Since its inception immediately after World War II, industrial or organizational (I/O) psychology continues to command space in organizations across the world. This is a branch of psychology dealing with the application of physiological procedures in solving practical problems arising from the workplace (Wagner, 2009). I/O psychologists work hand in hand with human resource managers to recruit and train personnel at different levels of an organization. I/O psychology draws such attraction from different organizations due to the numerous benefits associated with it. These include improved organizational performance through a selection of candidates who are likely to perform better. It also identifies the people with skills and abilities suitable for a given job.
I/O psychology plays a very important role in the process of selecting and training employees. This is because a well-constructed selection system encompasses all required qualities the employer is looking for in an employee. Employees undergo rigorous selection processes qualified by a psychologist. They design a selection system that complies with legal requirements and still auspicate candidates likely to succeed in that job. This system entails a job description pointing out the required skills, abilities, knowledge together with the tools used in performing a given task.
In the training of employees, psychologists play a motivational role in encouraging trainees. Newly recruited employees are not conversant with the working conditions. Thus, they undergo training to familiarize themselves with the organization’s systems and adapt to the working environment. Many companies are currently liaising with psychologists to boost the confidence and morale of these workers.
During selection, a candidate undergoes a series of psychometric tests and psychologists then analyze the results based on a scientific study. They assess the validity and reliability of these results and establish whether a candidate is competent enough for the job. The application of scientific research is immense at this level to ensure that those who proceed to stand a high chance of thriving in the work environment.
These psychologists go beyond the recruitment and training phase, they offer legal support to the hiring firms should any issue arise. They testify in court and prove the validity and reliability of a given selection procedure in improving the output of the involved cases (Industrial-Organization Psychology Learning Module, 2002).
However, this process flouts some ethical issues and in some cases, it leads to court battles. The process has a critical negative impact on the lives of the candidates involved. After failing the tests, people may feel unworthy and this may lead to stigmatized individuals with crushed egos. In 1975, Albemarle Paper Company solidified the use of scientific selection but workers challenged the decision in court, which ruled against the company (Industrial-Organization Psychology Learning Module, 2002).
Several kits designed by I/O psychologists are on market today and assist in profiling employees. For instance, the top 100 companies across the world use Drake P3 to profile candidates. The candidate undergoes a communication survey-taking 7-10 minutes. Individuals respond differently and this forms the basis of evaluation. These responses go through 14,000 mathematical analyses to determine employee’s patterns of behavior (Drake, 2009).
Due to poor hiring skills, organizations cripple because low performance is expensive at the end (William, 2008). The utility of scientific selection of employees refers to the increased returns a company will gain from using this hiring method. For a company to remain afloat in the competitive market the output should surpass the input and this can result from hiring competitive employees. This prompted invent of the scientific selection of employees. Potential employees undergo a rigorous selection process and screening to select only competent and suitable candidates. This exercise of selection utilizes attested models that cushion a company from incurring losses.
For instance, the following is a postulated illustration of the utility of scientific selection.
Hundred unskilled/Semi-skilled workers @ $40,000/year; x 19% difference = $760,000 cost.
Fifty skilled workers @50,000/year; x 32% difference = $800,000 cost.
Twenty-five Managers/Professional workers @60,000/year x 48% difference = $720,000 cost (William, 2008).
That gives $2,280,000 per year and the company likely to benefit is the one employing scientific selection to hire employees.
Advantages of scientific selection include cushioning companies from hiring ineffective employees, which may lead to reduced productivity. This enables the company to maximize output meaning higher returns. Williams (2008) concurs that getting the right people for the right job can propel organizations to great heights. Instead of taking candidates through long expensive training only to drop them due to incompetence, scientific selection eliminates these people at the beginning of the exercise. Thus, it is a time and resource-saving procedure.
However, this is a very expensive procedure. Liaising with professionals like I/O psychologists is very expensive. The process of developing a model for hiring and training takes a long time. Again, getting people who fit in the models is another uphill task. Judging individuals on basis of some traits like communication skills may overshadow rich qualities that individuals possess.
I/O psychology plays a central role in hiring the right people for the right job. Though expensive to initiate, the long-term repercussions boost companies a lot. Practices performed by industrial/organizational psychologists boost the morale of the working environment and motivate individuals thus increasing the productivity of the company.
References
Industrial-Organizational Psychology. (2002). Learning Module. Web.
Drake. (2009). Drake P3. Web.
Wagner V. (2009). What Is Industrial Organizational Psychology? About Com: Psychology
William W. (2008). Acadian Ambulance. Web.