Most of the students taking this course will work for some kind of organization. Many are already employed while are attending college. Our goal in this book is to show them how industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology will directly influence their lives as job applicants, trainees, employees, managers and coordinators, and consumers, In brief, we are teaching students about the nature of work in modern society.
Our focus is on the practical and the applied rather than the scientific ideal. For example, we believe students must be introduced to topics such as training needs analysis, but they also should know that, in the reality of the workplace, training needs analyses are rarely conducted because organizations are reluctant to spend money on them.
It is important for students to learn about the major theories, models, research techniques, and findings of the science of I/O psychology, to develop an understanding of the aims and goals of the field. Students must also develop an awareness that I/O psychology in practice is often tempered by the conditions of modern organization life. Therefore, we have chosen to discuss theories, methods, and fundings within the framework of actual work situations and problems rather than as academic exercises.
Part 1 The practice of industrial/organizational psychology
Part 2 The development of human resources
Part 3 Organizational psychology
Part 4 Characteristics of the workplace
Part 5 Engineering psychology
Part 6 Consumer psychology