As I interact with new people, the inevitable question “what do you do?” quickly arises. It’s rare for someone to know what an Industrial-Organizational (I-O) psychologist is, which is a shame.
The role I-O psychologists play in the workplace is revolutionary. They merge the people and the business aspect of the organization.
Also, the need for I-O psychologists is quickly rising as the psychological dynamics of organizational life are becoming more prevalent to overall effectiveness.
This article highlights what an I-O psychologist is, the various areas that consider their expertise extremely valuable, and how they improve the client organization.
What are Industrial-Organizational Psychologists?
I-O psychologists primarily focus on behaviors only within the business context.
The American Psychological Association (APA) cites that I-O psychologists assess and improve human behaviors within groups and organizations. In other words, these types of psychologists use scientific approaches to help find solutions for the people side of the organization.
What makes I-O psychologists unique is the presence of two disciplines in one field: industrial and organizational. Their specialization lies in the business environment and the behavioral dynamics between members.
Industrial psychology is the discipline of employees and their environment. For instance, industrial psychology focuses on performance, satisfaction, and evaluation measurements. Training and development processes are included to update employees on required skill sets. 
Conversely, organizational psychology takes a holistic perspective of the business. Psychologists work to facilitate efficiency among processes, departments, teams, and employees. Work-life balance and stress management are areas of importance for organizational psychologist
Since the nature of I-O psychology is so diverse, I-O psychologists are incredibly resourceful for any aspect of the business environment.
Businesses typically hire I-O psychologists as:
Instructional Designers
Since I-O psychologists are equipped to conduct needs analyses, they serve as exceptional instructional designers.
I-O psychologists can help design employee selection tests, competency training, educational programs, and promotions procedures. They also develop training materials such as workbooks, role-playing modules, and training videos.
Researchers
I-O psychologists can conduct research within the organizational environment to determine issues surrounding: productivity, processes, customer and employee needs, leadership styles, and motivation. Personalized interventions can be developed to improve various issues.
Market research and behavioral analysis can also help with marketing and sales efforts.
Trusted Advisors
They have the business expertise to advise managers on: developing, implementing, evaluating, and revising processes or procedures to increase productivity or create a psychologically safe environment.
They can also advise employees surrounding career planning, developing specialized skills for promotion, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance for effective performance.
HR Leaders
I-O psychologists can also specialize in HR-related functions. For example, to ensure higher retention rates, pre-employment assessments can be implemented to ensure candidates are selected for the best fit for that specific job role.
Also, training sessions on interpersonal skills such as communication, emotional intelligence, and effective team dynamics can help improve morale.
Organization Development Practitioners
I-O psychologists can facilitate the whole system transformational change by applying behavioral science to the development, improvement, and reinforcement of processes that result in overall effectiveness.
Collaborative practices like appreciative inquiry can help the clients develop their own vision for the future. That way, there is more accountability and motivation to want to move towards that vision.
If you would like to find out about transformational cultures and leaders, check out my article!
Consultants
This is where I developed my expertise in I-O psychology. There is a greater emphasis on shifting from an expert consultant to an emergent consultant.
The emergent consultant works collaboratively with the client organization to uncover areas of opportunities using group discussions, interviews, and observations.
They also consistently adapt to the ever-changing environment, helping to identify innovative adjustments to the original plan.
The list will be continuously updated as new external events result in organizational issues that I-O psychologists can solve.
What Problems Does Industrial-Organizational Psychologists Solve?
Particularly, three prevalent issues within our current working reality seem to result in issues for client organizations:
Working Remotely
The outbreak of Covid-19 resulted in working remotely becoming the new normal. I-O psychologists have been preparing for this shift for years now, developing best practices and interventions to increase remote communication and leadership effectiveness.
The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s (SIOP) resource portal has strategies to manage the remote working life to ensure a healthy work-life balance during challenging times.
Diversity and Inclusion
Diverse and inclusive work environments are becoming a standard that nearly all client organizations are striving towards. Client organizations are taking extra measures to ensure their workforce consists of diverse populations and everyone feels included within the culture.
I-O psychologists provide various strategies that widen the pool of applicants, use job analyses, and work to minimize biases during the selection process.
Technology Advancement
I-O psychologists are sure to remain up to date on the latest technology to better serve clients. For instance, artificial intelligence is a popular topic in the literature.
This is because organizations rely on AI technology to improve specific processes. For example, customer listening uses AI technology to collect data on clients’ needs and pain points.
Therefore, I-O psychologists can guide clients on the best practices for choosing the best AI technology while properly integrating ethics.
Conclusion
The majority of people may not know who I-O psychologists are or what they do. Still, they have substantially impacted your quality of life at work.
I-O psychologists are concerned about human behavior and dynamics in the business context.
Additionally, most of the I-O psychologists I have met share a similar noble cause of helping people.
In fact, the main reason I joined the field of I-O psychology is to help employees trapped in dysfunctional work environments.
Fortunately for us, as complexity continues to plague our business environments, we will be the ones who ensure processes and people continues to function optimally.
Bianca Cardenas, M.S., Ph.D., is a Fellow in Executive Assessment and Consulting with Leadership Worth Following. Dr. Bianca Cardenas empowers leaders to transcend competition by helping them unlock their people's potential.
