Industrial

organisational
psychology
workbook

1
Introduction

Welcome to this very short workbook – so short there’s no real reason for you not to
complete it!

The workbook involves a little research, yes, but they key is in application to your workplace
or a workplace you are familiar with.

Remember to post your answers in the Q/A section for this course – the more people that
do this the more others will gain. You have the course for life so what you post today may
be used by someone years from now.

2
Chapter 1

Industrial organizational psychology – what is it?

Industrial-organizational psychology is the branch of psychology that applies psychological

theories and principles to organizations. Often referred to as I-O psychology, this field
focuses on increasing workplace productivity and related issues such as the physical and
mental well-being of employees.

Industrial-organizational psychologists perform a wide variety of tasks, including studying

worker attitudes and behaviour, evaluating companies, and conducting leadership training.
The overall goal of this field is to study and understand human behaviour in the workplace.

What Is Industrial-Organizational Psychology?

You can think of industrial-organizational psychology as having two major sides. First, there
is the industrial side, which involves looking at how to best match individuals to specific job
roles. This segment of I-O psychology is also sometimes referred to as personnel
psychology.

People who work in this area might assess employee characteristics and then match these
individuals to jobs in which they are likely to perform well. Other functions that fall on the
industrial side of I-O psychology include training employees, developing job performance
standards, and measuring job performance.

The organizational side of psychology is more focused on understanding how organizations

affect individual behaviour. Organizational structures, social norms, management styles, and
role expectations are all factors that can influence how people behave within an
organization.

By understanding such factors, I-O psychologists hope to improve individual performance

and health while at the same time benefiting the organization as a whole.

While industrial-organizational psychology is an applied field, basic theoretical research is

also essential. With roots in experimental psychology, I-O psychology has a number of
different sub-areas such as human-computer interaction, personnel psychology, and human
factors.

Source: http://bit.do/IOP1

Now watch this : link 1 and this: link 2 and this: link 3 and this link 4

Your task:

In 50 words or less, summarise what Industrial Organizational Psychology is – put your

summary in the Q/A section for this course.

3
Chapter 2

If you were to read this book you’d read that most industrial-organizational psychologists
work in one of six major subject areas:

 Employee selection: This area involves developing employee selection

assessments, such as screening tests to determine if job applicants are qualified for a
particular position.

Your task: giving a real-life example, outline what would be involved in a screening test
for a particular position. Post your answer in the Q/A section

 Ergonomics: The field of ergonomics involves designing procedures and equipment

designed to maximize performance and minimize injury.

Your task: giving two examples show pictures of ergonomically designed office furniture
and post this in the Q/A section.

 Organizational development: I-O psychologists who work in this area help

improve organizations, often through increasing profits, redesigning products, and
improving the organizational structure.1

Your task: explain – giving real life examples – how the work of I-O psychologists may
help raise profits. Post these real examples in the Q/A section.

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  Performance management: I-O psychologists who work in this area develop
assessments and techniques to determine if employees are doing their jobs well.

Your task: give one real life example of assessment/technique to determine employee
performance and post this in the Q/A section

 Training and development: Professional in this area often determine what type of
skills are necessary to perform specific jobs as well as develop and evaluate
employee training programs.

Your task: Explain – with an example – how an employee training programme may be
evaluated. Post this in the Q/A section

 Work life: This area focuses on improving employee satisfaction and maximizing the
productivity of the workforce. I-O psychologists in this area might work to find ways
to make jobs more rewarding or design programs that improve the quality of life in
the workplace.

Your task: Give THREE examples that illustrate how the quality of life at the workplace
can be improved AND ALSO another three ways in which the job may be made more
rewarding. Ione of these examples must be that of the job of a Udemy Instructor. Post
your responses in the Q/A section.

This is a job description for an I/O Psychologist. Find a vacancy for such a post
and link to it in the Q/A section.

5
Chapter 3

Watch and summarise these videos – put the summaries in the Q/A section. Head the
summary with the link to the video.

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Link 4

Giving REAL examples, explain how I/O Psychology gives workplace solutions.

Also read this

6
Chapter 4

Here are some of the specific topics addressed by industrial-organizational psychology

experts:

 Employee motivation: Professionals in this field may also use psychological

principles to help keep workers motivated.

In the Q/A section for this course, list TEN ways an employee may be motivated.
Also explain what motivates YOU at work or as a student.

Also watch this

 Employee testing: Psychological principles and tests are often used by I-O
psychologists to help businesses select candidates that are best-suited to specific job
roles.
 Leadership: I-O psychologists may work to help leaders develop better strategies or
train managers to utilize different leadership skills to manage team members more
effectively.
 Product design: Some I-O psychologists are involved in the development of
consumer or workplace products.
 Workplace diversity: Within the area of organizational psychology, professionals in
this field may help businesses develop hiring practices that foster greater diversity as
well as train employees on diversity and inclusion.
 Workplace performance: I-O psychologists often study behaviour in the
workplace in order to design environments and procedures that maximize employee
performance.

Giving examples explain how environments may be designed to maximise

employee performance.

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Chapter 5

Here are a series of articles. What you must do is:

1. Start a thread with the title of the article

2. Put a link to the article
3. Explain the article
4. Be prepared for questions

Easy! One thread for each article.

Explain woke-washing

There’s a pandemic – how can companies offer reskilling for employees?

How can a culture be created at work where everyone feels they belong?

Why do companies destroy themselves?

Research suggests introverts are perceived and treated differently in the

workplace.

You’re between jobs – what should you do and why?

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Chapter 6 : Important People in IO Psychology History

There have been several prominent figures in the field of IO Psychology, including:

 Frederick W. Taylor: Taylor was a mechanical engineer who published an

influential book on improving industrial efficiency.
 Hugo Münsterberg: Munsterberg was an applied psychologist who wrote an early
text on how psychology could be used for industrial, occupational, and organizational
purposes. His work had an important impact on the early development of the field.
 James McKeen Cattell: Cattell was an early proponent of looking at how individual
differences influence human behaviour.
 Kurt Lewin: Lewin was an influential applied psychologist who described a number
of leadership styles that people may exhibit. His work also focused on looking at all
of the forces that influence a situation rather than just taking individual behaviour
into account.
 Robert Yerkes: Yerkes was a psychologist known for his work in the field of
intelligence testing. He developed the Alpha and Beta Intelligence Tests for the U.S.
Army, which were used to evaluate military recruits during WWI. Scores on the tests
were used to determine respondent's capabilities, including ability to serve and
leadership potential.

Write 50-100 words on each and post your summary in the Q/A section. Also be
prepared to answer questions – do NOT just copy and paste from the internet!

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Chapter 7

Theories and studies

Read this and then summarise it in 50 words. Put your summary in the Q/A
section.

Outline three theories – and evaluate them – not already covered in this course
workbook.

Further reading:

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

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