Industrial/ Organizational (I/O) Psychology

*All this pictograph represents is that this area is a combination of do areas of study: Industrial Psychology and Organizational Psychology. Part of this field is Science (Research) and part Applied (Practice). The framework around these fields are Human Resources Management, Measurement (Testing, Statistics), Organizational Behavior, & Psychological Development. These are what my classes in Grad school are about.

What Is I/O Psychology?

I/O psychology, in brief, is concerned with the scientific structuring of organizations and of work to improve the productivity and quality of life of people at work. For most of us, time at work accounts for a very large chunk of our lives. It makes a lot of sense to me that somebody in psychology ought to be looking closely at this facet of life and its impact upon other life domains.

The field of I/O psychology is certainly a very applied field, but many I/O psychologists also address relatively basic research questions. In other words, I/O psychologists very much want to produce solutions to problems in the workplace, but they also usually want to develop a fuller understanding of life at work to produce a solid scientific knowledge base. I/O scientist/ practitioners like being in an environment that has problems that need to be solved, but they also like to discover and collect scientific facts about work and organizational settings that they can apply to problems yet to be faced. There is a lot of justification for this kind of activity because, quite frankly, the world of work is such a fast-moving target of study that many issues are hard to anticipate.

Traditionally, I/O psychologists have focused on understanding individual behavior and experience in organizational settings. That is, the worker has received the most attention. This, of course, continues today. Today more than ever, however, I/O psychologists explicitly acknowledge the importance of considering the whole work system. For example, they conduct research at the group and organizational levels of analysis as well as at the individual level. Also, they formally address the impact on work of environmental factors such as labor markets, economic conditions, and governmental regulations. In fact, operating within a systems approach to understanding people at work has allowed I/O psychologists to contribute to cutting-edge issues in the design of work. For example, I/O psychologists have contributed to the design and development of team-based organizations and have developed strategies for designing organizational structures for work that are flexible enough to ride through turbulent environmental times.

What Do I/O Psychologists Do?

I-O psychology is a diverse field with opportunities in several different areas. Many I-O psychologists work in business in positions dealing with worker productivity, employee training and assessment, and human resources. Other I-O psychologists work in research or academic positions. Specific specialty areas in I-O psychology include human-computer interaction and human factors. Consulting opportunities are also available for experienced I-O psychologists.

How much do industrial-organizational psychologists typically earn?

Median salary - $80,000

University professors - $70,000

Private sector - $100,000

Highest earners – Top 5% earn from $250,000 to several million each year.

What is the job outlook for industrial-organizational psychologists?

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook states that:

Industrial-organizational psychologists will be in demand to help to boost worker productivity and retention rates in a wide range of businesses. I-O psychologists will help companies deal with issues such as workplace diversity and anti-discrimination policies. Companies also will use psychologists’ expertise in survey design, analysis, and research to develop tools for marketing evaluation and statistical analysis.

I am posting this in response to all of my friends that do not understand what the hell I am doing. This still does not cover everything that the field I am studying entails, but I think it gives a good summation of what an I/O Psychologist may be involved in.