INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY

 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY

1. WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY?

1. WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY

• Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior (APA,2020)

• It includes the biological influences, social pressures, and environmental factors whether unconsciously or consciously affect how people think, act, and feel. (cognitive, behavior & affective)

• The four main goals of psychology are to describe, explain, predict and change the behavior and mental processes of others (McLeod, S. A. (2019)

• To Describe

• Describing a behavior or cognition is the first goal of psychology. This can enable researchers to develop general laws of human behavior.

•  For example, through describing the response of dogs to various stimuli, Ivan Pavlov helped develop laws of learning known as classical conditioning theory.

• To Explain

•  Once researchers have described general laws behavior, the next step is to explain how or why this trend occurs. Psychologists will propose theories which can explain a behavior.

• To Predict

• Psychology aims to be able to predict future behavior from the findings of empirical research. If a prediction is not confirmed, then the explanation it is based on might need to be revised.

• For example, classical conditioning predicts that if a person associates a negative outcome with a stimuli they may develop a phobia or aversion of the stimuli.

• To Change

• Once psychology has described, explained and made predictions about behavior, changing or controlling a behavior can be attempted.

• For example, interventions based on classical conditioning, such as systematic desensitization, have been used to treat people with anxiety disorders including phobias.

2. WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY

1. WHAT IS INDUSTRY?

• of or relating to industry : of or relating to factories, the people who work in factories, or the things made in factories (Britannica Dictionary)

• industry, group of productive enterprises or organizations that produce or supply goods, services, or sources of income (Britannica)

• Consists of organization, employee, employer and workplace

• Organization: an organized group of people with a particular and common purpose.

• Organizing is the function that managers undertake to design, structure, and arrange the components of an organization's internal environment to facilitate attainment of organizational goals. Organizing creates the framework needed to reach a company's objectives and goals.

2. WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY

•  A branch of psychology that applies the principles of psychology to the workplace (Aamodt, 2016)

• It is a field that uses psychological research to enhance work performance and select employees (Cherry, 2020)

• Industrial-organizational psychologists are able to apply psychological theories to explain and enhance the effectiveness of human behavior in the workplace (Canadian Psychological Association)

•  I/O psychologists “enhance the dignity and performance of human beings, and the organizations they work in, by advancing the science and knowledge of human behavior” (Rucci, 2008) 

3. PSYCHOLOGY IN THE WORKPLACE:

1. Policy planning

2. Employee testing and selection

3. Training and development design

4. Improving management

5. Synthesizing work styles

6. Improving workplace productivity

7. Overseeing analysis 

4. WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

1. Ensuring the physical and mental well-being of employees

2. Studying and understanding human behavior in the workplace

3. Improving both individual and organization performance

4. Increasing workplace productivity

5. FIELDS OF INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY

1. Personnel psychology

2. Organizational psychology

3. Himan factors/ ergonomics

4. Occupational health and safety

2. WHO IS INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST

A counselor/ HR officer

1. WHO WE ARE/ OPENING PLENARY

3. WHY CONDUCT RESEARCH

• Answering questions and making decisions

• Research and everyday life

• Common sense if often wrong

1. CONSIDERATION IN CONDUCTING RESEARCH

1. Ideas

2. Hypotheses (well thought out suggestions or ideas)

3. Theories (systematic sets of assumptions regarding the nature and cause of particular events)

CHAPTER 2: ACQUISITION & SELECTION

1. INTRODUCTION

1. WHAT IS JOB ANALYSIS

1. Job: Collection of duties, task and responsibilities which are assigned to an individual and which is different from other assignments

2. Systematic process of identifying and determining:

1. The responsibilities

2. The requirements

3. Nature of a job in detail

3. In short, job analysis is the process of determining the work activities and requirements.

2. JOB ANALYSIS DATA

1. The work ( the specific activities that make up the job)

2. The worker (the qualities the worker need to do the job)

3. The context (the internal and external environment of the job)

3. PURPOSE OF JOB ANALYSIS

1. Job description ( written results of job analysis)

an internal document that specifies the requirements for a new position, including the required skills, role in the team, personality, and capabilities of a suitable candidate. Creating a job description using data from a job analysis helps you place the right people in the right roles.

2. Job classification (enables to classify job into groups)

the process of placing one or more jobs into a cluster or family of similar positions. Data from job analysis is critical in job classification because it considers the duties, responsibilities, scope, and complexity of a job. The goal is to set pay rates and use the information in employee selection.

3. Job evaluation (can be used to determine the worth of the job)

the process of determining the relative rank of different jobs in an organization. The purpose is to create pay transparency and equity.

4. Job design (determine the optimal way the job should be performed)

the process of determining the relative rank of different jobs in an organization. The purpose is to create pay transparency and equity.

5. Performance appraisal (use in the construction of performance appraisal instrument)

the individual performing the job. To evaluate an employee’s performance, you need to understand the role requirements first. Job analysis can determine these details.

6. Training (identify training needs or skill gaps)

Job analysis forms the basis of the training needs analysis. Once you identify the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics, you can quickly identify training needs or skill gaps and train your employees..

4. WHY JOB ANALYSIS IS IMPORTANT

• Efficient Job Posting

Attract the skills & competencies you need

• Effective employee development plan

Identify skills that need to polish

• Improve Decision making

when recruiting and hiring new employee

• Effective performance reviews

Will improve employee performance

5. JOB ANALYSIS

2. CONDUCTING JOB ANALYSIS

1. JOB ANALYSIS PROCESS

• The job analysis process varies with organization, position, and objective

• review of any pre-existing materials such as past job analyses and job descriptions

• interviews and job observations

• Conduct by; internal task force or external such as consultant

2. BASIC STEPS

1. Identify task performed

What?

Identify the major job dimensions and the tasks performed for each dimension, the tools and equipment used to perform the tasks, and the conditions under which the tasks are performed.

How?

1. Gathering existing information

• Job description

• Tasks inventories

• Training Manuals

2. Interviewing subject matter experts (SME’S)

SMEs are people who are knowledgeable about the job and include job

incumbents, supervisors, customers, and upper-level management

3. Observing Incumbents

• job analyst observes incumbents performing the work setting

• see the worker do her job and thus obtain information that the worker may have forgotten to mention during the interview

• method’s disadvantage is that it is obtrusive

4. Job participation

• easily used when the analyst has previously performed the job.

• A professional job analyst can also perform an unfamiliar job for a short period of time, BUT is limited to certain occupations that involve quick training and minimal consequences from an error.

2. Write task statements

Required elements to a task statement

•Action (what is done)

•Object (to which the action is done)

Optional elements

• Where the task is done

• How it is done

• Why it is done

• When it is done

3. Rate task statements

Tasks can be rated on a variety of scales

• Importance

• Part-of-the-job

• Frequency of performance

• Time spent

• Relative time spent

• Complexity

• Criticality

Research shows only two scales are necessary

• Frequency

• Importance

4. Determine essential KSAOs

Knowledge

a body of information needed to perform a task

Abilities

A basic capacity for performing a wide range if different tasks, acquiring a knowledge, or developing skills

Skills

proficiency to perform learned task

Other Characteristics

Personal factors such as personality, willingness, inter

5. Select test to tap KSAOs

Methods to tap KSAOs are used to select new employees and include such methods as interviews, work samples, ability tests, personality tests, reference checks, integrity tests, biodata, and assessment centers.

3. JOB DESCRIPTION SECTIONS

1. Job title (reflect the nature of the job)

● Describes the nature of the job

● Assists in employee selection and recruitment

● Affects perceptions of job worth and status

● Affects clarity of resumes

2. Brief summary (briefly describe the nature and purpose of the job)

● Useful for recruitment advertising

● Should be written in an easy to understand style

● This summary can be used in help-wanted advertisements, internal job postings, and company brochures

3. Work performance (should outline standards of performance)

● Describes how performance is evaluated

● This section might include

● Standards used

● Frequency of evaluation

● Evaluation dimensions

● The person doing the evaluating

4. Work activities (list the tasks and activities worker involves)

● Organize by dimensions

○ Similar activities

○ Similar KSAOs

○ Temporal order

5. Job content (describes the environment in which the employee works and mentions stress level, work schedule demand)

● Work schedule

● Degree of supervision

● Ergonomic information

Physical and Psychological Stress Indoors v. outdoors Lighting/heat/noise/physical space Clean v. dirty environment Standing/sitting/bending/lifting

6. Compensation information ( information about the salary grade)

● Job evaluation dimensions

● Exempt status

● Pay grade

● Job group

7. Job competencies (job specifications or competencies needed to perform the job)

Common Names

▹ Job competencies

▹ Knowledge, skill, ability, and other characteristics (KSAOs)

▹ Job specifications

Competencies are divided into separated requirement

▹ Those needed before hire

▹ Those that can be learned after hire

3. EMPLOYEE SELECTION

1. WHAT IS EMPLOYEE SELECTION

• The process of putting right person on right job

• The set of procedures and criteria used by employers to choose the optimal person for a role from a larger pool of candidates.

• Process of selecting candidates with relevant qualifications and experience for a post

• process of interviewing and evaluating the candidates for a specific job and selecting the most suitable one for employment based on specific criteria including his qualifications, skills, experience, and expertise.

2. BASIC STEPS

1. APPLICATION

 Effective Recruitment Methods Should;

▹ Get the attention of the public

▹ Screen unqualified applicants

▹ Motivate qualified people to apply

▹ Be cost effective

▹ Be timely

Example of Recruitment Methods;

▹ Can be internal or external

▹ Media advertisements

▹ Direct mail

▹ Employment agencies

▹ College recruiters

▹ Computer databases

▹ Special events

▹ Employee referral program

2. SCREENING

▹ Resume analysis

▹ Assessment test during application

▹ Such as;

a. Qualifying question

b. Cognitive ability test

c. Evaluate learning agility

d. Situational judgement test (SJT)

e. Measure employee integrity

▹ Resume analysis and screening

3. INTERVIEW

• ensures that everyone is treated fairly and asked the same pre-determined questions.

• Can be a kind of screening process like interview by HR before goes to actual interview with person they will be working, especially if large number of applicant.

• Face to face interview or phone/video conferencing interview

4. ASSESSMENT

▹ Training & Education

▹ Experience

￭ Applications/Resumes

￭ Biodata

￭ Interviews

▹ Knowledge

▹ Ability

￭ Cognitive

￭ Physical

￭ Perceptual

▸ Skills

▹ Work Samples

▹ Assessment Centers

▹ References

▸ Personality & Character

▹ Personality Tests

▹ Integrity Tests

▸ Medical

▹ Medical Exams

▹ Psychological Exams

▹ Drug Testing

5. REFERENCE & BACKGROUND CHECK

6. DECISION

7. OFFER & JOB CONTRACT

CHAPTER 3: PERSONNEL ASSESSMENTS & EVALUATION (FOR PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL)

1. WHAT IS PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

The regular review of an employee’s job performance and overall contribution to a company

2. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE APPRAISAL

1. Feedback & training

2. Research

3. Personnel decisions 

1. Raises

2. Promotions

3. Termination decisions

4. Legal or certification reasons

3. STEPS IN DEVELOPING THE SYSTEM

1. Create a task-force that includesall levels in the organization

2. Determine why you are evaluating performance (your goal)

3. Identify environmental and cultural variables that could affect the system

4. Determine the sources to be used in appraising performance

5. Determine the best method to accomplish your goal

4. EFFECTIVE AND LEGAL PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEMS

1. Are job-related and based on a job analysis

2. Are properly administered

• Formal

• Standardized

• Not too complicated

3. Provide specific feedback

• Focus on behaviors rather than traits

• Ratings are documented

4. Use appropriate raters

• Raters are trained

• All relevant raters are used

• Raters used must be relevant and qualified