What is Organisational Psychology?

• Application of psychology to the workplace
• Works with consulting firms, businesses, government, universities
• Focus on preventing mental health deterioration
• Enhances wellbeing, performance, and organisational functioning Aims to:
• Improve organisational effectiveness & performance
• Enhance employee satisfaction, motivation, health

Levels of Focus

• Individual
• Team
• Organisational
• Government / policy

Key Areas of Work:

Assess & Develop People

• Job analysis
• Recruitment & selection
• Training & development
• Performance appraisal
• Career development

Individuals & Organisations

• Motivation
• Stress & coping
• Job design
• Safety & ergonomics

Social & Cultural Dimensions

• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Organisational culture
• Ethics
• Change management

Difference From HRM & OB

• More scientific than HRM
• Stronger use of validated theories and research methods
• OB = academic; HRM = practical; Org Psych = scientific practice

Ethics

• Avoid harm (physical, emotional, cultural)
• Work within competence
• Maintain confidentiality
• Fair and unbiased practice

History & Pioneers of Organisational Psychology

Early Contributors

• Wilhelm Wundt
  • First psych lab (Leipzig)
  • Introspection, voluntarism, cultural psychology
• Hugo Münsterberg (1910s)
  • Psychology and Industrial Efficiency
  • Selection, attention, productivity
• James Cattell
  • Quantitative mental tests
  • Founded Psychological Corporation
• Frederick Taylor
  • Scientific management
  • Time-and-motion studies; efficiency
• Walter Dill Scott
  • Advertising, persuasion, selection
• Walter Bingham
  • Led US WW1 troop recruitment testing
  • Early APA contributor

Historical Periods

• 1910: Industrialisation → Taylorism
• WWI: Recruitment testing; efficiency
• 1930s: Hawthorne Studies → social factors
• WWII: Leadership, human factors, ergonomics
• 1960s: Goal setting, worker motivation
• 1970s: Person–organisation fit, systems theory
• 1980s: Job analysis, personality, leadership

Hawthorne Studies

• Productivity increased because employees felt observed and valued
• Highlighted importance of social, psychological, group factors

WW1 & WW2 Contributions

WW1

• Recruitment and conscription testing
• Matching people to roles

WW2

• Psychomotor testing
• Leadership studies
• Radar operator research
• Human factors + ergonomics
• Job–person match for safety-critical roles

Resilience in Organisations

Core Idea

• Resilience = systemic, not just individual
• Depends on individual + team + organisational supports

Definition of resilience

• Ability to maintain or quickly recover mental health during/after stressors

Outcome vs Capacity

• Outcome: Observable recovery
• Capacity: Skills/resources enabling resilience

Multisystem Lens

• Resilience changes across contexts
• Not a fixed trait; modifiable
• Depends on fit between demands + resources

Matching Hypothesis

• Resources must match the type of demand:
  • Cognitive → clarity, info
  • Emotional → support
  • Physical → equipment

Resilience Frameworks

Problems With Screening for “Resilient Personalities”

• Past resilience ≠ future resilience
• Context can override traits
• Better to build resilience systemically

JD–R Model (Job Demands–Resources)

• Demands = effort required (workload, pressure)
• Resources = buffers (support, autonomy)
• Resilience ↑ when resources ≥ demands
• Burnout ↑ when demands > resources

Challenge–Hindrance Framework

• Challenge stressors: difficult but growth-enhancing
• Hindrance stressors: block goals, reduce resilience

Transactional (Lazarus & Folkman) Model

• Stress depends on appraisal (threat vs challenge)
• Support & optimism → more challenge appraisals → better resilience

Organisational Frameworks Supporting Resilience

• HSWER Model: personal & professional supports (mentoring, supervision)
• ASSET Framework: 6 pressure/support sources (resources, control, relationships, etc.)
• Resilient Work Systems: 8 dimensions influencing resilience

Team Resilience

Gucciardi et al. (2018)

• Shared human capital
• Strong team identity
• Pre-empting problems, planning, reflection

Leadership & Resilience

Transformational Leadership

• Idealised influence
• Inspirational motivation
• Intellectual stimulation
• Individualised consideration
• ↑ optimism, psychological safety, trust, wellbeing

How Leaders Build Resilience

• Build trust
• Model healthy behaviour
• Create supportive climate
• Reduce hindrance stressors
• Empower autonomy

Modern Work & Future Challenges

• Remote/hybrid work
• Work–life balance
• Ageing workforce, diversity
• Globalisation
• Downsizing & restructuring
• Integration with strategic HR

Applications to Real Work

• Recruitment, promotion
• Stress management
• Leadership & communication
• Managing change
• Ethical decision-making

Specialist Areas in Practice

• Coaching & wellness
• Psychosocial health
• Recruitment & assessment
• Culture audits
• Risk assessment

Organisational Psychology in Motivation & Job Design

Goal-Setting Theory

• Specific + challenging goals → higher performance

Premack Principle

• High-value activity reinforces a low-value one

Strategies to Enhance Motivation

• Recognition
• Continuous feedback
• Development opportunities

Person–Organisation Fit

• Alignment of values, culture, goals
• Predicts satisfaction, performance, retention

Personality & Ability Measurement

• Big Five
• MMPI, 16PF
• Psychometric testing for aptitude

Occupational Hazards

Type of hazard	Examples
Physical	heat, noise
Psychological	fatigue, stress
Occupational Diseases	Asbestos-related conditions Black lung Lead poisoning
Ergonomic Injuries	Carpal tunnel Tendinitis
Psychological Conditions	Chronic stress PTSD Depression, anxiety IBS (stress-linked)

Stress & Work Hazards

Causes

• High workload
• Role ambiguity
• Low control
• Accidents
• Occupational disease

Accident Consequences

• Immediate: injury, infrastructure damage
• Short-term: recovery time, fatalities
• Long-term: confidence loss, QoL decline, compensation costs

Developing Countries Issues

• Informal labour
• Poor data
• Limited healthcare
• Underreported risks

Human Error & Risk

Types of Human Error

• Attention error: didn’t notice
• Decision error: misjudged
• Action error: slip or incorrect action

Error Taxonomies

• Categorise causes
• Help identify patterns
• But may oversimplify

Error Patterns

• Sporadic
• Systematic
• Random

Attitudes & Risk Perception

• Climate shapes attitudes
• Attitudes shape behaviour
• Training improves accuracy of risk perception

Reducing Risk

• Standardised procedures
• Clear taxonomies
• Understanding error patterns
• Effective training

Training & Technology

• VR-based training
• Human–system optimisation
• Better decision and attention control

OH&S Legislation

• Regulates management of psychosocial hazards
• Focus: prevention, training, system oversight
• Can impose fines, seize documents, mandate compliance