PSYC108: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AY.

2023-2024

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO I/O PSYCHOLOGY

PROFESSOR: MS. GENEIL POBLETE-AMBAYEC TRANSCRIBED BY: ROGELINE GEM

GOAL OF INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY • IO psychologists rely on the scientist-

• To hire employees who love their work so practitioner model. That is, I/O psychologists
much that they can't wait to get to work every act as scientists when they conduct research
day. and as practitioners when they work with
• To develop outstanding employees who are actual organizations.
well suited and trained. • I/O psychologists act as scientist-practitioners
INDUSTRIAL/ ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY when they apply research findings so that the
• A branch of psychology that applies the work, they perform with organizations will be
principles of psychology to the workplace. of high quality and enhance an organization’s
PURPOSE effectiveness.
• The purpose of I/O psychology is “to enhance • Focus almost exclusively on issues involving
the dignity and performance of human beings, the people in an organization (Moberg &
and the organizations they work in, by Moore, 2011).
advancing the science and knowledge of TWO APPROACHES IN I/O PSYCHOLOGY
human behavior” (Rucci, 2008). 1. Industrial Approach
Application of psychological principles like the • Focuses on identifying job
following: competencies, hiring the right person
• Principles of learning are used to develop for the job and strengthening
training programs and incentive plans. competencies through training.
• Principles of social psychology are used to • Job Analysis, Selection and
form work groups and understand employee Placement, Training, and Performance
conflict. Appraisal.
• Principles of motivation and emotion are used 2. Organizational Approach
to motivate and satisfy employees. • Creates an organizational structure
HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM BUSINESS- and culture that will motivate
RELATED COURSES? employees to perform well, give them
• Many HRM advocates the unstructured with the necessary information to do
interview as an excellent solution for selecting their jobs, and provide working
the best employees. I/O psychologists, conditions that are safe and result in
however, consider unstructured interviews to an enjoyable and satisfying work
be of less value than more suitable environment.
alternatives such as psychological tests, • Deals with the structure of the
behavioral interviews, work samples, biodata, organization, culture and safe working
and assessment centers. (Berry, 2003). environment that contributes to
• Examines factors that affect the people in an employee motivation.
organization as opposed to the broader • Motivation and Work Attitude,
aspects of running an organization such as Leadership, Culture and Climate and
marketing channels, transportation networks, Organizational Development.
and cost accounting (Kimbrough, Durley, & MAJOR FIELDS OF I/O PSYCHOLOGY
Muñoz, 2005). 1. Personnel Psychology
• I/O psychology relies extensively on research, • The field of study concentrates on the
quantitative methods, and testing techniques. selection and evaluation of
I/O psychologists are trained to use empirical employees.
data and statistics rather than clinical • Study and practice in such areas as
judgment to make decisions. analyzing jobs, recruiting applicants,
 selecting employees, determining • 1910, When Hugo Munsterberg wrote
salary levels, training employees, and Psychology and Industrial Efficiency
evaluating employee performance. • 1911, When Scott wrote the book Increasing
• Note: People within this subfield Human Efficiency in Business
usually work in a training department DURING WORLD WAR I
of an organization and are involved in • I/O psychology made its first big impact
such activities as identifying the because of the large number of soldiers who
organization’s training needs, had to be assigned to various units within the
developing training programs, and armed forces, I/O psychologists were
evaluating training success. employed to test recruits and then place them
2. Organizational Psychology in appropriate positions.
• The field of study investigates the • Interestingly, John Watson, who is better
behavior of employees within the known as a pioneer in behaviorism, served as
context of an organization. a major in the U.S. Army in World War I and
• Organizational psychologists often developed perceptual and motor tests for
conduct surveys of employee attitudes potential pilots.
to get ideas about what employees • Though certainly not an I/O psychologist,
believe are an organization’s strengths inventor Thomas A. Edison understood the
and weaknesses. Usually serving in importance of selecting the right employees.
the role of a consultant, an In 1920, Edison created a 150-item
organizational psychologist makes knowledge test that he administered to over
recommendations on ways problem 900 applicants. The test and passing score
areas can be improved. were so difficult that only 5% of the applicants
• Note: Concerned with the issues of passed.
leadership, job satisfaction, employee • Frank Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth were
motivation, organizational among the first, if not the first, scientists to
communication, conflict management, improve productivity and reduce fatigue by
organizational change, and group studying the motions used by workers.
processes within an organization. IN 1930S
3. Human Factors/Ergonomics • I/O psychology greatly expanded its scope.
• A field of study concentrating on the Until then, it had been involved primarily in
interaction between humans and personnel issues such as the selection and
machines. placement of employees.
• Concentrates on workplace design, • Hawthorne studies were published,
human-machine interaction, psychologists became more involved in the
ergonomics, and physical fatigue and quality of the work environment, as well as the
stress. These psychologists frequently attitudes of employees.
work with engineers and other • The study demonstrated that employee
technical professionals to make the behavior was complex and that the
workplace safer and more efficient. interpersonal interactions between managers
• Note: Sample activities in this subfield and employees played a tremendous role in
have included designing the optimal employee behavior.
way to draw a map, designing the HAWTHORNE STUDIES
most comfortable chair, and • After interviewing employees and studying the
investigating the optimal work matter further, the researchers realized that
schedule. employees changed their behavior and
WHEN DID IT ALL STARTED? became more productive because they were
• 1903, When Walter Dill Scott wrote The being studied and received attention from their
Theory of Advertising, in which psychology managers, a condition that is now commonly
was first applied to business. referred to as the Hawthorne effect.
Hawthorne studies: Its effect - Research ultimately saves organizations money.
• It inspired psychologists to increase their To use it on everyday life
focus on human relations in the workplace • Research confronts us on an almost daily basis,
and to explore the effects of employee both at home and on the job.
attitudes. • Understanding research helps you to critically
Hawthorne studies: Contribution listen and analyze results of these studies to
• Civil rights legislation laws focused the make more intelligent decisions.
attention of HR professionals on developing Common Sense Is Often Wrong
fair selection techniques. As a result, the need • Imagine taking a multiple-choice test. After
for I/O psychologists greatly increased. finishing the test, you go back and read
IN 1960 question 32 but can’t decide if you should
• The decade understood issues that involved stick with your original response of “b” or
employee satisfaction and motivation and saw change it to “c.”
the development of many theories about • What would you do?
employee behavior in organizations. Like the • Most students respond with what they have
increased use of behavior-modification always been told: Stick with your first answer.
techniques in organizations. • Thirty-three studies investigating this question
IN 1970 all concluded that contrary to common sense,
• Major changes in I/O Psychology happened: the majority of the time, an answer will be
1. Increased use of fairly sophisticated changed from wrong to right (Kruger, Wirtz, &
statistical techniques and methods of Miller, 2005).
analysis. ETHICS IN RESEARCH
2. A new interest in the application of • Psychologists require that subjects participate
cognitive psychology to industry like in in studies of their own free will—a concept
performance appraisal. called informed consent.
3. Increased interest in the effects of work on RESEARCH METHOD TO BE USED
family life and leisure activities. 1. Experimental Method
4. I/O psychologists took a renewed interest • The most powerful of all research methods
in developing methods to select because it is the only one that can determine
employees. cause-and-effect relationships. Thus, if it is
1980-1990 important to know whether one variable
• The greatest influence on I/O psychology is produces or causes another variable to
the rapid advances in technology such as change, then the experiment is the only
computer- applicants online, employees are method that should be used.
being trained using e-learning and distance • Manipulation: Manipulates one variable by
education, and managers are holding changing its value from one level to another. A
meetings in cyberspace rather than in person. second variable is observed (measured) to
2000 determine whether the manipulation causes
• The greatest influence on I/O psychology is changes to occur.
the rapid advances in technology such as • Control: Ensure that other extraneous
computer- administered tests, employers variables do not influence the relationship
recruit and screen applicants online, being examined.
employees are being trained using e-learning • Experimental and Control Group: The
and distance education, and managers are employees who received the training are
holding meetings in cyberspace rather than in collectively called the experimental group, and
person. the employees who did not receive the
RESEARCH IN I/O PSYCHOLOGY training are collectively called the control
• Describe, Explain, Predict, Control. group.
Question: Why do we conduct research? Quasi-Experiment
- One of the characteristics of I/O psychology is its • Research method in which the experimenter
extensive use of research and statistics. either does not manipulate the independent
 variable or in which subjects are not randomly • there are both positive and negative
assigned to conditions. consequences to a decision.
• Quasi-experiments are often used to evaluate TYPE B DILEMMA
the results of a new program implemented by • When the individual knows what is right yet
an organization. still does what is wrong because everybody
Archival does it anyway.
• Archival research involves using previously • Example: When an employee uses sick leave
collected data or records to answer a research when he/she is not even feeling sick just to
question. get paid even if he/she is not present at work.
Surveys • Also called rationalizing dilemmas...
• It involves asking people about their opinion • Usually, individuals know what is right but
on some topic. choose the solution that is most advantageous
• This method allows the researchers to ask to themselves.
people their opinion on some topic. • Individuals “rationalize” they are right because
• Surveys might ask employees about their “everyone else does it.”
attitudes toward the organization, HR directors
about their opinions regarding the best
recruitment method, or managers about the
success of their child-care centers.
Meta Analysis
• Meta-analysis is a statistical method of
reaching conclusions based on previous
research. With meta- analysis, the researcher
goes through each article, determines the
effect size for each article, and then finds a
statistical average of effect sizes across all
articles.
• A meta- analysis results in one number, called
the mean effect size, which indicates the
effectiveness of some variable.
ETHICS IN I/O PSYCHOLOGY
• Ethical dilemmas are ambiguous situations
that require a personal judgment of what is
right or wrong because there are no rules,
policies, or laws guiding such decisions.
• Individuals often rely on their morals and
personal values, which often leads to different
decisions by different people in similar
situations. Because people have different
backgrounds which impact their personal
values and how they define a particular
situation, the decision that one person makes
may be very different than what another one
makes.
TYPE A DILEMMA
• When there is no certainty as to what is right
or wrong because there are both positive and
negative consequences to the decision.
• There is a high level of uncertainty as to what
is right or wrong;
• there appears to be no best solution;