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B.2 Industrial-Organizational Psychology

LOQ B-2 What are the key fields and subfields related to industrial-organizational psychology?

In developed nations, work has changed, from farming to manufacturing to knowledge work. More and more work is outsourced to temporary workers who often work off-site, communicating with the main office and with one another. (This book and its teaching package are developed and produced by a team of people in a dozen cities, from Alaska to Florida.)

Page B-3

THE MODERN WORKFORCE The editorial team that supports the creation of this book and its teaching package works both in-house and from far-flung places. In column 1: Nancy Fleming in Massachusetts, Kathryn Brownson in Michigan, and Katie Pachnos in New York. In column 2: Danielle Slevens in Massachusetts, Lorie Hailey in Kentucky, Trish Morgan in Alberta, and Carlise Stembridge in Minnesota. In column 3: Rachel Losh in New York, Betty Probert in Florida, and Christine Brune in Alaska.

Hope College; Danielle Slevens; Rachel Losh; Kathryn Brownson; Lorie Hailey; Don Probert; Laura Pachnos; Trish Morgan; Christine Brune; Stephanie Ellis.

industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology the application of psychological concepts and methods to human behavior in workplaces.

As work changes, have our attitudes toward our work also changed? Has our satisfaction with work increased or decreased? What has happened to the psychological contract—that two-way feeling of duty between workers and employers? These are among the questions that fascinate those interested in industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology, a profession that applies psychology’s principles to the workplace (TABLE B.1).

Table 16.1: TABLE B.1 I/O Psychologists on the Job

Human Factors (Engineering) Psychology	Personnel Psychology: Maximizing Human Potential
As scientists, consultants, and management professionals, industrial-organizational (I/O) psychologists are found working in varied areas:
Designing optimum work environments Optimizing person-machine interactions Developing systems technologies	Developing training programs to increase job seekers’ success Selecting and placing employees Developing and testing assessment tools for selecting, placing, and promoting workers Analyzing job content Optimizing worker placement Training and developing employees Identifying needs Designing training programs Evaluating training programs Appraising performance Developing guidelines Measuring individual performance Measuring organizational performance
Organizational Psychology: Building Better Organizations
Developing organizations Analyzing organizational structures Increasing worker satisfaction and productivity Fostering organizational change Enhancing quality of work life Expanding individual productivity Identifying elements of satisfaction Redesigning jobs Balancing work and nonwork life in an era of social media, smart phones, and other technologies

Source: Information from the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. For more information about I/O psychology and related job opportunities, visit SIOP.org.

human factors psychology a field of psychology allied with I/O psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use.

personnel psychology an I/O psychology subfield that helps with job seeking, and with employee recruitment, selection, placement, training, appraisal, and development.

organizational psychology an I/O psychology subfield that examines organizational influences on worker satisfaction and productivity and facilitates organizational change.

Human factors psychology, now a distinct field allied with I/O psychology, explores how machines and environments can best be designed to fit human abilities. Personnel psychology applies psychology’s methods and principles to selecting, placing, training, and evaluating workers. Organizational psychology is the primary focus of this appendix. This I/O subfield considers an organization’s goals, work environments, and management styles, and their influence on worker motivation, satisfaction, and productivity.