Major Fields of I/O Psychology M O D U L E 1 Though the goal of I/O psychology is to increase the productivity and well - being of employees, there are two approaches to how this can be accomplished. The industrial approach (the “I” in I/O psychology) focuses on determining the competencies needed to perform a job, staffing the organization with employees who have those competencies, and increasing those competencies through training. The organizational approach (the “O” in I/O psychology) creates an organizational structure and culture that will motivate employees to perform well, give them with the necessary information to do their jobs, and provide working conditions that are safe and result in an enjoyable and satisfying work environment. Personnel Psychology I/O psychologists and HRM professionals involved in personnel psychology study and practice in such areas as analyzing jobs, recruiting applicants, selecting employees, determining salary levels, training employees, and evaluating employee performance. Professionals working in these areas choose existing tests or create new ones that can be used to select and promote employees. These tests are then constantly evaluated to ensure that they are both fair and valid. Personnel psychologists also analyze jobs to obtain a complete picture of what each employee does, often assigning monetary values to each position. After obtaining complete job descriptions, professionals in personnel psychology construct performance-appraisal instruments to evaluate employee performance. Psychologists in this area also examine various methods that can be used to train and develop employees. People within this subfield usually work in attaining department of an organization and are involved in such activities as identifying the organization’s training needs, developing training programs, and evaluating training success. Organizational Psychology Psychologists involved in organizational psychology are concerned with the issues of leadership, job satisfaction, employee motivation, organizational communication, conflict management, organizational change, and group processes within an organization. Organizational psychologists often conduct surveys of employee attitudes to get ideas about what employees believe are inorganization’s strengths and weaknesses. Usually serving in the role of a consultant, an organizational psychologist makes recommendations on ways problem areas can be improved. For example, low job satisfaction might be improved by allowing employees to participate in making certain company decisions, and poor communication might be improved by implementing an employee suggestion system. Professionals in organization development implement organization-wide programs designed to improve employee performance. Such programs might include team building, restructuring, and employee empowerment. Human Factors/Ergonomics Psychologists in the area of human factors concentrate on workplace design, human-machine interaction, ergonomics, and physical fatigue and stress. These psychologists frequently work with engineers and other technical professionals to make the workplace safer and more efficient. Sample activities in this subfield have included designing the optimal way to draw a map, designing