IOP3704 - Study Notes

STUDY UNIT 1: An Industrial Psychology Approach to Labour Relations What are the main reasons for the neglect of the role of industrial psychology in labour relations? 1. There is a tendency of industrial psychologists to ignore trade unions, reasons for this include:  Institutional Naivety – viewing Labour Relations (LR) primarily as interpersonal relations  Inadequate Exposure to the problems of the working class – poor sensitivity and understanding to problems of the labour  Develpoments in Organisational Psychology – such as job enrichment etc. which can run counter to the traditional goals of labour  Problems of application – behavioural science interventions showing poor results  Misconceptions about the nature of industrial conflict  Research problems – lack of opportunities fr research , inadequate communication of research results etc.  Preoccupation with the scientific method – thereby ignoring controversial issue of LR and instead researching theoretically and technically safe areas.  Strong association woth management  Treatment of unions as dummy variables  Inappropriate models of human behaviour in the work situation 2. There is a tendency of unions and specialists in LR to underplay the importance of Industrial Psychology (IS)  There is a distrust of IS  Psychological contributions are not welcome  “pro trade union” is the dominant value position  Methodologies and approaches of LR are not conducive to psychological involvement What is the definition of “the field of IS”  MAIN DEFINITION: Behaviour of individuals in the work situation  Scientific study of the relationship between man and the world at work: the study of the adjustment people make to the places they go, people they meet and the things they do in the process of making a living  Solving the human problems created by an industrial civilisation Identify the various areas of specialisation in IS, and provide a brief explanation for these terms Sub Field Description Example of a Career Personnel Psychology  Concerned with all aspects of applied individual differences  Job analysis and evaluation  Selection  Performance  Training and Development Organisational Psychology  Concerned with role related  Psychology’s strengths lie in behavioural and process analyses at the individual, group and organisational levels  As LR becomes more process orientated, psychology’s contribution will be increasingly recognised. behaviour  Pressures that groups can pose on individuals  Personal feelings of commitment to an organisation  Patterns of communication within organisation (Org) Ergonomics  Understanding of human performance in personmachine systems  Includes design of equipment and machinery to enhance worker productivity and safety Vocational and Career Counselling  Concerned with conselling which applies to problems at work  Finding a rewarding and satisfying career path  Resolving conflict between work and leisure interests  Preparing for retirement Organisational Development  Improving or changing organisations to make them more efficient Consumer Behaviour  Behaviour that consumers display in searching for, purchasing, using, evaluating and disposing of products and services Labour Relations  Concerned with problems between employers and employees  Usually involves a trade union  Co-operation and conflict between work parties  Resolving disputes in the workforce  Bargaining or negotiating agreements between various segments of the workforces Describe IS as a science and practice It’s scientific aspect is rooted in research to provide the knowledge that is a pre-requisite for any practical application Discuss the general value of IS in LR In general terms, the role of the psychologist in LR is as follows: