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Summary Work in the 21st Century, ISBN: 9781118291207 Psychology In The Workpace (PSMIN03)
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Work in the 21st Century: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational PsychologyChapter 1: What is Industrial and Organisational Psychology
1.1- The importance of Industrial and Organisational Psychology
The importance of work in people’s lives
• It was been shown that even if people had enough money to live as comfortably as they wanted to, they
would still choose to continue working. This is dramatic evidence of the centrality of work as a
noneconomic experience. This is strong testimony to the meaning of work—not a particular job, but the
experience of working— in defining who we are.
• Good work is work that “exhibits a high level of expertise, and it entails regular concern with the
implications and applications of an individual’s work for the wider world”
• “Corner cutting” leads to what the researchers call “compromised” work: work that is not illegal or
unethical, but that still undermines the core values of a trade or a profession—the lawyer who creates
opportunities for billing extra hours, the plumber who uses inferior, cheaper materials for a repair.
• Authenticity has become of major importance in the last years, and extremely demanded by consumers
What is I-O psychology?
• Industrial-organisational psychology: The application of psychological principles, theory, and
research to the work setting.
• The domain of I-O psychology stretches well beyond the physical boundaries of the workplace because
many of the factors that influence work behavior are not always found in the work setting. These factors
include things like family responsibilities, cultural influences, employment-related legislation, and non-
work events
• I-O psychologists are concerned about the effect of work on non-work behavior
• Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP): An association to which many I-O
psychologists, both practitioners and researchers, belong.
• Traditionally, I-O psychology has been divided into three major concentrations: personnel psychology,
organizational psychology, and human engineering.
• Personal psychology: Field of psychology that addresses issues such as recruitment, selection,
training, performance appraisal, promotion, transfer, and termination. It is often seen as human
resources management (HRM): Practices such as recruitment, selection, retention, training, and
development of people (human resources) in order to achieve individual and organizational goals.
• Organisational psychology: Field of psychology that combines research from social psychology and
organizational behavior and addresses the emotional and motivational side of work.
• Human engineering and human factors psychology: The study of the capacities and limitations of
humans with respect to a particular environment.
• Scientist-practitioner model: A model that uses scientific tools and research in the practice of I-O
psychology. This does not mean that every practicing I-O psychologist must also be an active
researcher or that every I-O psychologist who does research must be an active practitioner. It simply
means that science and practice are both important parts of I-O psychology.
• I-O psychologists have been shown to contribute to society by intervening in eco-sustainability and
humanitarian issues. Another example to show this society contribution is the fact that I-O
psychologists have worked on a program that partnered with the Peace Corps to connect corporate-
sponsored international volunteers with nongovernmental organizations
• A related trend in I-O psychology is a focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR), which is defined
as organizational actions and policies that take into account stakeholders’ expectations as well as
economic, social, and environmental performance
How this course can help you
• First, it can help you understand what you are experiencing in the workplace.
,• Second, chances are that you will eventually be placed in the position of managing the work of others
and in that role either developing or at least implementing work-related policies. You may very well
become a leader even without asking to be one. The material of this course and the text itself should
provide you with a good foundation for developing and/or implementing effective policies.
• Third, in the course of your daily life, you will almost certainly hear friends and family talk about their
joys and frustrations with their organizations and work. Many of them will not have the understanding
gained from a course like the one you are taking now. You will be able to act as a resource in helping
them understand the policies that are affecting them.
The importance of understanding the younger worker?
• It’s a mistake to ignore the population of young workers for several reasons:
• They represent a large portion of a population of part-time workers, and as part-time work becomes
more common, we need to know all we can about the experience of part-time work;
• one’s first job is likely to have a substantial influence on the filters through which subsequent work
experiences are viewed.
• Mainstream literature tends to characterize the “first job” as the first full-time job after a decision is
made to forgo further education. But your first job might be more correctly seen as your first paying job
outside of the home environment, regardless of whether it occurs at age 14, age 19, or age 25.
• The little I-O research that has been done on younger workers suggests the following:
• For younger adults, jobs that provide an opportunity to use current skills or develop new skills are most
satisfying
• For younger adults who do not have the opportunity to use current skills, or develop new skills,
cynicism and lack of interest in the work can result
• Young workers represent a very valuable commodity or resource since their education levels tend to
be higher than their parents’, they are more sophisticated technologically, they tend to see the world
globally rather than domestically, they have no problem being “connected” 24 hours a day, and
multicultural school environments have given them an open-mindedness that was rare in earlier
generations
• Younger adults represent a valuable resource in terms of skills and experiences they have independent
of paid work. Yet at the entry level, paid work often consists of menial activities that neither tap current
skills nor develop new ones. This, in turn, leads to demotivation, cynicism, and a negative view of work
in general.
SUMMARY 1.1
• Work is important because it occupies much of our time, provides us with a livelihood, and defines how
we feel about ourselves. “Good work” enables workers to develop and use skills to benefit others.
• I-O psychology applies psychological principles, theory, and research to the workplace and to all
aspects of life that are touched by work. SIOP is the primary professional membership organization for
I-O psychologists.
• In this course, you will gain knowledge about the workplace, work-related issues, and the ways that
work has changed over recent decades.
1. 2- The Past, Present and Future of I-O psychology
The Past: a brief history of I-O psychology
• 1876-1930:
• The first psychological lab was established in Germany in 1876 by Wundt, he then trained two
psychologists Munsterberg and Cattell who were the biggest influence on I-O psychology. In 1912
Munsterberg wrote the world’s first I-O psychology text-book. the goal of increasing productivity. It
was known by some as “economic” psychology. Cattell is recognized for being among the first to
realize the importance of differences among individuals as a way of predicting their behavior.
,• At around the same time as Munsterberg and Cattell were doing their work, two other leaders in I-O
psychology, Scott and Bingham, were working at the Carnegie Institute, developing methods for
selecting and training sales personnel. They established the Stanford-Binet test, a well-known
intelligence test
• 1930-1964:
• Revery obsession: Australian psychologist Elton Mayo proposed that this mental state resulted from
the mind-numbing, repetitive, and difficult work that characterized U.S. factories in the early 20th
century, causing factory workers to be unhappy, prone to resist management attempts to increase
productivity, and sympathetic to labor unions.
• Hawthorne studies: Research done at the Hawthorne, Illinois, plant of the Western Electric Company
that began as attempts to increase productivity by manipulating lighting, rest breaks, and work
hours. This research showed the important role that workers’ attitudes played in productivity.
• Human Relations Movement: The results of the Hawthorne studies ushered in this movement, which
focused on work attitudes and the newly discovered emotional world of the worker.
• Important themes of I-O psychology of the mid 1960s
• Mental ability tests have always played an important part in the practice of industrial psychology.
• Most industrial psychologists were focused on improving productivity and reducing counterproductive
behavior such as absenteeism and turnover.
• There was a tendency to see the three different branches of I-O psychology as unrelated to, and
possibly in competition with, one another to explain industrial behavior.
• It was taken for granted that the unit of analysis was the individual worker rather than the work group,
organization, or even culture.
The present: the demographics of I-O psychologists
• Many changes have been seen in the demographic characteristics of I-O psychologists, the gender
proportion as well as the salaries
• The people who currently work as I-O psychologists have chosen this filed as a result of multiple events
that lead to this decision.
• I-O psychologists in other countries use different labels from those used in the US. For example, our
colleagues in the UK call themselves occupational psychologists, while our German and Dutch
colleagues prefer the label work and organizational psychologists.
The future: the challenges to I-O psychology in the 21st Century
• There are many opportunities for I-O psychology to contribute to employers, workers, and the broader
society in which we live. To make these contributions, I-O psychology needs to meet four challenges.
• I-O psychology needs to be relevant. This means that we need to study the problems of today, not
those of yesterday. In the 21st century, relevance means addressing problems of globalization of the
economy; increasing technological evolution of the workplace; team and group contributions rather
than exclusively individual contributions; nontraditional employment conditions, including part-
time, temporary, contract, and telework; and the balance of work with non-work.
• I-O psychology needs to be useful.
• I-O psychology needs to think bigger. In the past, I-O psychology concentrated on the behavior of
single individuals and tended to shy away from larger issues such as poverty, unemployment,
globalization, and workforce diversity. Certainly, I-O psychologists do not have all the tools
necessary to address these large global issues. But, I-O psychology should be represented at the
“table” where such issues are being debated.
• I-O psychology needs to be grounded in the scientific method.
A personal View of the Future: Preparing for a career in I-O psychology
, • To call yourself an I-O psychologist, you will need either a master’s degree or a PhD. If you expect
to practice I-O psychology, the issue of licensing quickly comes up, as virtually all states also require
that you possess a license to practice under the heading of a professional psychologist.
• To be admitted to a graduate program, it is advantageous to do well in statistics and methods courses,
obtain strong letters of recommendation, and gain experience as a research assistant.
SUMMARY 1.2
• I-O psychology began with studies of industrial efficiency and individual differences. The latter led to
mental ability tests. The Hawthorne studies prompted the study of workers’ emotions. Human
engineering came to prominence during World War II. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
required employers to justify testing and other policies in terms of equal opportunity.
• I-O psychology in the 21st century needs to be relevant, useful, broadly focused, and grounded in the
scientific method.
• To call yourself an I-O psychologist, you need to earn a graduate degree and, in many jurisdictions,
obtain a license. SIOP provides information about licensing requirements.
1. 3- Multicultural and Cross-Cultural Issues in I-O psychology
The multicultural nature of life in the 21st century
• Geographers, economists, and political scientists may be interested in nationality per se, but
psychologists are concerned with the behavioral implications of nationality. Perhaps the most
important material for a psychologist is culture. A culture can be defined as a “system in which
individuals share meanings and common ways of viewing events and objects”. It is culture that
distinguishes people more than nationality.
• Example of some findings of I-O psychologist concerning difference in cultures
• In considering who gets a bonus and how much, Chinese managers make decisions based more on the
personal needs of the individual, whereas in the US, these decisions are based more on the
performance of that individual
• Compared to American managers, Japanese managers are much more likely to solve a strategic
problem by being cooperative and making sure that individuals share equally in rewards
• Japanese managers are much more likely to seek compromise solutions than their American
counterparts, who tend to follow win–lose strategies
• American software engineers provide assistance to a colleague only when they expect to need that
colleague’s help at some future time; Indian software engineers provide help to whoever needs it
without any expectation of future reciprocation
• It is no longer possible for any country, regardless of size, to exist without economic connections with
other countries. We now speak of global economy. To be sure, there have always been “connections”
between countries, but they usually shared a border or a culture. Now, connections are much wider,
more complex, and more intense.
• For the I-O psychologist, the importance of this connectedness is that it brings many different cultures
into contact with one another at the workplace, particularly when that workplace is a virtual one. The
challenge then becomes one of developing systems that will be compatible with so many different ways
of viewing objects or events, that is, compatible with so many different cultures.
• Layers: global culture > national culture > organisational culture > group culture > individual (cultural
self-representation)
• “West versus the Rest”: mentality Tendency for researchers to develop theories relevant to U.S.
situations, with less concern given to their applicability in other countries.
Theories of cultural influence
• Collectivist culture: A culture that values the group more than the individual.
• Individualist culture: A culture that values the individual more than the group.
• The Hofstede’s Theory proposes 5 basic elements on which cultures can be distinguished:
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