Assignment 2: Using Psychology at Work
Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology can impact the workplace in a wide range of areas. When it comes to understanding human behavior, industrial/organizational (I/O) professionals can support organizations as they manage change, become more global, and even strategically plan for the future. Consider the value of understanding how people work and think as you answer the following questions:
What is utility theory, and how does it apply to industrial/organizational (I/O) applications, such as employee selection?
What is the systems approach? Thinking about your most recent/current job, did the organization use a systems approach in performance management?
If so, what evidence of the systems approach did you observe? If a systems approach was not used, how could it have been applied?
Imagine that you are an industrial/organizational (I/O) professional taking a new job. The organization is going through reorganization, and strategic planning meetings are taking place. The meetings do not include anyone from human resources (HR) or an industrial/organizational (I/O) professional.
What might you say to convince the chief executive officer (CEO) that you should be included in strategic planning?
Your response should directly address each question, providing references and examples to support your points. You should use at least two scholarly sources cited in APA format. Comment in a substantive manner to at least two of your classmates. Some comments or questions you may consider as you respond to others include:
Another perspective on one of the topic areas
An additional reference with an interesting complementary or different view of the topic areas
A personal example related to one of the topic areas
Other applications of utility theory
A different experience with the systems approach
Suggested improvements in the use of the systems approach
Additional evidence to support the value of industrial/organizational (I/O) in strategic planning