INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST

Job Definition:

• Psychologists research into and study the mental processes and behaviour of human beings as individuals or in groups, and apply this knowledge to promote personal, social, educational or occupational adjustment and development.

Job Description:

• Apply principles of psychology to personnel, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems. Activities may include policy planning; employee screening, training and development; and organizational development and analysis. May work with management to reorganize the work setting to improve worker productivity.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Analyze data, using statistical methods and applications, in order to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of workplace programs.
• 2) Analyze job requirements and content in order to establish criteria for classification, selection, training, and other related personnel functions.
• 3) Conduct research studies of physical work environments, organizational structures, communication systems, group interactions, morale, and motivation in order to assess organizational functioning.
• 4) Develop and implement employee selection and placement programs.
• 5) Develop interview techniques, rating scales, and psychological tests used to assess skills, abilities, and interests for the purpose of employee selection, placement, and promotion.
• 6) Facilitate organizational development and change.
• 7) Formulate and implement training programs, applying principles of learning and individual differences.
• 8) Identify training and development needs.
• 9) Observe and interview workers in order to obtain information about the physical, mental, and educational requirements of jobs as well as information about aspects such as job satisfaction.
• 10) Study organizational effectiveness, productivity, and efficiency, including the nature of workplace supervision and leadership.
• 11) Advise management concerning personnel, managerial, and marketing policies and practices and their potential effects on organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
• 12) Assess employee performance.
• 13) Counsel workers about job and career-related issues.
• 14) Participate in mediation and dispute resolution.
• 15) Study consumers’ reactions to new products and package designs, and to advertising efforts, using surveys and tests.
• 16) Write reports on research findings and implications in order to contribute to general knowledge and to suggest potential changes in organizational functioning.

Activities:

• 1) Provide Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• 2) Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• 3) Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• 4) Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• 5) Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• 6) Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• 7) Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• 8) Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• 9) Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• 10) Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• 11) Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• 12) Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• 13) Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• 14) Staffing Organizational Units — Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• 15) Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• 16) Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Abilities:

• 1) Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand
• 2) Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 3) Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 4) Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 5) Mathematical Reasoning — The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• 6) Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• 7) Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• 8)Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• 9) Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• 10) Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• 11) Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• 12) Number Facility — The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
• 13) Speed of Closure — The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
• 14) Time Sharing — The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).

Knowledge

• 1) Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• 2) Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• 3) Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• 4) Personnel and Human Resources — Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• 5) Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.