History of I/O Psychology
Describe the evolution of the field of industrial/organizational psychology
Industrial-Organizational psychology has been around since the field of psychology evolved into a scientific discipline; however it began to evolve on its own in the beginning of the twentieth century. Walter Dill Scott and Hugo Munsterberg were experimental psychologists that “began applying psychological principles to the study of organizations” (Landis & Kaplan, 2005), which was huge in the development of I/O psychology. The work of Scott and Munsterberg identified the importance of how implementing psychological principles could help solve problems within organizations. Scott and Munsterberg also were recognized as writing the first books in the field of I/O psychology. An engineer named Frederick Taylor was developing proposals on principles of scientific management around the same time in where he studied employee productivity, “which were designed to guide the selection, training, and reward of production workers” (Landis & Kaplan, 2005). Taylor suggested that every job be analyzed so that the best possible way of completing a task can be identified; employees should be carefully chosen according to qualities they possess that are related to job performance; training is essential for employees to perform the functions of their job; and a rewards system should be in place for employees who excel in productivity. In the early stages of the development of I/O psychology the main focus was centered on “issues of job performance and organizational efficiency” (Spector, 2012 p.12) as well as the health of employees. During the first half of the twentieth century the field of I/O psychology began to advance allowing for focus on more areas dealing with issues in organizations. During World War I there were many requirements mandated by the military that initiated the use of I/O psychology in both private and government sectors.
Describe the evolution of the field of industrial/organizational psychology
Industrial-Organizational psychology has been around since the field of psychology evolved into a scientific discipline; however it began to evolve on its own in the beginning of the twentieth century. Walter Dill Scott and Hugo Munsterberg were experimental psychologists that “began applying psychological principles to the study of organizations” (Landis & Kaplan, 2005), which was huge in the development of I/O psychology. The work of Scott and Munsterberg identified the importance of how implementing psychological principles could help solve problems within organizations. Scott and Munsterberg also were recognized as writing the first books in the field of I/O psychology. An engineer named Frederick Taylor was developing proposals on principles of scientific management around the same time in where he studied employee productivity, “which were designed to guide the selection, training, and reward of production workers” (Landis & Kaplan, 2005). Taylor suggested that every job be analyzed so that the best possible way of completing a task can be identified; employees should be carefully chosen according to qualities they possess that are related to job performance; training is essential for employees to perform the functions of their job; and a rewards system should be in place for employees who excel in productivity. In the early stages of the development of I/O psychology the main focus was centered on “issues of job performance and organizational efficiency” (Spector, 2012 p.12) as well as the health of employees. During the first half of the twentieth century the field of I/O psychology began to advance allowing for focus on more areas dealing with issues in organizations. During World War I there were many requirements mandated by the military that initiated the use of I/O psychology in both private and government sectors.
Explain why industrial/organizational psychology should be considered a
science. Include an explanation of how
descriptive and inferential statistics are used in I/O research
Industrial-organizational
is clearly defined as “the scientific study of the workplace” (Society for
Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2014). I/O psychologist work in diverse settings
with their focus on many different tasks which is split between practice and
scientific research. The practice of I/O
psychology within an organizational setting is created from research developed
by scientific data collected from the organization. I/O psychology main activity is research
because “research can develop method and procedures for such activities as
selecting and training employees” (Spector, 2012 p.8). Research has had a major impact on I/O
psychology because of the development of policies and procedures that are used
in the selection and training of employees. Research has also been used to help
solve problems within an organization, such as the turnover rate, theft and
employee attitudes. Industrial-organizational psychology should be considered a
science because of the various research methods, “procedures, techniques, and
tools useful in conducting empirical research” (Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology, 2014). These
main procedures of scientific method are to collect data from organizations and
analyze that data to deal with issues and questions within the organization. Research for I/O psychologists begins with a
question that states the purpose of the study.
The question proposed by the I/O psychologist will lead to a research
hypothesis, which is the best guess about the findings. Descriptive and Inferential statistics are
methods used to analyze the data that is collected from the research conducted
by an I/O psychologist. If a survey is
conducted regarding how employees rate their salary on a scale of 1-5 with 5
being the worse, the descriptive statistics will summarize the results received
and the inferential statistics will help explain the results using a selection
of statistical tests.
Discuss the influence industrial/organization psychology has had on
organizations. Provide examples
Industrial-organizational
psychologists has had major influences on organizations dating back to periods
between World War I and World War II where organizations sought out their
services that were mainly related to employee productivity because. During this
time Industrial-organizational issues were developing in the United Kingdom and
“psychologist Charles Myers co-founded the National Institute of industrial
Psychology, and organization devoted to improving efficiency and working
conditions of British employees” (Spector, 2012). The Hawthorne studies also were a major
influence of I/O psychology because its focus was on the environmental
properties of the workplace, which involved how the brightness of lights and similar
issues affected worker productivity.
Studies were conducted that examined the psychological views of employee
performance that included matters such as employee break, supervisory
direction, group influences and the amount of hours an employee worked. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was also a major
influence in I/O psychology because this “act set in motion forces that have
had a tremendous impact on how organizations hire and treat employees, and not
only in the United States” (Spector, 2012 p.13). Once this act was passed discrimination
against minorities and women became illegal and the services of I/O
psychologist were enlisted to help develop a system that would remove
discrimination in the workplace. In 1990
the American with Disabilities Act was passed to protect individuals with disabilities
against discrimination. The field of I/O
psychology was used to implement policies and procedures that would eliminate
discrimination. The evolution of I/O
psychology has contributed to the improvement of many organizations and the
workplace conditions for their employees.
The field has expanded remarkably from just being focused on efficiency
and productivity to the well-being of the employees.
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