Essay Topics for PSYC9401

Discuss research and theory bearing on the importance of personality in team functioning. Does
personality have a significant role to play in why some teams are effective and why some teams are
ineffective?

Discuss similarities and differences across the different theories of human motivation. Based on an
analysis of the literature, which theory (or class of theories) seems to you to be the most useful model of
motivation for dealing with employees.

What utility does the concept of emotional intelligence have for organizational psychology? Is the
concept rigorous enough to allow us to employ it in the workplace or does the concept lack rigor and
empirical support? Review a selection of the literature on emotional intelligence to address this
question.

Discuss research bearing on the importance of job satisfaction. How is job satisfaction measured?
What other constructs is it related to? What behaviors or attitudes does it predict? In your view, is the
concept of job satisfaction the most important individual difference variable in organizational
psychology?

Why do eminent psychologists like Daniel Kahneman argue that physical beauty creates a very
significant halo effect? Review the literature on the 'beauty is good' halo effect in organizational
psychology. Are beautiful people really more likely to be better employees?

In many corporations, the chief executive officer or CEO earns a salary that is 10 to 100 times higher
than that of the average salaried employee. What are the psychological implications of this disparity in
executive pay versus the pay of lower level employees? Review the literature, describing key studies
and summarize your conclusions.

What can organizations do to enhance the ethical behavior of their employees? Survey the literature on
ethical behavior and what organizational psychology has to say about practices designed to encourage
ethical behavior.