PSY117 L1 Industrial Psychology

Industrial Psychology

• Branch of psychology

• Applies the principles of psych. to the workplace

Industrial Psych deals with…

• personnel functions within the organization

• Psychological processes underlying work behavior

• Group processes in the workplace

• Structure of work organizations

3 Principles of I/O Psychology

• Principles of Learning

• Principles of Social Psychology

• Principles of Motivation and Emotion

Principles of Learning

• A principle of I/O psych

• used to develop training programs and incentive plans

• Learning skills on the job

Ex. of Principles of Learning

• Feedback & guidance

• Performance metrics

• Practice & reinforcement

• Performance incentives

Principles of Social Psychology

• A principle of I/O psych

• used to form work groups and understand employee conflict

Ex. of Principles of Social Psychology

• Setting of workplace values

• Team-building activities, trust exercises

• Conflict resolution workshops

• Open forum to address concerns

Principles of Motivation and Emotion

• A principle of I/O psych

• used to motivate and satisfy employees

Ex. of Principles of Motivation and Emotion

• Award & Recognition programs

• Salary Raises, Promotions

• Benefits, Giveaways

• Flexible schedules/ output based work

5 Workplace Questions I/O Psych can Answer

• How do we select the right people for the position/ org?

• Why are employees stressed/ unengaged?

• How can we improve performance? (Feedback Sessions)

• How can we build stronger teams & better leadership?

• How can we reduce turnover and keep our best people?

Selection

• A workplace question

• I/O Psych helps identify which applicants have the skills, potential, and fit to succeed

• Which applicants have workplace values aligning with the company’s own

Stressors

• A workplace question

• I/O Psych identifies the causes of unmet needs (not symptoms) such as stress & low engagement (stress, time management, etc.)

• Recommends evidence-based solutions

Feedback

• A workplace question

• Training, feedback systems, motivation strategies to help employees and teams perform better

Better Leadership/ Management

• A workplace question

• I/O Psych helps develop leaders, improv teamwork, and create a positive and collaborative work culture

Employee Retention

• A workplace question

• Analyzes why employees leave

• Recommends strategies to increase retention and build a supportive work environment

Industrial/ Organizational Psychologists

• use research, data, testing, statistics to make evidence-based decisions to create better workplaces

• Focus on improving work systems, people, and culture

• Treatment & Therapy is NOT in their scope.

Clinical Psychologists

• focus on therapy and treatment

Scientist-Practitioner Model

• a multidisciplinary teaching model

• Research + Application

• Combines psychology, business, HR, statistics, other fields

Research

• Part of the scientist-practitioner model

• increase knowledge and understanding of workplace issues

Application

• Part of the scientist-practitioner model

• Apply acquired knowledge to design solutions to real world problems