Industrial Psychology

Examples of Industrial Psychology in the following topics:

• Behaviorism: Follett, Munsterberg, and Mayo

  • Behaviorism initiated a focus on the psychological and human factors influencing workers.
  • Mary Parker Follett, Hugo Munsterberg, and Elton Mayo are all considered pioneers and founders of the industrial/organizational psychology and behaviorism movements in management theory.
  • Munsterberg's writings are considered the genesis of the field of industrial psychology.
  • Industrial psychology, according to Munsterberg, focuses on topics such as hiring workers with personalities and mental abilities best suited to certain types of vocations, as well as on ways to increase motivation, performance, and retention.
  • His research includes the Hawthorne studies and his book The Human Problems of an Industrialized Civilization (1933).

• Occupational Health and Safety

• Classical Versus Behavioral Perspectives

  • The classical perspective of management, which emerged from the Industrial Revolution, focuses on improving the efficiency, productivity, and output of employees, as well as the business as a whole.
  • McGregor's theory of management is an example of how behavior-management theory looks more into the "human" factors of management and encourages managers to understand how psychological characteristics can improve or hinder employee performance.

• Job Characteristics Theory

  • This alignment is important because the worker brings psychological states to bear upon the job that affect job outcomes when combined with the core characteristics.
  • The core characteristics affect three critical psychological states of the workers doing the job:
  • The combination of core characteristics with psychological states influences work outcomes such as:
  • Therefore, the goal should be to design the job in such a way that the core characteristics complement the psychological states of the worker and lead to positive outcomes.
  • Analyze the core characteristics, psychological states, and work outcomes in the Job Characteristics Theory, as identified by Hackman and Oldham

• Bureaucratic Organizations: Weber

  • Weber's ideas on bureaucracy stemmed from society during the Industrial Revolution.
  • As Weber understood it, particularly during the Industrial Revolution of the late nineteenth century, society was being driven by the passage of rational ideas into culture, which, in turn, transformed society into an increasingly bureaucratic entity.

• Consequences of Workplace Stress

  • In general, individual distress manifests in three basic forms: psychological disorders, medical illnesses, and behavioral problems.
  • Psychosomatic disorders are a type of psychological disorder.
  • They are physical problems with a psychological cause.

• Managerial Perspectives on Motivation

  • Motivation is the psychological boost that helps people achieve high performance and reach goals.
  • While studies have produced a great deal of research on motivation, from the perspective of both management and psychology, a few psychological theories can be applied specifically to employee motivation.
  • Using modern research and understanding what drives behavior are the focal points of organizational behavior study, and managers should actively apply these psychological frameworks to their everyday management strategies and considerations.
  • Based upon the psychological theories of motivation discussed here, management is in the difficult position of identifying and fulfilling needs for different employees (who will in turn require different motivational assistance).

• Defining Stress

  • Stress is defined in terms of how it impacts physical and psychological health; it includes mental, physical, and emotional strain.
  • Stress occurs when a demand exceeds an individual's coping ability and disrupts his or her psychological equilibrium.
  • Stress-related disorders encompass a broad array of conditions, including psychological disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder) and other types of emotional strain (e.g., dissatisfaction, fatigue, tension), maladaptive behaviors (e.g., aggression, substance abuse), and cognitive impairment (e.g., concentration and memory problems).

• Administrative Management: Fayol's Principles

  • In his book "General and Industrial Management" Fayol outlined his theory of general management, which he believed could be applied to the administration of myriad industries.

• Defining Productivity

  • During the Industrial Revolution, productivity increased with the implementation of the assembly line.