17.7 APPENDIX REVIEW: Industrial/Organizational Psychology

KEY POINTS

• Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology is a broad field that examines human behavior in the workplace. I/O psychologists focus on either Industrial (personnel) or Organizational functions. The “industrial,” or “I,” side of I/O psychology is also called personnel psychology. The “organizational,” or “O,” side is sometimes called organizational behavior.

• Two of Wilhelm Wundt’s students were important figures in the history of I/O psychology. James Cattell was influential in the development of mental testing and founded the Psychological Corporation. Hugo Münsterberg founded the field of I/O psychology and wrote the first textbook on the topic.

• A first step in the work of personnel psychologists is to perform a job analysis—a determination of the major responsibilities of a certain job and the human characteristics needed to fill it. A good job analysis is key to successful personnel selection, effective job training programs, and accurate evaluation of job performance.

• Personnel psychologists use devices such as psychological tests, work samples, situational exercises, and selection interviews to help select the best applicants. Personnel psychologists must consider selection device validity—the extent to which the device succeeds in distinguishing between those applicants who will become high performers and those who will not.

• Job satisfaction has been extensively studied in the field of organizational behavior. Researchers have tried to explain different levels of job satisfaction by studying the discrepancy hypothesis, which focuses on gaps between what a person wants from a job and what he or she actually experiences.

• Leadership is also a widely studied topic in the field of organizational behavior. Researchers have tried to explain leadership effectiveness through the trait approach to leader effectiveness, behavioral theories of leader effectiveness, and situational (contingency) theories of leadership. Of these three approaches, situational theories seem to do the best job. Research also examines how supervisors and subordinates interact (the leader-member exchange model).

• The workplace of today has been influenced greatly by technological advances. The Internet has affected the ways in which employers seek job candidates and the ways in which job candidates learn about potential employers. It has also allowed more employees to work from home. Work-force diversity continues to increase and now includes up to four generations in the workplace. Finally, many employees are concerned about work–life balance and work–conflict issues. Consequently, employers are faced with the need to change their policies and build family-friendly cultures to attract and retain good employees.

• A doctorate or master’s degree is required to work as an I/O psychologist.

• I/O psychologists may work in colleges or universities or as consultants to organizations. They may also work for large private corporations or for public institutions, such as government agencies.

• Jobs in I/O-related fields for people with bachelor’s degrees include personnel, training, and labor-relations specialists and managers, as well as management analysts and consultants.

KEY TERMS