CHAPTER 1 Introduction: Definitions and History

1. CHAPTER 1 Introduction: Definitions and History Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology by Ronald Riggio

2. What is Industrial/Organizational Psychology? • Psychology is the study of behavior and mental processes. • Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology is the specialty area within psychology that is concerned with: • The study of behavior in work settings. • The application of psychology principles to change work behavior.

3. The Science and Practice of Industrial/Organizational Psychology • I/O psychology has two objectives: • To conduct research in an effort to increase our knowledge and understanding of human work behavior. • To apply that knowledge to improve work behavior, the work environment, and the psychological conditions of the worker.

5. The Roots and Early History of Industrial/Organizational Psychology • Around the turn of the 20th century, Frederick Taylor, an engineer, believed that scientific principles could be applied to the study of work behavior. • Scientific management, a movement started by Taylor, was a method of using scientific principles to improve the efficiency and productivity of jobs.

6. The Roots and Early History of Industrial/Organizational Psychology • Taylor developed time-and-motion studies  procedures in which work tasks are broken down into simple component movements timed to develop a more efficient method for performing the tasks.

7. The Roots and Early History of Industrial/Organizational Psychology • During World War I, Robert Yerkes worked with the U.S. Army to develop intelligence tests for army recruits. • The Army Alpha and Beta tests represented the first mass testing efforts.

8. The Great Depression Years and World War II • Because of the economic depression during the 1930s, fewer opportunities existed for industrial psychologists. • However, a group of Harvard psychologists conducted studies at the Western Electric Company in Hawthorne, Illinois.

9. The Great Depression Years and World War II • Elton Mayo and his colleagues examined the effects of the physical environment on worker productivity. • In one particular study, they examined the effect of lighting on worker productivity. • Results of the study found that productivity increased regardless of level of lighting.

10. The Great Depression Years and World War II • The Hawthorne effect refers to changes in behavior occurring as a function of participants’ knowledge that they are being observed and their expectations concerning their role as research participants.

11. The Great Depression Years and World War II • The human relations movement was a movement based on the studies of Elton Mayo that emphasizes the importance of social factors in influencing work performance. • “Worker morale”

12. The Great Depression Years and World War II • World War II contributed greatly to the growth of I/O psychology. • State-of-the-art machinery lead to a need for human factors psychologists. • The Army General Classification Test was developed.

13. Industrial/Organizational Psychology Today and in the Future • Four Trends • First trend: The changing nature of work • Organizational downsizing refers to the strategy of reducing an organization’s workforce to improve organizational efficiency and/or competitiveness. • Second trend: Expanding focus on human resources • Competition for highly-skilled workers • Growing number of low-skilled workers in the service industry

14. Industrial/Organizational Psychology Today and in the Future • Third trend: Increasing diversity in the workforce • Workforce is becoming more diverse • Women make up two thirds of all entering workers in the labor market. • Ethnic minority group members make up one third of all entering workers.

15. Industrial/Organizational Psychology Today and in the Future • Fourth trend: Increasing globalization of business • More businesses are focusing on the global economy. • Potential issues for worker training