IOP3704 SUMMARISED
NOTES 2022/2023
STUDY UNIT 1: An Industrial Psychology Approach to Labour Relations
What are the main reasons for the neglect of the role of industrial psychology in labour relations?
1. There is a tendency of industrial psychologists to ignore trade unions, reasons for this ...
,STUDY UNIT 1: An Industrial Psychology Approach to Labour Relations
What are the main reasons for the neglect of the role of industrial psychology in labour relations?
1. There is a tendency of industrial psychologists to ignore trade unions, reasons for this include:
Institutional Naivety – viewing Labour Relations (LR) primarily as interpersonal relations
Inadequate Exposure to the problems of the working class – poor sensitivity and understanding to
problems of the labour
Develpoments in Organisational Psychology – such as job enrichment etc. which can run counter to the
traditional goals of labour
Problems of application – behavioural science interventions showing poor results
Misconceptions about the nature of industrial conflict
Research problems – lack of opportunities fr research , inadequate communication of research results
etc.
Preoccupation with the scientific method – thereby ignoring controversial issue of LR and instead
researching theoretically and technically safe areas.
Strong association woth management
Treatment of unions as dummy variables
Inappropriate models of human behaviour in the work situation
2. There is a tendency of unions and specialists in LR to underplay the importance of Industrial Psychology (IS)
There is a distrust of IS
Psychological contributions are not welcome
“pro trade union” is the dominant value position
Methodologies and approaches of LR are not conducive to psychological involvement
Psychology’s strengths lie in behavioural and process analyses at the individual, group and
organisational levels
As LR becomes more process orientated, psychology’s contribution will be increasingly
recognised.
What is the definition of “the field of IS”
MAIN DEFINITION: Behaviour of individuals in the work situation
Scientific study of the relationship between man and the world at work: the study of the adjustment people make
to the places they go, people they meet and the things they do in the process of making a living
Solving the human problems created by an industrial civilisation
Identify the various areas of specialisation in IS, and provide a brief explanation for these terms
Sub Field Description Example of a Career
Personnel Psychology Concerned with all aspects of
applied individual differences
Job analysis and evaluation
Selection
Performance
Training and Development
Organisational Psychology Concerned with role related
, behaviour
Pressures that groups can
pose on individuals
Personal feelings of
commitment to an
organisation
Patterns of communication
within organisation (Org)
Ergonomics Understanding of human
performance in person-
machine systems
Includes design of equipment
and machinery to enhance
worker productivity and
safety
Vocational and Career Counselling Concerned with conselling
which applies to problems at
work
Finding a rewarding and
satisfying career path
Resolving conflict between
work and leisure interests
Preparing for retirement
Organisational Development Improving or changing
organisations to make them
more efficient
Consumer Behaviour Behaviour that consumers
display in searching for,
purchasing, using, evaluating
and disposing of products and
services
Labour Relations Concerned with problems
between employers and
employees
Usually involves a trade union
Co-operation and conflict
between work parties
Resolving disputes in the
workforce
Bargaining or negotiating
agreements between various
segments of the workforces
Describe IS as a science and practice
It’s scientific aspect is rooted in research to provide the knowledge that is a pre-requisite for any practical application
Discuss the general value of IS in LR
In general terms, the role of the psychologist in LR is as follows:
, A specialist in interpersonal relationships at work whose skills may be used to restructure people’s orientations to
each other and their problems
A source of methods and techniques that can be used to aid problem diagnosis, facilitate change and evaluate its
effectiveness.
A person with the ability to put a different perspective on familiar situations and issues by bringing them to a
broader comparative view or through the interpretative usefulness of his or her theories
Discuss the specific value of IS in LR (15 marks)
a) Workers as human beings
Too much emphasis has been placed on the legalistic and mechanistic aspects of the industrial employer-
employee relationship. Hence, a change in emphasis in labour management from the mechanical to the
behavioural science aspects with particular attention to relationships in general and labour relationships
b) Individual variables
Individual
Psychologists should investigate the influence of attitudes and roles
The influence of the settling of employee grievances on attitudes also justifies investigation
NB to assess deeper feelings and attitudes of employees so that leaders of trade unions (TUs)
have an adequate understanding of them
Industrial psychologists should investigate managerial attitudes towards unions so that it can be
established how these influence the sound industrial systems
Unions and Employees
Workers reasons and desire for joining the unions
Union instrumentality
Extent to which union objectives coincide with members’ needs and interests
Workers commitments to unions
Research into commitments to the union, org, and dual commitment
Provide answers to Q’s such as what influences are exerted by unions on the personal
development and adjustment of workers
Industrial behaviour or women relative to men
Employee Needs
Objective of field: Ensure that the needs of management and workers are continually addressed
Understand complexities and frustrations – therefore reduce hostility and aggression in
bargaining and restore harmony in certain situations
Rule Related Behaviour
Understanding the processes implicated in the underlying complexities of rule-related behaviour
Environmental Influences on the individual
Understanding of values and pressures that the environment represents and creates and their
influence on worker behaviour
Assist by anticipating and sensing shifts in values and their influence on workers so that
organisations can respond to the changes
Outcomes of LR System
Providing info on issues such as : Do employees’ dissatisfaction and pressure for industrial
change disappear under “good” management
c) Organisational variables
What is the potential value of industrial psychology in terms of the effect of org variables on LR?
Organisational Structure
Investigating the influence of organisational structure on labour relations with a view to:
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