relative worth of jobs

Wage trend line

A line that represents the ideal relationship between the number of points that a job has been assigned (using the point method of evaluation) and the salary range for that job.

external pay equity

The worth of a job is determined by comparing the job to the external market (other organizations)

salary survey

A questionnaire sent to other organizations to see how much they are paying their employees in positions similar to those in the organization sending the survey

Direct Compensation

the amount of money paid to an employee (does not count benefits, time off, and so forth)

comparable worth

the idea that jobs requiring the same level of skill and responsibility should be paid the same regardless of supply and demand

1. Position Analysis Questionnaire

2. Job Structure Profile

3. Job Elements Inventory

4. Functional Job Analysis

4 Common Methods of Providing Information about Worker Activities

Job Components Inventory

One Common Method of Providing Information about Tools and Equipment

AET

One Common Method of Providing Information about the Work Environment

1. Occupational Information Network

2. Critical Incidents Technique

3. Threshold Traits Analysis (TTI)

4. Fleishman Job Analysis Survey (F-JAS)

5. Job Adaptability Inventory (JAI)

6. Personality-Related Position Requirements Form

6 Common Methods of Providing Information about Competencies

Competency Modeling

When competencies are tied to an organization's strategic initiatives and plans rather than to specific tasks

recruitment

the process of locating and attracting qualified applicants for jobs open in the organization

External recruitment

the process of seeking new employees from outside the firm

Internal recruitment

the process of seeking employees who are currently within the firm to fill open positions

1. respond by calling

2. apply in person ads

3. send resume ads

4. blind box

ways of recruiting applicants under "media advertisements"

Respond by calling ads

Recruitment ads in which applicants are instructed to call rather than to apply in person or send résumés.