Career as an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist
Industrial- Organizational Psychologist applies principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems. Activities may include policy planning; employee testing and selection, training and development; and organizational development and analysis. They may work with management to organize the work setting to improve worker productivity. Industrial- Organizational Psychologist duties include identifying how attitudes and behaviors can be improved in the workplace, ensuring that workplace moral remains high during periods of change, observing the efficacy of training programs and assisting in developing them. They Use science-based research to help human resources teams develop initiatives and hire programs that will be successful. Industrial Organizational Psychologists who choose to work in business positions can expect to operate closely with HR teams. This can either be in direct relation to the well-being of individuals in the work place, or it can be related to how people fit into particular roles. Those who focus on the latter tend to match employees to certain tasks depending on their personal characteristics. In contrast, those who focus on the well-being of individuals in the work place will have a more varied role. Overseeing the well-being of individuals in the workplace as a industrial organizational psychologist can involve several duties. A typical industrial psychologist will focus on how societal norms influence the wellbeing of employees, as well as how managerial approaches affect morale. Alternatively, the role can also include finding ways to boost productivity based on employee behavior. Enhancing productivity as an industrial organizational psychologist involves organizational management, performance management, training development, and ergonomics (which focus on office design for optimal comfort).