Most people, when asked who a psychologist is, often imagine a picture of someone sitting over a troubled person lying on a couch with a notepad in hand. Actually, this only covers a very small portion of psychology. IO psychology is one of the least popular subfields in this field, despite being widely used and still having relevance today. This article will define organizational psychology and describe how to become an IO psychologist.
Who Is An IO Psychologist?
IO psychology, or Industrial and Organizational Psychology, is the science of human behavior in a workplace. It belongs to the field of applied psychology.
An Industrial and Organizational Psychologist or IO Psychologist is a professional who enhances workplace quality of life by applying psychological concepts and established research techniques. This is because once you have assessed the present workplace’s culture, personality, and morale, you can solve the issues that contribute to a poor quality of life there as an industrial and organizational psychologist.
Additionally, an industrial and organizational psychologist’s main goal is to boost workplace performance and productivity. You might find employment as an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist in medical facilities, clinics, or educational institutions. Labor unions, governmental organizations, recruitment centers, human resources, private practices, and small and large corporations, to name a few, will also need your expertise.
What Does An Industrial-Organizational Psychologist Do?
I/O psychologists carry out the following actions to reach their objectives:
- Work with the human resources departments of the company.
- Work with the management and hiring teams to make culturally compatible hires.
- Encourage and educate staff members. Examine the performance of the workforce.
- Examine the managerial and employee working styles.
- Keep an eye on and evaluate workplace productivity.
- Work together with management teams to create new corporate guidelines.
- Furthermore, they set up training events.
- Invent long-term business strategies.
- Boost organizational hierarchy and efficiency.
- Look out for achieving a high standard of workplace performance and ideal work-life balance for both management and staff.
- Additionally, they assist with business transitions, such as corporate sales and mergers.
- Finally, for better sales outcomes, they examine consumer behavior patterns.
What Are The Three Major Fields Of IO Psychology?
IO psychology can be categorized into three main fields:
#1. Industrial Psychology
In this field, job requirements are outlined, and candidates are evaluated on their suitability for those jobs. Industrial psychology also investigates and creates methods for instructing, evaluating, and reacting to those evaluations once workers have been hired. Consequently, industrial psychology must take legal considerations about hiring discrimination into account as a result of its concern for candidate characteristics.
#2. Organizational Psychology
This field is a field of study that is interested in how a company’s performance and its employees’ relationships. It also includes researching employee commitment, motivation, and satisfaction. This field also investigates organizational culture, management, and leadership practices, as well as how organizational structures, management and leadership practices, social norms, and role expectations influence employee behavior. Furthermore, organizational psychology takes into account the issues of harassment, including sexual harassment, and workplace violence because it is interested in the relationships and well-being of employees.
#3. Human Factors Psychology
This field refers to the study of how employees use their tools at work and how those tools can be designed to maximize productivity, safety, and health for employees. These studies can focus on simple interactions like how well a desk, chair, and computer fit a person who must sit in the chair at the desk using the computer for several hours every day. Additionally, the study of how people interact with complex displays and their capacity for quick and accurate interpretation can also be included. Note that this area of study is known as ergonomics in Europe.
What Are The Six Areas Of Industrial Psychology?
The following are the six areas of industrial psychology:
Human behavior across the board in an industrial setting is the focus of industrial psychology. As a result, it studies the social, psychological, and economic facets of human behavior. The majority of economic factors today have some psychological impact. The psychological well-being of workers who live in an industrial setting is influenced by a variety of factors.
#2. Study of the Physical Aspect of Work Environment:
In a given industry, the working environment has a significant impact on the employee. When conditions are good, an employee feels content and stays healthy, but when conditions deteriorate, an employee loses satisfaction. Therefore, industrial psychology focuses on the actual workplace environment.
#3. Principles of Human Relationships:
Industrial psychology focuses on improving human relationships in an industrial environment. It has been found that industrialists can achieve a higher rate of production if they behave sympathetically with their employees, and those who cannot maintain good relations with their workers will not succeed for long. This is because industrial psychology seeks to discover principles for improving human relationships in an industrial environment.
#4. Study of Aptitudes and Motives:
This area of study, states that human behavior in the industrial environment is influenced and formed by attitudes and goals, just like in any other situation. As stimuli change, so does behavior. Therefore, it is crucial to learn the laws governing proper attitudes and objectives.
#5. Study of Principles of Mental Health:
Industrial psychology studies the factors influencing the mental health of industrial workers and tries to discover principles for maintaining their mental health. Additionally, it also offers suggestions for improving the mental health of those who are suffering from mental disease or are unbalanced.
#6. Study of Human Relations:
Being a subfield of psychology, industrial psychology is especially interested in the observation and study of human interactions, concluding both experiments and other research. Based on these findings, general principles are sought to enhance interpersonal relationships between employees and management.
What Are The Four Fields Of IO Psychology?
#1. Industrial Psychology
This field specializes in hiring practices and employee retention to ensure the fewest number of layoffs and the most hirings proportionate to the size of the organization.
Types of jobs:
- Personnel Analyst
- Research Analyst
#2. Organizational Psychology
This field focuses on the connections that employees make with their employers and how those connections are made in the other direction. Additionally, it studies the relationships that form between coworkers and how organizational norms have an impact on those relationships.
Types of jobs:
- HR Research Specialist
- Project Consultant
- Personnel Psychologist
- Training and Leadership Developer
- Talent Developer
#3. Human Factors and Engineering
In this field, there is the study of technological developments and shifts to enhance how consumers use technology, whether it be for communications, transportation, work environments, or consumer products. Furthermore, it aims to be more adept at foreseeing how people will use technology and products to increase their safety and dependability.
Types of jobs:
- Ergonomist
- Safety Scientist
- Project Consultant
- Research Scientist
- Product Development
#4. Humanitarian Work Psychology
This field works to better the lives of those who have experienced major disasters or who are part of an underserved population. It also focuses on improving public health services, improving labor relations, and reducing the effects of diseases, the recession, and climate change on populations.
Types of jobs:
- Research Scientist
- Counselor
- Consultant
- Senior Response Officer
Importance Of IO Psychology In The Workplace
#1. It enhances the recruitment strategy and methods.
#2. Leads to efficient personnel recruitment.
#3. Employee productivity improves.
#4. It increases job satisfaction.
#5. It allows for better working conditions.
#6. Allows for work-life balance, which is important.
#7. Increases workplace collaboration.
Skills Of An IO Psychologist
The best IO psychologists are highly emotionally intelligent. They can identify their own feelings or prejudices as well as those of others and can effectively react to them. To identify problems within an organization, IO psychologists must also use critical thinking. Organization, creativity, and resourcefulness are additional essential career skills.
In fact, because IO psychology is such a dynamic field, adaptability is advantageous. Even when hired to address a specific issue, professionals frequently find additional problems that need their attention. Since contracted services are only provided for a specific period, external practitioners also need to adapt quickly.
Since improvements within an organization are how success is measured, IO psychologists should exhibit strong data analysis skills. To present findings in a way that clients can understand and use, IO psychologists must also have excellent communication skills.
How To Become an Industrial Organizational Psychologist?
#1. Get a Bachelor’s Degree
Students need to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology to become an I/O psychologist, which can include biology, intro to psychology, social psychology, and behavioral psychology.
#2. Complete a Doctoral Program
Students can pursue a master’s or doctorate in industrial-organizational psychology to increase job opportunities, lead to higher pay and prepare for executive-level positions. Psy.D. programs take four to six years to complete, while Ph.D. programs take five to eight years.
#3. Obtain a State License
I/O psychologists must hold a license to practice in some states. State-specific licensing requirements can be found on the website maintained by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Be aware that most states don’t require a license for up to 60 days of practice.
#4. Pass the Certification Exam
After completing a doctorate program in I/O psychology, students may choose to become board certified to add a level of expertise. This process requires more than 1,000 hours of experience and research.
Advantages Of Becoming An Industrial And Organizational Psychologist
#1. You will be able to generate a lucrative income.
Industrial and organizational psychologists have an average annual salary of $96,000, but their salary may vary depending on their specialization, location, years of experience, and other factors. They have a robust earning potential of up to $193,000 if they are in the top 10%.
#2. You can find financial assistance to help pay for school.
The cost of becoming an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist should be considered, but there are financial aid resources available to help. Some of these include the APA Dissertation Research Award, the Bethesda Lutheran Communities Scholarship for College Students, and the Society of Consulting Psychology Small Grant Competition. In addition to any government funding, you may be eligible for, such as through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
#3. Your prospects for employment have improved.
Being an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist has some benefits, including a promising job outlook for this profession. The employment outlook for this industry is expected to increase by 13% through 2025. This increase in employment is attributable to business executives realizing the value of having an industrial and organizational psychologist on staff. Your services will aid in raising a company’s employee retention, productivity, and engagement levels.
#4. You can work in various organizations
Industrial and Organizational Psychologists can work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, schools, labor unions, government agencies, recruitment centers, human resources, private practices, and corporations.
#5. Be your own boss.
As an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist, you can start your own private practice, allowing you to be your own boss.
#6. You get to work from home.
Industrial and Organizational Psychologists can help people transition to a different work environment by conducting their work from the comfort of their own office or living room, observing workflow and interactions via the computer.
What Are The Two Sides Of IO Psychology?
I-O psychology is a field that examines the two facets of the workplace: the business and the employees. It looks at strengths, weaknesses, problems, and assets to ensure employee retention, engagement, and productivity.
What Major Is Best For IO Psychology?
Earning a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology is a good starting point for a future career. It may be advisable to pursue a master’s degree or doctorate to break into a new career or go into a different field, like:
- Private practice
- Research
- Teach at the college level.
Which Industries Hire The Most IO Psychologists?
Five economic sectors or industries account for the majority of these jobs. These consist of:
- scientific research and development services.
- Management scientific and technical consulting services.
- State government.
- Federal government.
- Management of companies and enterprises.
About half of all jobs in industrial and organizational psychology are in these sectors.
What Is The Salary For An IO Psychologist?
The average annual salary for industrial-organizational psychologists working in the US is $113,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The highest 10% of earners are thought to make more than $190,000 annually, while the lowest 10% earn less than $57,000 annually.
Who Is the Father Of Industrial Psychology?
Hugo Munsterberg is frequently credited as being the father of I-O psychology. Hugo Munsterberg’s enormously influential book Psychology and Industrial Efficiency, which laid the foundation for what is now known as IO psychology, was published in 1913. His objective was to assist organizations in molding their workforces to increase overall workplace productivity.
What Is Io Psychology Also Known As?
Industrial-organizational psychology, formerly called industrial psychology, is also known in the USA and Canada as “I-O” psychology; in the United Kingdom, the field is known as occupational psychology.
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