The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

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The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist: More than a scientific study of the workplace Bethany J. oyer !lorida Institute of Technology

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist Abstract Out of the war roo# and into the work place went the psychologist$ turning not indi%iduals into soldiers &ut proficient and efficient e#ployees in e%erything fro# the sales to clerical positions. 'et as the &irth of psychology &rought further growth and

understanding into its #any applied di%isions$ so too did the i#portance of the workplace in ter#s of relations &etween worker and #achine and &eyond. (here industrial and organizational psychologists )I*O+ also known as occupational psychologist or work psychologist disco%ered a pleasant work en%iron#ent$ a %alid reward syste#$ and relationships with co-workers and &osses$ e%en genetics &eca#e factors into ,o& satisfaction )-unt$ .//0+. 1 &road set of factors that any and e%ery e#ployer should &e well aware of gi%en these attri&utes are i#perati%e to an e#ployee2s co##it#ent to the ,o&. The latter e%ery e#ployer should also pay heed to gi%en the costs of training and retraining should a good e#ployee #o%e on to a potentially healthier$ #ore satisfying e#otionally and financially place of e#ploy#ent. 1ll to &e &roached in this si#plified peek into the history of the I*O psychologist$ #ore than ,ust a study of the work en%iron#ent &ut the &road range of duties within the work place and related organizations$ as well as education$ salary and the personal interest of the author. To a #inor closing discussion on the rather conflicted percentages of satisfaction e#ployees within the 3nited 4tates and the potential reason &ehind what appears to &e an o%erwhel#ing a%erage of positi%es to &e found in the workplace.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

The industrial-organizational psychologist: More than a scientific study of the workplace I#agine working for a co#puter #anufacturer where your ,o& is to place the hard-dri%e$ the de%ice that holds all the infor#ation and progra##ing$ also known as the -55$ into the &elly of a personal co#puter )P6+ tower. 1fter carefully securing the -55 you proceed to push the tower down a production line to the ne7t indi%idual$ a co-worker at the facility$ who secures a set of data ca&les to the hard-dri%e. This is your ,o&$ one you perfor# fi%e days a week for a total of 8/ hours with a daily 9/ #inute lunch &reak and two ": #inute &reaks. Today$ howe%er$ is different as an indi%idual stands slightly off to your right with a stop watch and clip&oard in hand. On occasion this indi%idual #ay ask a series of ;uestions$ fro# how you %iew your work$ to your relationship with co-workers$ e%en your %iews of #anage#ent. 1t one point they &ring a chair for you to sit on$ cur&ing your need to stoop o%er e%ery new tower co#ing down the line. 1fter a period of ti#e passes$ the indi%idual with a stop watch and clip&oard #o%es on down the line to watch other workers on the production line$ ask ;uestions$ and appears to offer suggestions or criti;ue as to how to i#pro%e output. Throughout the day you see this indi%idual$ so#eti#es on the production line$ other ti#es in the hu#an resources office speaking with #anagers and tea# leaders. 6uriosity &rings you to in;uire ,ust who this person looking for ways to i#pro%e efficiency to the production line is and soon disco%er they are an occupational

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist psychologist$ also known as an industrial-organizational psychologist )I*O psychologist+ or work psychologist$ a di%ision of psychology that <4tudy hu#an &eha%ior and e7perience in the workplace= )6oolican$ .//0$ p. ">:+.

This experience enco#passes e%erything related to the work en%iron#ent$ such as where &est to use an e#ployee2s talents within a co#pany$ or design and i#ple#ent new training techni;ues and how &est to i#pro%e consu#er relations or create a healthier social network within a place of e#ploy#ent )-unt$ .//0+. This is not to say that the position of I*O psychologist can &e so easily #arginalized to within the confines of the workplace. 1s this di%ision of psychology can &est &e defined as the <study of &eha%ior in a particular setting or organization of any kind= )?uidelines$ "@@8+ as its historic foundations are wide and di%erse. Beginning with (orld (ar I$ industrial and organizational psychology is regarded as ha%ing <co#e out of the closet= )Aatzell B 1ustin$ "@@.$ p. >/:+ seeing the necessity to assess and screen i#pending recruits in particular attri&utes could &e e7panded into the work en%iron#ent. Thus the educated I*O psychologist effecti%ely #o%ed out of the war roo# so as to #easure the work perfor#ance$ ,o& skills$ and &eha%ior in e%erything fro# sales to clerical positions. C%entual progress in the workplace$ as pointed out &y Aatzell and 1ustin$ would see to the relationship &etween incenti%es deri%ed fro# wages and the need for sufficient rest ti#es or &reaks on the ,o& as #entioned for the co#puter facility e#ployee #entioned earlier$ along with social de%elop#ents &etween co-workers and super%isors. 1nd though their #ethods and results were far fro# perfect at the ti#e$ there was the realization that so #uch #ore played into the part of the workplace for e#ployees$ with

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist their su&se;uent attitudes and need for cooperation$ as well as co##unication$ proper training$ and the e%entual need to e%aluate and understand the ra#ifications of &eing une#ployed )"@@.+. To studies showcasing how genetics can e%en play an influential part in an indi%idual2s ,o& satisfaction after a series of studies found <identical twins separated at &irth and raised apart held si#ilar ,o& satisfaction traits= )-unt$ .//0$ p. 0">+. I*O psychology can &e &roken down into three di%isions$ falling into respecti%e distinctions of personnel psychology dealing with e#ployee selection to training$

organizational psychology as social conte7t and leadership$ with perfor#ance psychology attri&uted toward its %ery o&%ious na#e )6a#p&ell$ .//.+. These di%isions$ while see#ingly precise and specific are actually %ery &road$ with an I*O psychologist also contri&uting to such needs as coaching$ research$ and a work-life &alance )6a#p&ell$ .//.+. These are na#ing &ut a few potentials as the %ery titles an I*O #ay carry can %ary as enor#ously as their work. (hether they are a president or %ice president$ to director or a consultant of talent #anage#ent$ according to the 4ociety for Industrial and Organizational Psychology or 4IOP$ a di%ision of the 1#erican Psychology 1ssociation )1P1+ and associated with the 1ssociation of Psychological 4cience or 1P4. The 4IOP pro%ides a wealth of infor#ation for anyone interested in the I*O psychology field$ stipulating the education and licensure necessitates o&taining a doctorate fro# an accredited uni%ersity. 1nd the student needing to perfor# a period of internship with a licensed psychologist$ o&tain a ;ualifying score on the CPPP )C7a#ination for

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist Professional Practice in Psychology+ and pass an oral e7a# conducted &y the state &oard )"@@8+.

4o#e of the &est rated schools in ter#s of o&taining a doctorate of I*O psychology are the 3ni%ersity of Minnesota$ Bowling ?reen 4tate 3ni%ersity$ Michigan 4tate 3ni%ersity and 3ni%ersity of 4outh !lorida )3.4. Dews$ ./"9+. (hile this #ay sound o%erwhel#ing$ an I*O psychologist can look forward to a wide and %aried career that is #uch #ore than a person lurking o%er the shoulder of an e#ployee with a stopwatch. (hile i#perati%e in ter#s of function and perfor#ance in the work place the i#portance and need for an I*O psychologist within the work en%iron#ent or any organization is #uch larger and far #ore enco#passing than #any #ay realize as they #ay address spatial relationships of interiors$ noise in the work en%iron#ent$ e%en #onotony )-unt$ .//0+. 1n I*O psychologist #ay also &e responsi&le for not only the relations &etween the e#ployer and e#ployee$ fro# the hiring of the e#ployee into the workplace through inter%iews$ testing and personality assess#ent$ &ut the ensuing relationship &etween e#ployee and e;uip#ent*product$ to de%elop#ent of an industry as a whole that #ay include e7pansion to #o%ing$ its o%er-all organization within$ and e%en the relationship of the industry with the surrounding en%iron#ent &oth naturally and with the co##unity )Aline$ "@@E+. 1n I*O psychologist #ay e%en &e responsi&le for detecting the psychopath in the workplace as they #ay test for$ or &e used to recognize signs of the type of indi%idual)s+ that led to the downfall of such corporations as Cnron and (orld6o# )Baines$ .//:+.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 1s another e7a#ple$ an I*O psychologist #ay perfor# a feasi&ility study on

setting up shop in another country for the co#pany )Pro#oting$ .//9+ while another #ay take part in litigation for discri#ination in the workplace )Thornton$ Curich B Johnson$ .//@+ all in an effort and deter#ination to &enefit hu#an welfare. 1s an I*O psychologist$ according to the 3.4. Bureau of Fa&or 4tatistics$ salary a%erages G>E$8E/ a year$ as of .//>$ and is deter#inate upon the le%el of education and location )1llpsychologycareers.co#$ .//@+. -owe%er$ other factors #ay affect salary such as gender$ age$ and di%ision of hire such as working in acade#ics$ as an independent contractor$ or &usiness$ with unweighted results fro# an 4IOP inco#e sur%ey perfor#ed in .//@ showing wo#en a%eraging G"/"$8/8 and G@@$:0" fro# .//@ and .//>$ while #en G".>$8/9 in .//@ and G".:$99: in .//>. (hile co#pensation is always #erited$ the personal interest in I*O psychology ste#s fro# an early introduction into the work en%iron#ent$ and relies hea%ily on e;uity theory )Or e;uity sensiti%ity as posited in the following research+$ <an input and output relationship to perfor#ance and*or under-reward*o%er-reward in the workplace= as stipulated in a study &y OHDeill B Mone )"@@>+. The study looked at .8. healthcare professionals in ter#s of their ,o& satisfaction and co##it#ent$ along with self-efficacy. (hile they did not &roach the topic$ I hold a personal interest with ,o& satisfaction tied to the i#portance of autono#y in the workplace$ too. To pro%ide a short history on the interest$ I ac;uired #y first ,o& at ". years of age %ia the deli%ery of a weekly newspaper to "./ residents e%ery Monday after the school day. Fooking &ack the perspecti%e is ;uite changed as I cannot help &ut #use o%er how %ery little I knew a&out the product &eing dropped at doorsteps$ sho%ed &ehind a

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist screen door$ or into a #ail&o7. The only thing I was truly aware of was the re;uire#ent

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of getting the product in one piece and #ost i#portantly dry to the appropriate location as specified &y the custo#er in a ti#ely #anner. I had no real concept of the product as I was not taught a&out the %alue of the ite# I was deli%ering &ut rather the i#portance of not #aking anyone upset. I was &eing taught that ti#e$ proper deli%ery$ product place#ent was i#portant$ &ut a&solutely nothing a&out the i#portance of the product itself. 1ny sense of ownership or pride in what I was doing ca#e a&out %ia self-efficacy. This lack of %alue or concern for the product leads into e#ployees$ e#ployers and the work en%iron#ent today as the e7perience &etween childhood and adulthood in said situation see#s little changed. (hile I was far too young to understand e;uity theory-related issues$ they were present$ as was autono#y and self-efficacy. !irst hand$ %ery little of #y ti#e had to &e sacrificed in order to do the ,o&$ once a week$ two to three hours at the #ost was necessary. I also had constant$ steadfast assistance fro# #y grandparents who were located within a respecta&le distance of the route. The #oney I recei%ed was #ore than sufficient for a child deli%ering papers and the fact I was not held to a specific ti#e of co#pletion so long as it was done that %ery day$ I had #y first introduction to autono#y$ a &aseline of control regarding #y ,o&. There was no &oss o%erlooking #y work$ assessing #y distri&ution ti#e or e%en #y #ethod of deli%ery though fear of a ,o& not well done was e%er present$ creating a &alance or e;uity &etween the a#ount of work &eing put in and the reward. -owe%er$ that &alance regarding pay$ ti#e$ effort$ autono#y and self-efficacy has not always translated well into today2s adult workplace$ thus the self-interest. I2%e

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

disco%ered o%er the course of a %aried work history that )see#ingly+ the #a,ority of work en%iron#ents are &ased on fear. Dot a lot of ti#e is gi%en to introducing the %alue of the product to e#ployees in the workplace fro# personal e7perience. There #ay &e relata&le training$ whether that is how to work with the product or sell it. But what is generally taught )In &iased opinion+ is the sa#e concept I held as a child. 1 fear of &eing late$ fear of #aking so#eone angry$ and certainly fear of speaking up if in ;uestion of the product$ relations &etween leaders or co-workers$ etc. There was little to no teaching of the %alue of the product. 4a#e can go for those who work with people )People in this case &eing the product+ as e#ployees )In #y e7perience+ were taught #ore a&out appease#ent than actual satisfaction$ or a&out ac;uiring a certain nu#&er of people$ )Much as doctors with #eeting insurance ;uotas of so #any patients in and out+ and so forth. 1 situation I find e7ceedingly trou&leso#e gi%en the enor#ous a#ount of ti#e we spend in the work place. (hile this outlook #ay see# fro# an uneducated perhaps e%en #isinfor#ed or nai%e standing$ I look to a pu&lication that referenced e%erything fro# the work psychologist needing to &e a&le to weed out unwanted or undesired e#ployees fro# the roster )rather than working with the#$ apparently$ or #aking the# &etter e#ployees+. 1long with the rather se7ist re#arks that a #an working on the ,o& with a spouse attending to the needs at ho#e is #ore capa&le of confor#ing to the workplace en%iron#ent &ased upon the growing dual-career fa#ilies of today. Thus #aking the stipulation that confor#ity will &e less and less due to the o%erwhel#ingly growing nu#&er of single-parent run fa#ily workers )Jackson B 4chuler$ "@@/+. 1 %iew I hope is si#ply due to dated #aterial.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist "/ I fully acknowledge that each and e%ery indi%idual #ust take responsi&ility in their knowledge in a workplace and the products they o%ersee. 'et$ I canHt help &ut wonder a&out the enor#ous nu#&er of products$ whether people or things$ are &eing ignored for the si#ple fact we are taught to fear a plethora of other issues on the peripheral of the work e7perience. (hen I stop to think a&out the people who deli%er the ite# to which I work on in #y current place of e#ploy$ the newspaper$ to a custo#erHs doorstep or #ail&o7$ what %alue do they hold for that product$ if anyI 1nd should they truly hold any care for that product &eyond its intact$ whole and dry deli%ery if they2%e an i#&alance &etween the work perfor#ed and #onetary receipt or self-satisfaction in a ,o& well done and lack of autono#y$ so#e control o%er their work en%iron#ent. It &eco#es a circular issue that if one does not care for the product first hand$ why should they en,oy the ,o&I If they do not en,oy the ,o&$ why should they care for the productI 1gain$ with so #uch ti#e and energy spent at a place of e#ploy$ with so #uch riding on deri%ing #ore than ,ust a paycheck for #any indi%iduals fro# a ,o&J I can2t help &ut &e intrigued &y the potential of studying the relations within industry. -owe%er$ the negati%e aspects of #y interest is that I a# far #ore interested in the relation of the e#ployee to the product$ whether an ite# or a person$ and their health and well-&eing$ as opposed to #anagerial or ownership. The %ery latter who are #ore than likely the one to hire #e and who #ay care little for the health and well-&eing of their e#ployee so #uch as their a&ility to push as #uch product as possi&le. This certainly creates an issue on how to sell #y passion to so#eone needing or ac;uiring #y ser%ices in the work place$ where I feel #y knowledge and e#pathy would &e necessitated$ at least for the e#ployee.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist "" I see #y &eing of little use to an owner$ unless they are genuinely concerned$ educated and appreciate the returns on the welfare of their staffJ so#ething I feel is grossly #issing fro# &usinesses today. 1s #ade pointedly &y OHDeill B Mone in their ,o& satisfaction study$ <(e contend that those high in self-efficacy pursue higher goals$ achie%e #ore in their work$ and e7perience #ore satisfaction that fosters organizational co##it#ent= )"@@>+. If e#ployers want &est to sell their product they #ust foster an en%iron#ent of co##it#ent and the &est leadership upon which to achie%e that is with the help of an I*O psychologist$ an indi%idual who can assist &oth the owner and the e#ployee in reaching the &est le%el or persona$ professional and co#pany-wide successes. The key ele#ent &eing ,o& satisfaction and a sense of control )autono#y+ and self-efficacy for the e#ployee$ of which the I*O psychologist can assist an e#ployee in achie%ing. (hat ulti#ately #ust &e re#e#&ered is that the I*O psychologist ca#e out of the war roo# and into the workplace$ or related institutions$ to assist e#ployees and e#ployers. (hether it was to i#pro%e production ti#e or ;uality$ and e#ployee satisfaction #ust always &e heralded as #o%ing forward$ not turning indi%iduals into soldiers or #achines. To institute the work en%iron#ent &ack into a war roo# would &e egregious for all.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist ". Discussion The personal %iews regarding the work en%iron#ent in the latter portion of this piece #ay appear skewed$ a&out as skewed as the satisfaction rate of e#ployees in the workplace. 1 sur%ey perfor#ed &y a su&sidiary of Manpower ?roup$ ight Manage#ent$ re%ealed a dis#al "@ percent ,o& satisfaction rate a#ongst 3nited 4tates citizens )!ryer$ ./".+ fro# a sur%ey perfor#ed last spring. Meanwhile$ a sur%ey perfor#ed &y the 6onference Board$ a non-profit co##unity and industry i#pro%e#ent co#pany showed a 8: percent satisfaction rate in the 3nited 4tates )3.4.$ ./"9+. 1s yet another ,o& satisfaction report &y the 4ociety for -u#an esource Manage#ent cited >" percent in the positi%e regarding their e#ploy#ent )C#ployee$ ./".+. This e;uates to a @" percent a%erage of ,o& satisfaction o%er three sa#ples and if this is the case$ there see#s to &e little need for worry in ter#s of the relations &etween e#ployees and e#ployers$ e#ployees and ,o&s. Or is this a%erage result really a #easure of the success$ &ehind the scenes$ of the I*O psychologistI 1s$ according to the 4ociety for -u#an esource Manager or 4- M e#ployee satisfaction rests upon a nu#&er of attri&utes such as co#pensation*pay$ the work itself$ relationships with co-workers$ #eaningfulness of the ,o& and #uch #ore. I#perati%es that an I*O psychologist will &e not only pri%y to &ut responsi&le for &oth in personal education and in educating those in the work en%iron#ent. 1s their work is far #ore than a si#ple study of how efficient to work or where &est to work$ &ut an enor#ous picture of the work-related issues and functions within and as a whole. -owe%er$ this is not to say the fit has &een entirely

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist "9 perfect either$ gi%en the ad%ent of e#otional sta&ility testing and integrity ;uestionnaires gi%en to ,o& applicants well &efore the inter%iew process so as to weed out the unwanted &eforehand )-unt$ .//0+. Perhaps the &est o%erall definition to the work of I*O psychologists and the work en%iron#ent in closing is %ia o&ert Perloff who saw two cohesi%e entities$ a circular #eans to an end where the ulti#ate fulfill#ent is for &oth$ <1s indi%iduals and that of the organizations for which we work= ).//:+. In other words$ we need &oth to succeed.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist "8 eferences 1llpsychologycareers.co# ).//@+. Industrial-organizational psychology salaries. etrie%ed fro# http:**www.allpsychologycareers.co#*salary*industrial-organizationalpsychology-salary.ht#l. Baines$ 5. ).//:$ 1pr. .0+. PsychologistHs test ai#s to detect psychopaths at work. The Vancouver Sun. etrie%ed fro# http:**search.pro;uest.co#*doc%iew*.8..E9:":I accountidK.09"9 6a#p&ell$ (. J. ).//.+. 6onsideration of consulting psychology*organizational educational principles as they relate to the practice of industrial-organizational psychology and the society for industrial and organizational psychologyHs education and training guidelines. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 54)8+$ .E"-.08. doi: http:**d7.doi.org*"/."/90*"/E"-8/>0.:8.8..E" 6oolican$ -. ).//0+. Applied Psychology. ).nd ed.+ 6roydon$ 6 O: 6PI ?roup. !ryer$ 4. )./".+. Ma,ority of e#ployees don2t find ,o& satisfying. Right anage!ent:

anpo"er#roup. etrie%ed fro# http:**www.right.co#*news-and-e%ents*pressreleases*./".-press-releases*ite#.99:..asp7. ?uidelines for education and training at the #aster2s le%el in industrial-organizational psychology. )"@@8+. Society $or %ndustrial and &rgani'ational Psychology, %nc( etrie%ed fro# http://www.siop.org/guidelines.aspx.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist ": C#ployee ,o& satisfaction and engage#ent. )./".+. -ow e#ployees are dealing with uncertainty. Society $or )u!an Resource anage!ent( )4- M+ etrie%ed fro#

http:**www.shr#.org*FegalIssues*4tateandFocal esources*4tateandFocal4tatutesand egulations*5ocu#ents*".-/:90L././".MJo&4atisfactionM!DFMonline.pdf -unt$ M. ).//0+. 3sers and #isusers of psychology. The story o$ psychology. )pp.0/908@+ Dew 'ork$ D.'.: 1nchor Books. ando# -ouse$ Inc. Jackson$ 4. C.$ B 4chuler$ . 4. )"@@/+. -u#an resource planning: 6hallenges for industrial*organizational psychologists. A!erican Psychologist, 45).+$ ..9-.9@. doi: http:**d7.doi.org*"/."/90*///9-/EEN.8:.....9. Aatzell$ . 1.$ B 1ustin$ J. T. )"@@.+. !ro# then to now: The de%elop#ent of industrialorganizational psychology in the 3nited 4tates. Journal o$ Applied Psychology, **)E+$ >/9->9:. doi: http:**d7.doi.org*"/."/90*//."-@/"/.00.E.>/9. Aline$ T. J. B. )"@@E+. 5efining the field of industrial-organizational psychology. Canadian Psychology+Psychologie Canadienne, ,*)8+$ ./:-./@. doi: http:**d7.doi.org*"/."/90*/0/>-::@".90.8../:. OHDeill$ B. 4.$ B Mone$ M. 1. )"@@>+. In%estigating e;uity sensiti%ity as a #oderator of relations &etween self-efficacy and workplace attitudes. Journal o$ Applied Psychology, -,):+$ >/:->"E. doi: http:**d7.doi.org*"/."/90*//."-@/"/.>9.:.>/:. Perloff$ . ).//:+. (hat lies ahead for I*O psychology and psychologist-#anagers. The psychologist.!anager /ournal( -)"+$ >@O@E.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist "E Pro#oting that !riday feeling helping others to #anage di%ersity in the workplace is a full-ti#e occupation for psychologist Johanna !ullerton$ writes John 6radden. ).///$ Do%e#&er /9+. %rish Ti!es. etrie%ed fro# http:**search.pro;uest.co#*doc%iew*9/@.@>8/@IaccountidK.09"9 4pecialty guidelines for the deli%ery of ser%ices &y Industrial*Organizational psychologists. )"@>"+. A!erican Psychologist, ,0)E+$ EE8-EE@. etrie%ed fro# http:**search.pro;uest.co#*doc%iew*E"88"0":0IaccountidK.09"9 Thornton$ ?. 6.$ Curich$ T. F.$ B Johnson$ . ).//@+. Industrial*organizational psychologists as e7pert witnesses in e#ploy#ent discri#ination litigation: 5escriptions and prescriptions. The Psychologist anager Journal(, 12)9+$ ">0-./9.

etrie%ed fro# http:**search.pro;uest.co#*doc%iew*".E@E/:."EIaccountidK.09"9 3.4. ,o& satisfaction at lowest le%el in two decades. )./"9+. P Dewswire.co#. etrie%ed fro# http:**www.prnewswire.co#*news-releases*us-,o&-satisfaction-at-lowest-le%elin-two-decades->/E@@0:..ht#l 3.4. Dews and (orld eport. )./"9+. Best industrial and organizational psychology progra#s. etrie%ed fro# http:**grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandre%iews.co#*&estgraduate-schools*top-hu#anities-schools*industrial-organizational-psychologyrankings.