Jack Gordon

Eng. 1201
Prof. Ecchols
Mar 8, 2022
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
In most modern corporations, numerous techniques are used to motivate employees and
make them more productive. These techniques range from incentive programs to interior design,
and are often developed by major corporations with the resources to spend on research and
development. However, that research could be easily used somewhere else – the educational
system. Ways of making students less stressed and more motivated could work wonders. The
question, then, is which techniques would be practical or feasible to implement in schools.
Modern Industrial psychology started in WW2, both as a way to put more qualified
workers in high-end jobs and as a way to reduce worker fatigue and raise morale in factories. As
these techniques became more effective, they were adopted and refined by major corporations
during the post-war economic boom. Back then, the focus was only on making workers more
productive. In the last 20 years the focus has shifted to mitigating employee stress and
maintaining a healthy work environment, in order to attract employees, and the improvement in
productivity was staggering. Many major corporations began internal studies to gain an edge
over competitors, with one of the biggest ones being google (Parker).
One of the most popular ideas for improving schools is starting later in the day, as many
teens do not get enough sleep. Certain corporations, especially ones that need workers on
irregular hours, have looked into early vs late starts and found that starting an hour later often
causes people to be 40% more alert and awake (Dollard). This study, however, was outsourced to
a small and unknown institution who I could not find anything about online, then mentioned in a
larger journal.
Another popular idea for changes in the educational system is the elimination of
homework. Many supporters say that kids would be far happier and less stressed without
working at home. This may not be true, however – studies show that working from home is just
as productive as working in an office, provided workers have access to the same level of
communication (Zickar). This research was done by a group of corporations who had to go
remote during the pandemic, for their own purposes, and by a reputable psychologist named
Arthur Kornhauser. This means that eliminating homework would be eliminating a valid source
of learning.
One thing we could do to improve learning while in school comes from a study done by
Google. They found that teams (especially those in group projects) work best and get the most
done when every member speaks the same amount (Pinder). This study was done internally, by
google, to improve their own operation when working in teams and so is pretty reliable. This
could be encouraged in schools, as group work is a major component of most classes.
 One of the last, and hardest to implement, suggestions comes from an Australian study
about management styles. The teacher effectively acts as the manager and authority figures in a
classroom, so many of the techniques managers use could be applied to teachers in order to
improve their teaching. This one would require more training for teachers, a job that already
requires both knowledge of a specific subject and good people skills, and it would be difficult to
pin down good techniques, making it not very feasible.
Many people hear about industrial psychology and see it as a miracle cure to job stress,
but this is a misconception. All jobs contain some degree of stress, and some are more stressful
than others. Industrial psychology simply helps to mitigate it.
 Works Cited

Anders, Mike. "Endorsement". PsychologyBoard.gov.au. Psychology Board of Australia. July 1,

2010. Retrieved March 6, 2022.

Dollard, M. F., Dormann, C., Tuckey, M. R., & Escartín, J. “Psychosocial safety climate (PSC)

and enacted PSC for workplace bullying and psychological health problem reduction.”

European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, vol. 26, 2017, pp. 844-857.

DOI: 10.1080/1359432X.2017.1380626

Parker, Sharon K. "Beyond Motivation: Job and Work Design for Development, Health,

Ambidexterity, and More". Annual Review of Psychology. vol. 65, 2014, pp. 661–691.

DOI:10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115208.

Pinder, C. C. Work Motivation in Organizational Behavior (2nd ed). New York: Psychology

Press, 2008.

Zickar, M. J. “Remembering Arthur Kornhauser: Industrial psychology’s advocate for worker

well-being.” Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 88, 2003, pp. 363–369.

DOI:10.1037/0021-9010.88.2.363