I/O Psychology as a distinct

discipline
I/O Psychology defined
• Is a branch of psychology that applies the principles of psychology to
the workplace.
• The purpose of I/O Psychology is to enhance the dignity and
performance of people, and the organizations they work in, by
advancing the science and knowledge of human behavior.
• The goal of psychology is to increase productivity, performance and
well-being of employees.
• I/O Psychology was previously known as occupational psychology and
work psychology
I/O Psychology defined
• Industrial approach – focuses on determining the competencies
needed to perform a job, staffing the organization with employees
who have those competencies and increase their competencies
through training. These competencies may also be harnessed with the
use of appraisal techniques and rewards approaches that produce
engagement and performance at work.
• Organizational approach – creates an organizational structure and
culture that will motivate employees to perform well, give them
necessary information to do their jobs and provide working
conditions that are safe and result in an enjoyable and satisfying work
life.
I/O Psychology defined
• For example: the principles of social psychology in understanding
group and organizational dynamics; motivation, emotion, personality,
and behavioral approaches in understanding work attitudes and
behaviors; health psychology for stress management; positive
psychology for both stress management and work-life balance;
assessment/quantitative psychology for related purposes.
Major fields of I/O Psychology
• Personnel psychology –refers to the study and practice in such areas
as analyzing jobs, recruiting applicants, selecting employees,
determining salary levels, training employees, and evaluating
employee performance.
Major fields of I/O Psychology
• Organizational psychology - is concerned with the issues of
leadership, employee satisfaction and motivation, organizational
communication, conflict management, organizational change and
group processes within an organization.
Major fields of I/O Psychology
• Human Factors Engineering/Ergonomics – focus on workplace design,
human-machine interaction, ergonomics, and physical fatigue and
stress. Psychologist work with engineers and technical professionals
to make the workplace safe and efficient.
• The application of psychological and physiological principles to the
engineering and design of products, processes, and systems. The goal
of human factors is to reduce human error, increase productivity, and
enhance safety and comfort with a specific focus on the interaction
between human and machines and other related equipment and
physical conditions typically used in the workplace.
Consumer Psychology
• Consumer psychology is the study of the processes involved when individuals or groups
select, purchase, use, or dispose of products, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy
needs and desires.
• This subfield employs theoretical psychological approaches to understanding the
consumers.
• This field is often considered a subspecialty of industrial-organizational psychology and is
also known as the psychology of consumer behavior or the psychology of marketing.
Consumer psychologists study a variety of topics including:
• How consumers choose businesses, products, and services
• The thought processes and emotions behind consumer decisions
• How environmental variables such as friends, family, media, and culture influence buying
decisions
• What motivates people to choose one product over another
• How personal factors and individual differences affect people's buying choices
• What marketers can do to effectively reach out to their target customers
Based on SIOP 4 common areas of practice :

• Industry
• Academe
• Government
• Consulting
CAREERS IN IO PSYCHOLOGY
• An IO Psychologist in Industry
• IO Psy in industry are working inside an organization’s HR Department,
working a a consultant with one organization, or working as an IO
Psychologist within one organization where the focus is providing professional
service to the employing organization

• Role is either a Specialist v Generalist

• Top competencies needed: critical thinking; accountability; professionalism;

verbal communication; ethical behavior; interpersonal skills; planning; written
communication; data analysis, & problem-solving
CAREERS IN IO PSYCHOLOGY
• An IO Psychologist in The Academe
• Could be faculty or administrators (Department Chair, Dean, Vice President,
President)

• Roles are in research, teaching, service and extension

• Competencies: written and verbal communication, teaching and/or research

ability, integrity and ethical behavior, disciplinary competence, creative-
thinking, fairness, attention to detail and trustworthiness.
CAREERS IN IO PSYCHOLOGY
• An IO Psychologist in Government
• Role as an employee, manager or consultant

• Competencies: verbal and written communication, critical thinking, customer

service, ethical behavior and integrity, interpersonal skills, listening skills,
attention to detail, data analysis, knowledge of the internal workings of the
State or Federal Government, networking, and problem-solving.
CAREERS IN IO PSYCHOLOGY
• An IO Psychologist in Consulting
• Are those that are working as external consultants hired to provide professional
advice to organizations outside of their own organizations.

• 3 kinds of tracks:
• Project consultant
• Research consultant
• Management

• Critical experiences required: ability to work independently; composure under stress;

collaboration with others; presentation skills; developing strong client relationships;
client meetings; following timeline and budgets on project work; monitoring
outcomes of projects; assist with project delivery; and manage relationships and
networks.
RESEARCH IN IO PSYCHOLOGY

QUANTITATIVE METHOD QUALITATIVE METHOD

• Experimental • Case Study
• Correlational • Ethnography
• Descriptive-Surveys • Interviews
• Mixed-methods • Focus Group Discussion
• Observation
• Archival research