What is organizational psychology and why is it needed in a company?

We are glad to welcome you, dear readers of Valery Kharlamov’s blog! Since I am interested in self-development and I hope that my readers are too, today we will learn in more detail what organizational psychology is, or, as it is also called, management psychology.

What is it?

It is applied in the field of business, in order to explore what problems exist in the organization and how to deal with them most effectively. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to improve productivity and the microclimate in the team, which allows the company to develop and stabilize its position in the market.

Development began around 1925. Researchers through various experiments came to the conclusion that focusing only on providing comfortable working conditions, the required result cannot be achieved. Therefore, it is important to take into account a whole range of factors, and to focus on those that are subjective.

Previously, a little social and engineering psychology were engaged in the study of organizations, after the aforementioned conclusions, the organizational psychology took over the reins of government, and already in the 1980s, a whole direction stood out that is still relevant and popular in the field of business — coaching.

The subject of study of the direction is the behavior of people in the company, as well as the phenomena that arise in the process of work and their close cooperation.

So, directly factors that are emphasized:

• Studying the level of staff motivation, as well as the use of various techniques to increase it;
• Personnel management is carried out in a certain style, which is preferred by the head or the president of the company. The coach, on the other hand, helps to detect shortcomings, what such leadership entails, and then, in case of serious problems, helps to correct the behavior of superiors with subordinates. For example, if you read an article about the liberal style of management, then you are aware that if you behave with employees in a completely relaxed way, then they, accordingly, can stop performing their duties properly, because they will also relax. But with a directive style, they will not withstand the pressure and load, which threatens with dismissal, and in general, staff turnover.
• Recruitment. The psychologist helps to select specialists depending on the requirements of the company. An example is those who are resistant to stress, proactive and able to take responsibility for actions, deeds, as well as the result of work.
• Staff training. For example, what methods to use to improve performance, how to build interpersonal relationships, maintain morale, and so on.

Methods

The study of groups of people and the organization as a whole is usually carried out using methods such as:

1. Poll. That is, a direct survey of all members of the company is carried out, it can be both oral, in the form of an interview, and written, when the same forms with questions are distributed to all participants. Based on the results of an interview or a questionnaire, it becomes possible to detect a probable problem, which stops the development of the entire company.
2. observation. In order to get more «clean» results, as well as directly in the process of working to understand the mechanism that interferes with the entire structure, the coach takes the position of an outside observer.
3. Experimental methods. By artificially creating some situations, you can understand at what stage and in what place the failure occurs, that is, what exactly is the problem and how you can get rid of it.

Conclusion

And that’s all for today, dear readers! Finally, I would like to recommend that you read the article “Personal qualities of a modern leader: what they should be and how to develop them.” Take care of yourself and loved ones!