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Industrial-organizational psychology is thebranch of psychologythat applies psychological theories and principles to organizations. Often referred to as I-O psychology, this combination of industrial psychology and organizational psychology focuses on understanding workplace productivity factors and issues related to the physical and mental well-being of employees.

Industrial-organizational psychologists perform a wide variety of tasks, including studying worker attitudes and behavior, evaluating companies, and conducting leadership training. The main goal of this field is to study and understand human behavior in the workplace, and it can be utilized across a variety of industries.

What Is Industrial-Organizational Psychology?

You can think of industrial-organizational psychology as having two major sides: industrial psychology and organizational psychology.

Industrial Psychology

The main role of the industrial side of industrial-organizational psychology is to learn how to best match individuals to specific job roles. This segment of I-O psychology is also sometimes referred to as personnel psychology.

People who work in this area might assess employee characteristics, then match these individuals to jobs in which they are likely to perform well. Other main focuses that fall on the industrial side of I-O psychology include training employees, developing job performance standards, and measuring job performance.

Organizational Psychology

The organizational side of I-O psychology is more focused on understanding how organizations affect individual behavior. Organizational structures, social norms, management styles, and role expectations are all factors that can influence how people behave within an organization.

By understanding such factors, I-O psychologists hope to improve individual performance and health while at the same time benefiting the organization as a whole.

While industrial-organizational psychology is an applied field, basic theoretical research is also essential. With roots in experimental psychology, I-O psychology has a number of different sub-areas such as human-computer interaction, personnel psychology, andhuman factors.

Key Subject Areas in I-O Psychology

According to Muchinsky’s book,Psychology Applied to Work: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology, most industrial-organizational psychologists work in one of six major subject areas:

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Topics

Important People in I-O Psychology History

There have been several prominent figures in the field of I-O psychology, including:

Careers in I-O Psychology

Interest inindustrial-organizational psychology careershas grown.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that I-O psychology would be one of the fastest-growing careers, and wages have been rising over 10 percent per year.

According to employment statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual wage for I-O psychologists as of May 2016 was $109,030. The bottom 10% of I-O psychologists earned around $51,350 and the top 10% earned an average of $184,380, with a median annual wage of $192,150.

As with other specialty areas, wages vary depending upon a variety of factors including geographic location, educational background, area of employment, and years of experience in the field. Individuals with a master’s or doctorate degree also command higher yearly salaries.

States employing the most I-O psychologists include Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and New Jersey. Professionals working in Virginia earned an average of $126,220, while those employed in Massachusetts earned an average of $75,660.

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that wages also vary considerably depending upon the industry in which industrial-organizational psychologists are employed. The mean annual wage for various industries is as follows:

Who Should Study Industrial-Organizational Psychology?

Students who are interested in applying psychological principles to real-world settings should consider industrial-organizational psychology. If you have a strong interest in psychology as well as related subjects such as product design, computers, statistics, and engineering, this may be the ideal field for you.

How the Hawthorne Effect Works

2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Muchinsky PM.Psychology Applied to Work, An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Thomson Wadsworth; 2006.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.Occupational Employment Statistics.Additional ReadingBureau of Labor Statistics.Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.Occupational Employment Statistics.Hockenbury SE, Hockenbury DH.Discovering Psychology. New York: Worth Publishers; 2016.Muchinsky PM.Psychology Applied to Work: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Summerfield (N.C.): Hypergraphic Press; 2009.

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Muchinsky PM.Psychology Applied to Work, An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Thomson Wadsworth; 2006.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.Occupational Employment Statistics.Additional ReadingBureau of Labor Statistics.Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.Occupational Employment Statistics.Hockenbury SE, Hockenbury DH.Discovering Psychology. New York: Worth Publishers; 2016.Muchinsky PM.Psychology Applied to Work: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Summerfield (N.C.): Hypergraphic Press; 2009.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Muchinsky PM.Psychology Applied to Work, An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Thomson Wadsworth; 2006.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.Occupational Employment Statistics.

Muchinsky PM.Psychology Applied to Work, An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Thomson Wadsworth; 2006.

Bureau of Labor Statistics.Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.Occupational Employment Statistics.

Bureau of Labor Statistics.Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.Occupational Employment Statistics.Hockenbury SE, Hockenbury DH.Discovering Psychology. New York: Worth Publishers; 2016.Muchinsky PM.Psychology Applied to Work: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Summerfield (N.C.): Hypergraphic Press; 2009.

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