Psychological approach to work Flashcards
Practical use of organisational psychology. (Work psychology)
Guide management decision-making
Work psychology (Apa)
I/O psychology is the scientific study of human behaviour in the workplace.
(1) Human Behaviour
Observable - hard facts - scientific evidence (impact employee behaviour, hence organisational performance).
(2) Assessment
I/O psychologists assess individual, group & organisational dynamics (both qualitative & quantitative data)
(3) Using research to generate insights
Separating psych from ‘opinions’ - the research founded is used to identify solutions to improve the well-being & performance of organisations & employees.
Organisational psychology
I/O psychology is more quantitative (focuses on specific methods i.e., surveys) compared to organisational behaviour. Studies published in personality & neurobehaviour journals
Organisational behaviour
Organisational behaviour as a discipline is more broad incorporating economics, anthropology, and sociology theories.
What do organisational psychologists do?
I/O psychologists apply their findings in a variety of ways to help solve human and organisational problems in the workplace.
Examples of how I/O psychologists might improve a workplace
- identify training & development needs
- optimise quality of work life
- formulate & implement training programs
- coach employees & organisational leaders
- develop criteria to evaluate performance of individuals and organisations
- assess consumer preferences, customer satisfaction & marketing strategies.
Why is evidence-based management not practiced in organisations?
Littered with management fads (Walshe & Rundall, 2001).
Why is it important to use evidence?
Data is a powerful way to show what is happening & is incredibly useful for substantiating one’s claims or giving reasons for our decisions in the workplace.
Correlation
A positive/ negative relationship between two variables
Regression
y= mx + b
Case Study 1: The Andon Cord in Toyota in Japan (Jidoka “automation with human touch)
- Andon cord (in Japanese Factories = lower incidence of manufacturing defects and errors)
- Yet this system did not improve the productivity of manufacturing factories in the U.S because (1) the corporate culture was different (the american firms used a more taylorist & fordist approach to manufacturing, with emphasis on production volume over quality)
- & (2)- employees were unsure of how to use the system accurately (many people pulling the cords - the point is that if one person pulls the cord - all production work stops).
- As per reading, avoid mindless mimicry of competitors’ practices without understanding the logic behind it.
Note: Having data is not enough
We need to interpret the data to gain correct insights & we need to know how our data applies to a particular setting.
Case Study 2: Cisco’s 3 rules for successful mergers
- No mergers with similar-sized companies (since this leads to power struggles)
- Focus on geographical proximity (as this helps with integration)
- Choose companies with similar performance culture (which helps with leveraging capabilities & making quick changes in the firm - less resistance).
Application: Manager describes employees as ‘difficult’. What might be the causes?
- individual differences in work attitudes, personalities, motivation & goals (individual dynamics - such differences can hinder team communication of tasks, roles, which also results in poor team coordination).
- The organisation does not have a strong employee performance & reward system (organisational dynamic - structure - ineffective hr system)
- maybe a case of leadership overestimating the abilities of employees & employees not knowing how to go about asking the manager for clarification, feedback &/ or guidance (group & organisational dynamics - leadership style, impacting team collegiality & cohesiveness)
- employees may be experiencing burnout so they seem to not be putting in effort, but they are just tired & overworked (employee wellbeing - stress levels)
