UAPI 1054 Organizational Psychology

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE
• To expose students to the key concepts and
theories in industrial and organizational
psychology.

• To teach students to apply industrial and

organizational theories and concepts used
to analyze problems & issues.

• To inculcate specific skills on students for

working with small groups in organizational
settings.
 Learning Outcomes
1. Explain the key concepts and theories in the
field of industrial and organizational psychology.
2. Apply industrial and organizational theories and
concepts used to analyze work-relevant
problems and issues.
3. Practice the specific skills for working with small
groups in organizational settings.
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 Reference Books
Main References:
1. Schultz, D. & Schultz, S. E. 2014. Psychology and work today : an
introduction to industrial and organizational psychology. 10th.edition. New
Jersey: Pearson Education
Additional References:
2. Spector, P. E. (2012) Industrial and organizational psychology: research and
practice. (6th ed.) New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons
3. Landy, F.J., & Conte, J.M. 2013. Work in the 21th Century: An introduction to
industrial and organizational psychology. Forth Edition. New Jessy: Wiley

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What is I-O Psychology?
Day
Awake
1/3 Work
1/3
Sleep
Other Awake
1/3
Work

Sleep
1/3

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 Why do we work?
• Satisfy your needs
• Money (economic well being)
• Personal satisfaction, fulfillment (suits ability)
• Sense of identity and status
• Defining who and what you are (self-esteem)
• Learn new skills & master new challenges
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Negative outcomes
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Dissatisfaction
• Hazard
• Monotonous
• Tedious
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 What is I-O Psychology?
• Psychology is the science of human behavior

• I/O psychology is the science of human

behavior at work

• The application of the methods, facts, and

principles of psychology to people at work.
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Where will you find IO
Psychologist
• Employee Selection and Placement
• Employee Training and Development
• Organizational Development
• Performance Measurement
• Quality of Work-life
• Consumer Psychology
• Engineering Psychology
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Common Job Titles for IO Psychologists
Common Job Titles for IO Psychologists
Important Dates in the Evolution of I-O Psychology

Figure 1.1

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 Development of HR
• 18th and 19th centuries, Industrial Revolution in Europe.
• By the 1930s, with the growth of psychology, and
specifically industrial psychology, it had become a key
function in improving worker productivity (Human
Resource Management 3e,2014).
• 1950s-2020, organizations getting bigger, the world getting
smaller, increasing workforce diversity, rapid change

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Contemporary I/O
• Concern with organizational issues
• Human relations
• Leadership
• Motivation
• Job satisfaction
• Organizational structure and climate
• Decision making
• Safety issues
 Challenges for I-O Psychology.
• “Virtual workplace and virtual workers”.
• “Contingent or temporary workers”.
• “Worker involvement”.
• “Technological advances”.
• “Worker literacy”.
• “Globalization”.
• “Increasing demographic diversity”.
• “Generational differences in values”.

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Generational Differences
• Many different generations with
different expectations and needs
occupy same workplace
– The Silent Generation – 1922 to 1945
– Baby Boomers – 1946 to 1964
– Generation X – 1965 to 1979
– Generation Y – 1980 to around 1995
Source: Overcoming Generational Gap in the Workplace, United Nations Joint Staff
Multicultural and Cross-cultural Issues
Multicultural and Cross-cultural Issues
in IO Psychology
• Culture: a system in which individuals
share meanings and common ways of
viewing events and objects. (Ronen,
1997)
• Individual behaviour is the result of
many different forces, but culture is
one of those forces. (Erez and Gati,
2004).
Italian American Generation X

Japanese American Baby Boomer

Theory of Cultural Influence (Hofstede)

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Implications of Cultural Dimensions for HRM

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Cultural Differences among Countries (Hofstede)

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Source: Hofstede (1993).
Thoughts on Theories of Cultural Influence
• Within a country, not all individuals share
the same culture
• Triandis’ variation on Hofstede’s dimension
of individualism/collectivism
– Horizontal cultures – those that minimize
distances between individuals

– Vertical cultures – accept & depend on distances

between individuals
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Cultural Determinants in the
Workplace (Triandis)

Triandis’s View of
Cultural Determinants
in the Workplace

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Problems Faced by I-O Psychologists
• Fraudulent practitioners
• Credentials and certification
• Communication with management
• Resistance to new ideas
• Research versus application?
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• History of IO Psychology
• Challenges of IO Psychology
– Generation Differences
– Hofstede Theory
• Problems faced by IO Psychologists

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Next Week
• Research Methods, techniques, tools
& tactics.

• READ BEFORE YOU COME !