Issues in Industrial psychology
Industrial psychology, also referred to as industrial-organization (I-O) psychology is the study of workplace behavior. Psychologists in this field are concerned with research in establishing ways of boosting productivity, determining employee suitability to specific tasks and trying products. This field is wide encompassing employee training and assessment, research and academic positions. There are many issues in this field and this essay will explore some of them.
Globalization has led to increased spread of businesses and industries across the globe, diversity and demand for business graduates, psychologists have focused on the effect of attitudes, values and organizational frameworks in diverse cultures on management issues. Due to the advances in information technology, many workers work within the comfort of their houses (Gelfand et al., 2007). In response, psychology has responded by shifting focus from physical knowhow to the analysis of the cognitive demands that arise due to the increased utilization of information technology.
The make up of the labor force is changing drastically due to globalization. It is projected that in the United States, women and minorities will take up 75% of the newly created jobs in the coming ten years. New fields of research and practice will emerge in the field of industrial psychology to gather for the demands of these diverse groups. It will require industrial psychologists to handle issues from an international perspective (Gelfand et al., 2007).
Swift changes in the type of work brought about by globalization and the use of information technology has impacted psychologically on the wellbeing of employees. Psychologists have discovered negative effects brought about by increasing demands from employers. For example long working hour decreases productivity in the long run. Industrial psychologists have played a critical role in developing flexible work plans that take into consideration family- work balance. Work psychologists have contributed in development of government policy in coming up with legislation covering occupational stress.
There is no doubt that that as globalization takes root, industrial psychologists will play a vital role in ensuring that both the employer and employee reap its full benefits.
Reference
Gelfand, M, Erez, M & Aycan, Z (2007). Cross cultural organizational behavior. Annual Review
of Psychology, 58, 479-514
