Human dignity

This concept is of a different order from the other three because it is more an ethical philosophy. This concept rejects the old idea of using employees as economic tools. Everybody in the organization deserves respect simply by virtue of his being a human being contributing to the organizational cause.

The Depression

The Depression itself had considerable effect on the development of industrial psychology. While it may have slowed growth in some directions, it nevertheless opened many additional areas for survey. After the depression the importance of employee attitudes began to be recognized consequently much development since that time bas been in this area.

World War II was also a major factor in the growth of psychology in industry. Although the American Association for applied Psychology was formed in 1937 as the official organization of industrial psychology, it was the huge psychological contribution to the war effort which proved to so many people that applied psychology had important and practical contributions to offer.

Also developed were selection programs for officers, various training programs of specialized types and job analysis and perform ace evaluation techniques.

World War I

During the post – World War I years industry first began to show an interest in the discipline of industrial psychology. Certain firms such as Procter & Gamble, the Philadelphia company, and the Hawthorne Plant of Western Electric all formed their own personnel research programs. In fact, it was at the Hawthorne Western Electric plant that the famous “Hawthorne” studies were begun in 1927 (Roethlis berger and Dickson, 1939). These studies, which lasted into the middle 1930 are considered by many, to be probably the most significant series of research studies ever carried out in industry in terms of the impact they had on the growth and development of industrial psychology. They provided the foundation and impetus for the expansion of industrial psychology beyond the realm of selection, placement, and working conditions into the study of motivation, morale, and human relations.

Psychological consulting

In 1917 the Journal of Applied Psychology made its appearance. At about the same time, colleges in the western world began to introduce courses in applied psychology and as the subject has developed, the trend has been to offer courses in specific fields of applied psychology such as industrial psychology, personnel psychology, vocational psychology, and advertising psychology.

In 1919 Scott and several others founded the Scott Company of Philadelphia. This was the first psychological consulting firm ever organized and was oriented toward personnel problems in industry. This was followed two years later by the previously mentioned psychology Corporation the oldest firm of this type still active in the United States.

Psychology and Industrial Efficiency

Edwaard K. Strong, Jr. branched industrial psychology into guidance with his researches on vocational interests. Hugo Munsterberg, with his researches into industrial accidents and his book “Psychology and Industrial Efficiency”, published in 1913, put psychology into the study of the worker. Such books as Whitting Williams’s “What’s on the Worker’s Mind” and “Mainsprings of Men” started an emphasis on studying the worker.

During World War I psychologists were quite active in the war effort, developing group tests for army recruits and aiding in the development of procedures for the selection of officer personnel. In fact, many of the major postwar developmental areas of industrial psychology such as group testing, trade testing, rating scales and the personality inventory had their roots in the activities of psychologists in the World War I war effort.

Motivation

Motivation of the employees is essential to the operation of organizations. No matter how much machinery and equipment an organization has, these things cannot be put to use until they are operated by people who have been motivated.

Basically, a human being likes to work and contribute his mite to the organizational effort. The Manager has to create the bothatim in which the design work is supported.

Organizational psychology

The early sixties saw the addition of organizational psychology, to the traditional field still called industrial psychology after some two decades of growth.

The early development of industrial psychology centers around men, books, and organizations, and present – day developments, to a large extent, are programmed around multidisciplinary approaches to problems.

Among the early names is that of Walter Dill Scott who opened up the beginning of industrial psychology in America by showing how psychology could be applied to advertising and selling. He became the first man to hold the title of professor of applied psychology. He was appointed to this position by the man who established the first graduate school of industrial psychology. Walter VanDyke Bingham, at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1915. The first Ph.D. in the field was given by this institution in 1921 to Bruce V.Moore.

The beginning..

Industrial psychology began in America in 1901 and in England shortly thereafter. The industrial psychology to a large extent, to deals with the practical problems presented by administrators and planners not only of industrial organizations but of government and military organizations as well.

Beginning with problems in advertising and selling, Industrial psychology expanded into researches centering on personnel selection, training and vocational guidance.

By 1925 industrial social psychology entered the picture with investigations and theories of motivation, communication, and group behavior.

By 1945 engineering psychology became a part of industrial psychology and has also diversified into studies of human factors engineering in man - machine systems.

Whole Person :

The organizations employ not only the skills of the employee but a whole human being along with his pluses of minuses. Employees no more are referred to as “hands”. A manager would do well to think of an employee not only as employee but also as a social being. The employee play many roles outside the firm. Therefore, if the employee is to be synchronized with organization, the manger will have to take into account his other roles too. When Manager practice organizational behaviour he tries to develop not only better employee but also a better person in terms of growth and contribution to the wider society.

History of Industrial psychology

Industrial psychology draws upon the facts, generalizations, and principles of psychology. It uses the methods prescribed in the parent body. Because it applies the techniques of psychology to the industrial scene and the problems confronting it, industrial psychology formulates and modifies procedures to meet the conditions found in business rather than in the laboratory. Industrial psychology is simply the application or extension of psychological facts and principles to the problems concerning human beings operating within the context of business and industry.

The most important aspect of industrial psychology is its discipline. It clearly recognizes that scientific conclusions must be objective and based upon facts gathered as a result of a defined procedure. It does not treat assumptions or hypotheses as if they were conclusions.