Psychology is the science of viewing people and their actions in relation to various components of life. Since people spend approximately eight hours of their day on the job it is important that psychology looks at how people influence their work and how features of the workplace influence the individual. Industrial/Organizational psychology is the study of people and their behaviors in relation to the social and physical environments of the workplace (Muchinsky, 5). For students to understand what Industrial/Organizational psychology is about they need to know more than its definition. They need to know what I/O psychologists do and how they aid the workforce.

One of the main concerns of Industrial/Organizational psychology is the relationships that occur within the workforce, after all "business exists only among people and for people (Autry, 45)." The start of a workplace relationship begins with the selection and hiring of an employee. I/O psychologists work with various organizations to develop assessment tools and criteria that can help select an employee that will fit well with the job they are filling. I/O psychologists are also concerned with the training of employees once they are hired and the development of employees so that they continue to work effectively together because "the work of the world is done by" people "pulling together (Crawford, 10)."

The performance of an employee is a key topic for Industrial/Organizational psychology. Government and business organizations are always looking for ways to assess how their employees are doing on the job and how they can enhance performance levels of employees. I/O psychologists help to develop ways of assessment, implementation of changes to enhance employee performance, and regulation of the performance appraisal process. It is interesting to note that I/O psychologists are concerned with the people and relationships of business, which at times comes in conflict with an organization’s bottom line.

Industrial/Organizational psychologists do not just deal with employees, but some even focus on the specific design of the company’s structure. Others are concerned with the relationship of individuals and their physical environment, which is the sub-field of I/O psychology called ergonomics (Muchinsky, 459). I/O psychologists need to focus on all of the components of the work place because the work environment and the criteria of the job are always changing. "While" an employee is "learning to operate successfully and making contributions on the job, the job itself is constantly changing" (Kreps, 7).

There is a danger that lies in "the failure" of people "to understand how industry operates" (Crawford, 9). However, on the other hand, trouble also lies in the fact that businesses often underestimate their employees. This can result in conflict between employers and employees. For example, if "employees do not feel trusted" than eventually employees," in turn, "do not trust management" (Autry, 128).

Industrial/Organizational psychology is faced on a daily basis with the "challenge" of "getting people to do what must be done" without allowing organizations to try to get workers "to be a certain way"(Autry, 190). Since "human emotions are strong motivating forces (Crawford, 10)," I/O psychologists need to be able to see how they can help businesses use human behavior and even emotions to get across key issues to employees without unproductive conflict.

Without good communication and cooperation between parties conflicts can escalate to a point that an employee is fired, quits, or a whole group of employees, like a union, could even go on strike. Industrial/Organizational psychologists’ have the job of helping to resolve conflicts like these in the workforce and finding ways to get an organization to pull together as a unit.

It is always interesting to look around an organization and see how much has influenced the work environment through the application of research and the roles that the Industrial/Organizational psychologist plays. A hundred years ago I/O psychology did not even exist (Muchinsky, 8) and psychology in the workplace was basically unheard of. I/O psychology did not start to get recognized until the two World Wars, where governmental research was conducted to aid soldiers, and the Hawthorne studies took place, which showed people changed their behavior when being observed. These are the first big recognizable areas of research, but since then I/O psychologists have been researching many facets of work and applying the gained knowledge.

References

Autry, J.A. (1991). Love and profit the art of caring leadership. New York: Avon Books.

Crawford, F.C. (1953). Creating the proper climate. In E.C. Bursk (Ed.), How to increase executive effectiveness (pp. 7-17). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Kreps, J.M. (1983). Women in a changing economy. In J. Farley (Ed.), The woman in management (pp. 1-11). Ithaca, NY: ILR Press at Cornell University.

Muchinsky, P.M. (2000). Psychology applied to work (6^th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomas Learning.