Most organizations strive to maintain a healthy work environment and to ensure that the company is operating at the peak of its productivity. The success of the organization depends on the productivity of the employees. However, employees are human beings whose behaviors can be influenced by various factors that the organization need to take into consideration. The level of motivation of the employees, job satisfaction and morale are some of the key factors that can determine the level of productivity of the employees. As the management strives to create a stress-free work environment where the employees are at their top level of motivation, they must also ascertain that the organization is running at profitability. However, profitability is often dependent on multiple factors: a good product; teams that communicate well; and employees who are motivated, well-trained and committed to the company goals. The success of the business is at the same time tied to the ability of the organization to identify and resolve the workplace problems both at the organizational and individual level. Industrial-Organizational psychology is a branch of psychology that applies the psychological principles to the organization through the scientific study of human behavior in the workplace. The I/O psychology focuses on the study of individual behavior and the organizational dynamics to identify the solutions to the problems that can help improve the well-being and the overall performance of the organization.
Overview of I/O theory
Industrial and organizational psychology is a two-pronged method of enhancing the success of the organization. It involves the study of the workplace environment as well as the employees working there. Both the workplace environment and the employees are interdependent; one cannot exist without the other. Therefore, this psychological theory focuses on the need to study both the workplace and the environment to identify the problems that exist and find a solution that best suits both the employer and the employee. It focuses on individual behaviors and the needs of the workplace and then seeks to provide a solution to most of the concerns of the employees ( Landy & Conte, 2016 ). Even though it offers a study into similar topics, the perspectives provided are different with a specialized insight to assist the employers in getting the best from their employees. By applying the I/O theory to the organization, the employers can improve on the well-being of their workers while also enhancing the efficiency and productivity in the workplace.
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This field of psychology focuses on the ways to increase the productivity and issues that are related to the physical and mental well-being of the employees. The psychologist specializing in the industrial organization perform a range of activities which include studying the attitudes and behaviors of the employees, evaluation of the work environment of the employees and finding a solution to the workplace issues that can affect the productivity of the workforce. The psychological well-being of the employees plays a key role in motivation and productivity. The current workplaces are full of stress due to various factors and demands from the job descriptions. Employees need a stress free workplace where they can feel at peace to deliver their best to the organization. Some of these stressors are from within the organization and thus the need to identify and find a solution to such issues ( Landy & Conte, 2016 ). Industrial-organization psychology as an area in psychology focuses on the identification of the issues within the organization that could affect the attitudes and behaviors of the employees towards their work and lead to low motivation.
Various parameters differentiate the I/O psychology from the other fields within psychology. First, the distinct focus of the I/O psychology is on the human behavior within the work setting. As a result, the most affected population by this practice of psychology are the workers at an organization, industry and health care organizations. Another area of difference is on the problem that the practice deals with. The kind of problem that I/O psychology deals with can be categorized as both basic and applied in nature ( Landy & Conte, 2016 ). The basic problems are those that are variable and can include behavioral measurement, motivation, leadership, and communication.
On the other hand, applied problems are those that are oriented around scientific solution to the issue related to human problems at work. Various procedures, tools, and techniques have been established to help the I/O psychologists to address the issues related to human behavior at the workplace ( Jonason, Wee & Li, 2014 ). More standardized procedures have been introduced with situationally-specific techniques focusing on the system of the worker, the work itself and the context. With a focus on the characteristic of the worker, the techniques and procedures used can involve the tests and means of evaluating the differences between individuals and can include personality, cognitive abilities, and values that determine the human behavior at work. Furthermore, many procedures have been established to help in the analysis of the context as well as human requirements at work. Through job analysis procedures, the systems have been developed to help in the assessment and evaluation of the organization culture and provide a solution to the means of improving the climate of the workplace through the organization rewards as well as the design.
Industrial Psychology
The industrial side of the I/O psychology focuses on the examination of the specific problems as well as the issues that organizations deal with in an attempt to understand any areas that could raise issues being faced by the firm. One of the key areas of this industrial side is to find the best match for individuals to specific jobs because difficult tasks are one of the key causes of stress at the workplace. Assessing the characteristics of the employees and then matching them to the various tasks they perform is essential in ensuring that the employees do the right job for which they are the best suit to do ( Jonason, Wee & Li, 2014 ). One of the key functions of the industrial side of psychology is hiring. The aim is to identify and study the culture of the organization as well as the work processes to understand better the way the processes are run. After this analysis, the role of the industrial psychologist is to help in the hiring processes for the organization by matching the employees to the jobs within the organization. While considering the hiring process, industrial psychology focuses on the need to consider various personality factors of the employees and their motivation levels. Because motivation plays a key role in the productivity of the employees thus the need to have the worker hired for a job in which the employee is best suited and motivated to perform.
The hiring areas in which industrial psychology can be applied include employee selection. This area involves the development of the employee selection assessments which can include job screening to help in the determination of the most appropriate job for the employee. The right selection is essential in ensuring that employees do the jobs that best match their knowledge and skills to avoid the complexity of the tasks. In most cases, organizations fail to match the right skills and motivation with the kind of task employees perform and this in most cases is one of the causes of the problems with the psychological well-being of the workers ( Jonason, Wee & Li, 2014 ).
The other key area of focus for industrial psychology within the organization is on the training and development of the workforce. This area focuses on the identification of the training and development needs of the employees to ensure that they are well-equipped to do the tasks assigned. To ensure the successful running of the business activities, the business needs to have its employees with skills and knowledge that can be useful in the performance of the tasks. An industrial psychologist can play a key role in the identification of the training and development needs of the employees after assessing the organization needs ( Van den Broeck et al., 2016 ). By helping in the identification of the training and development needs of the employees, industrial psychology helps in seeking for the skills that are missing amongst the employees and then create a training program that can help fill the gaps existing within the organization. This role is useful to the employers because it ensures that the employees are well-equipped to ensure that they provide perform to their level best.
The final area of the application of I/O psychology under the industrial side is employee efficiency. Because the industrial psychology is concerned with the study of human behavior from the top of the organization downwards, the industrial psychologists can identify the best ways to make jobs more efficient and make employees more productive for the overall benefit of the organization. This role forms the major component of the popular management theories from the early 1990s, most of which have continued to influence modern management currently.
Organizational Psychology
The major focus of the organizational psychology side of the I/O is to motivate the workforce and create teamwork as well as enhancing the psychological well-being of the workers. Previous studies on human behavior and motivation have shown that employees who feel comfortable, safe, happy and motivated are more productive at work. The key area to enhance the productivity of the workforce is therefore to promote employee welfare and well-being.
One of the areas of the application of organizational psychology is on the employees’ satisfaction. This psychological theory assesses the behaviors and attitudes of the employees to gauge their overall level of satisfaction. The level of employees’ satisfaction determines their level of productivity. When employees feel unsatisfied with their job, they are more likely to have low self-esteem and reduced job morale. The organizational psychology aims at providing a suggestion to the ways to improve the employees’ well-being and happiness at the workplace, which makes them more productive ( Van den Broeck et al., 2016 ). Through the suggestion of the appropriate solution to the issue of low self-esteem and lack of well-being, the organizational psychology helps ensure that the employees are motivated and have high morale to perform to their level best.
Work-life balance is also a key area of focus for the organizational psychology side of the I/O psychological theory. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is necessary to ensure that there is increased job satisfaction and employee motivation. Having a healthy work-life balance ensures that employees do not have high burnout and demotivation. It also decreases the rate of employee turnover which helps the organization save money from the recruitment of new employees. The purpose of the organizational psychologist is to assess the level of stress amongst the employees and then suggest a better work-life balance program that can help ease the stress on the employees and increase their productivity ( Van den Broeck et al., 2016 ). Through the assessment of the employees' behaviors, the organizational psychology can identify the best mechanisms to use to ensure that there is a high level of motivation and job satisfaction which then promotes the overall well-being and productivity of the employees.
Unlike the industrial organization psychology which works from top to bottom, the organization psychology works from the bottom upwards. Therefore, organizational psychology can be used to assess the motivation and reward systems that the organization has in place and the effect it has on the behavior of the employees. The appropriate reward system can be used to motivate the employees and make them remain highly productive. Through the assessment of the level of employee motivation and the reward system in place, the organizational psychologist can suggest the best reward system that will help improve the level of motivation amongst the employees. The programs such as pay-for-performance plans as well as goal setting programs can be used by the organization to help improve the level of motivation, which will subsequently lead to increased productivity ( Salas, Kozlowski & Chen , 2017). At the same time, job stress is one area that affects the performance of the employees. Through the assessment of the level of stress in the workplace and the various organizational stressors, the organizational side of I/O psychology can suggest the best ways to reduce the level of stress in the organization and increase workplace productivity.
Conclusion
The I/O psychological theory offers a critical assessment into the organizational workplace setting by focusing on the behaviors of an individual as well as the needs and then provide a solution to the concerns of the employees. This branch of psychology can be applied in various areas in the work setting to understand the behaviors of the workers and then find ways to help improve their overall well-being and motivation level. With a focus on the solution to the issues concerning workplace stress, motivation, and job satisfaction, the I/O psychology offers an important insight into the best ways to enhance the performance of the employees in the workplace.
References
Jonason, P. K., Wee, S., & Li, N. P. (2014). Thinking bigger and better about “bad apples”: Evolutionary industrial–organizational psychology and the dark triad. Industrial and Organizational Psychology , 7 (1), 117-121.
Landy, F. J., & Conte, J. M. (2016). Work in the 21st century, Binder ready version: An introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology . John Wiley & Sons.
Salas, E., Kozlowski, S. W., & Chen, G. (2017). A century of progress in industrial and organizational psychology: Discoveries and the next century. Journal of Applied Psychology , 102 (3), 589.
Van den Broeck, A., Ferris, D. L., Chang, C. H., & Rosen, C. C. (2016). A review of self-determination theory’s basic psychological needs at work. Journal of Management , 42 (5), 1195-1229.
