Industrial-Organisational Psychology

Have you ever wondered what industrial or organisational psychology entails? The American psychological association defines Industrial and organisational psychology as the speciality characterised by the scientific study of human behaviour in organisations and the workplace. Essentially this field focuses on increasing workplace productivity and mental health of working professionals in a given industry. In short-hand industrial and organisational psychology is known as I-O psychology. 

Firstly, the industrial side helps determine how to best match individuals to specific occupational positions. This subfield of I-O psychology is also known as personnel psychology. Training staff, defining job performance criteria, and measuring job performance are industrial I-O psychological functions. Professionals who work in this field often assess employee traits and then place them in areas where they are likely to perform effectively.

Organisational psychology is primarily interested in understanding how institutions and organisations influence individual behaviour. Organisational architecture, societal norms, management styles, and role expectations are all influences on how employees behave within an organisation.

The above information implies that I-O psychologists focus on employee selection, performance assessment and work-life engagement. However, they also help in Ergonomics, which involves designing procedures and equipment to maximise performance and minimise injury. Careers in organisation psychology include designers, consultants and Human resources management professionals. 

A WORD FROM SOCIALLY SOULED

Students who want to apply psychological ideas to real-world situations could very well look into industrial-organisational psychology. This may be the ideal field for you if you have a significant interest in psychology and related areas such as product design, computers, statistics, and engineering.