Episode 14. What Is Industrial-Organizational Psychology?
I used to cringe when people asked me the age-old question, "What do you do?"
My simple answer, "I'm an I/O Psychologist!" was almost always met with a blank stare.
WHAT IT ISN’T
I still giggle when I realize someone has made the mistake of thinking I go into corporate offices and offer group therapy. While I'm sure that's a thing, that's not the I/O schtick. So, before we go any deeper, here's what I/O Psychologists DON'T do:
Clinical Diagnosis
Therapy
WHAT IT IS
Now that the idea that I'm a therapist is out of your head, I'm going to give you the slightly stale, academic definition for clarity. Seriously, feel free to skip right on over this definition unless you're totally nerding out right now.
I/O Psychology AKA Industrial-Organizational Psychology is:
The scientific study of working and the application of that science to workplace issues facing individuals, teams, and organizations. The scientific method is applied to investigate issues of critical relevance to individuals, businesses, and society.
— Society of Industrial Organizational Psychologists (SIOP)
Whew, I tried to warn you. That was a mouthful of boring academic jargon… ready for my definition?
I/O Psychology combines all of the research-backed goodness of psychology and business, and applies it to the work environment, to make work a better place for everyone.
THERE’S TWO SIDES TO I/O
I like to use personality to describe the difference between the Industrial side and the Organizational side. We’ve all heard of Introverts versus Extroverts right? Well, asking someone, which side of I/O they align with is a lot like asking someone “Are you an introvert or extrovert?” For some people, the answer is super clear. Others, however, fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.
*If you can’t see me, I’m raising my hand right now! I definitely live somewhere in the middle on this one.*
THE “I” SIDE
You can think of the Industrial side as the introverts. I’m not saying they’re shy, but we all know that introverts thrive off of independence and “me time.” Well, the industrial side focuses on matching individuals with the right jobs. Questions like, “What are the requirements of this job and how can I select the right person to do it?” belong here.
THE “O” SIDE
Think of the Organizational side as the extroverts. They focus on the big picture of how businesses impact individuals. Questions like, “How can we improve team creativity?” get answered on this side.
Generally, I/O Psychologists tend to align strongly with one group or the other. But just like real life, there’s a lot of grey area and variation along the spectrum.
Need more detail? Here's a quick snippet of the different topics for each side:
THE BOTTOM LINE
Given the information overload in the world right now, especially in business, I/O Psychology makes sense of the noise by taking real research-backed theory and applying it to the work environment. It has the ability to streamline your strategies and impact businesses in a huge way! That is the truth that drew me to I/O Psychology in the first place. I’m starting to preach on this topic a whole lot more than I used to. Want to follow along? Connect with me on IG!
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