Organizational Psychology & Human Resources

Industrial-organizational psychology applies psychology to the workplace — selection, motivation, leadership, job design, and organizational behaviour.

Scope

It covers personnel selection and assessment, work motivation and job design, leadership, teams, and employee well-being.

Sub-topics

• Occupational Interests & Guidance
• Personnel Management & Selection & Training
• Personnel Evaluation & Job Performance
• Management & Management Training
• Personnel Attitudes & Job Satisfaction
• Organizational Behavior
• Working Conditions & Industrial Safety

Core questions

• How should employees be selected and assessed?
• What motivates people at work?
• How does job design affect performance and satisfaction?
• What makes leadership and teams effective?

Key concepts

• Personnel selection
• Work motivation
• Job design
• Goal setting
• Leadership
• Organizational behaviour

Key theories

The human relations movement

Mayo's Hawthorne studies highlighted social and motivational factors in work performance.

Job design

Hackman and Oldham's job characteristics model linked work design to motivation and satisfaction.

Goal-setting theory

Locke and Latham showed specific, challenging goals improve performance.

History

From the human-relations movement (Mayo) through job-design and goal-setting theories, I-O psychology became a rigorous applied field spanning selection, motivation, leadership, and well-being.

Debates

What most drives work motivation?

Competing emphases on job design, goals, needs, and incentives in explaining motivation.

Key figures

• Elton Mayo
• Richard Hackman
• Greg Oldham
• Edwin Locke
• Gary Latham

Seminal works

• mayo-1933
• hackman-oldham-1976
• locke-latham-1990

Frequently asked questions

What is I-O psychology?

Industrial-organizational psychology — the application of psychology to workplaces, covering selection, motivation, leadership, and organizational behaviour.