What is I/O Psychology?
Overview
Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology is an applied branch of psychology that focuses on better understanding how people behave at work and why they do the things they do. It integrates research, statistics, and psychology theories to help built smarter, more effective workplaces.
Broadly, it can be broken down into two major sides (most I/O practitioners receive training in both):
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The industrial side focuses on topics like personnel selection and recruitment, employee training and development, and performance management.
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The organizational side addresses questions surrounding topics like motivation, well-being, job satisfaction, commitment, teamwork and group dynamics, leadership, organizational change, organizational culture and norms, and diversity and inclusivity.
Why is I-O Psychology important?
Depending on their area(s) of expertise, I/O researchers and practitioners work to help improve processes and address work-related issues like:
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How to recruit and hire people who are more likely to perform well on the job
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How to design candidate selection tools and assessments that minimize the impact of human biases
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How to increase employee satisfaction and organizational commitment and reduce turnover
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How to enhance quality of work life and well-being at work
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How to best navigate organizational change and transitions, including mergers and acquisitions
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How to develop performance appraisals and reward systems
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How to gather, analyze, and report HR data to help organizational leaders make data-driven decisions
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How to identify training needs, develop programs to help employees improve their skills and knowledge, and evaluate their progress
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How to build effective teams and work groups to achieve certain goals in a given context
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How to enhance employee motivation and engagement at work
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How to help leaders build and improve leadership skills through coaching, training, and development
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How to establish fair, diverse, and inclusive work environments
What kind of work do I/O practitioners do?
Most I/O psychology graduate programs follow a scientist-practitioner model, where students receive extensive training in scientific research methods and how to draw on and contribute to theories in the field. They also learn how to apply and translate this research in practice to identify, investigate, and address important and practical work-related problems.
Individuals trained in I/O psychology have a number of tools in their toolbelt they can use to tackle and solve the issues they are presented with. To name but a few, they may:
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Perform job analyses to identify the essential tasks, knowledge areas, skills, abilities, and other characteristics required to perform well in a certain job;
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Develop behaviorally-anchored rating scales for performance evaluation and interview purposes;
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Develop and validate employee selection tools (e.g., structured interview guides, work samples, situational judgment tests) specific to particular roles that predict which candidates will be most likely to perform well on the job
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Design surveys and/or conduct focus groups and interviews to identify employee and organizational needs, detect areas for improvement, and for other purposes (e.g., gauging employees’ current level of satisfaction and engagement, evaluating workplace culture, assessing readiness for organizational change);
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Apply basic and advanced statistical techniques using various data analysis tools (e.g., SPSS, R, Python) to analyze the results of surveys, focus groups, and interviews;
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Synthesize and apply the research and practice literature to develop and propose solutions to organizational issues;
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Assist in the implementation of solutions (e.g., helping organizations develop more effective practices, developing and facilitating workshops and training programs).
Where do I/O practitioners work?
The demand for I/O psychology practitioners is expected to continue to grow in the coming years (US Bureau of Labour Statistics, 2020), as businesses and organizations quickly realize the competitive advantage these practitioners can bring to the table. I/O psychology graduates typically work in the following settings (although overlap is common, and there is a possibility to move between roles):
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Academic professors and researchers. Graduate students who decide to progress to get their PhD also have the opportunity to work as academic researchers and professors at the university level. They may teach undergraduate or graduate classes, conduct research, write and publish articles in academic journals, supervise graduate students, give talks at conferences, deliver presentations to practitioner communities, and serve on committees, journal editorial boards, and professional societies like SIOP or CSIOP (to name but a few activities). In line with the scientist-practitioner model, many also do some applied consulting on the side.
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In-house I/O psychology practitioners. These individuals tend to occupy roles within organizations, usually in their HR department or organizational development team. They usually conduct internal-facing work and develop programs and solutions to help improve the processes and operation of that organization.
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External consultants. These I/O practitioners may work in larger consulting firms (e.g., Deloitte, Lee Hecht Harrison Knightsbridge, Korn Ferry) or smaller and more specialized boutique firms. They tend to work on a variety of projects and deliverables and draw on their training, expertise, and knowledge to offer new ideas and best practices to several different client organizations.
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Government agencies. Many I/O psychology practitioners are employed by federal and provincial government agencies. Some may conduct work on client-facing projects, while others may do more internally-focused research and development-based work and offer guidance on best practices. These practitioners may help improve the recruitment and selection processes of government departments and agencies, build more effective teams, train and develop employees and leaders, measure performance, as well as streamline operations and improve efficiency.
A Constantly Evolving and Innovating Field
Since it was first established in the early 1900s, I/O psychology researchers and practitioners have continued to drive innovation in organizations to help them adapt to the changing nature of work. Today, advances continue to be made in areas like virtual teams and virtual learning, how to build agile and adaptable workplaces, how to leverage technology like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation, how to adapt organizational practices to increase engagement, retention, and work-life balance in the face of disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, how to promote social justice and equal rights and access to opportunities, and how to navigate the rise of remote work and flexible working arrangements.