Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, What?

“What is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, and what do they do?” This is very often the response I get when people hear the term. This is very understandable, because the title itself is quite a mouthful. Very simply (and this is an oversimplification) I/O Psychologists ‘Make sure that employees work better, and make sure that work is better for people’. They are Work Psychologists, and they are actually indispensable in a modern workforce.
So…..how can these ‘I/O People’ help me and my organization you may ask? Well, there are a multitude of ways of leveraging an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist’s skills and abilities. Here are three of the most important ways that an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist can turn your organization into a well-oiled machine!
1. Succession Planning – Industrial/Organizational Psychologists excel at looking for problems within an organization and its personnel, and well as looking at strengths and abilities. When someone is ready to leave the company, the organizational psychologist can often see this ahead of time and make sure you are prepared for it, with someone who can stand out at the position. This is critical in a time when turnover potential is so high, and when the ability to be competitive requires having the right people in the right positions.
2. Training and Learning Development – As technology and innovation advance in business and society today, it is important for businesses to ‘keep up’ and advance as well. The Industrial/Organizational Psychologist is there……with an understanding of adult learning dynamics and motivational needs, these professionals are adept at making sure that your organization’s staff understands these advancements, and how to use their skills and abilities to creatively innovate with them.
3. Team Development – Creating a coherent, functioning team is not always an easy task, an I/O Psychologist can make this a bit more straightforward. With an in-depth understanding of motivations and interactions they can spot troubling signs, and determine the best way to avoid escalation and to foster improvement. The Industrial/Organization Psychologist can also assist in laying-out plans for developing new teams and organizing them into innovation dynamos!
There are of course many other aspects of the Industrial/Organizational Psychologist’s skill set that can be of use to both corporate and social professionals alike. These however are the key abilities that all the others feed off of.