Technology

Technology provides the physical and economic resources with which people work. The technology also allows people to do more and better work.

These three elements interact with each other enabling organizational march towards attainment of the objectives. However, taking system’s view point, no organization can independently decide the outcome of its activity. An organization always interacts with the external social system. It pours certain outputs in the external social system. In the ultimate analysis, therefore, the outcome of the organizational efforts is closely linked with the external social environment.

Human behaviour in organizations is determined partly by the requirements by the formal organization and partly by personal systems of the individual forming the organization. The behaviour which emerges from the interaction defines the field of organizational behaviour.

Cehster Bernard organizations

In the words of Cehster Bernard organizations are system consciously coordinated activities. This being so they contain a blue print of the employee behaviour. This is represented by the rules and regulations that the organizations lay down. These rules are regulations represent a formal system. Many times this formal system comes in friction with the informal system. The informal system is represented by the individual constitutional make up. This creates distance between the employees and the organization. It falls on the manager to integrate the formal with informal.

As it is human behaviour is complex enough. Added to it are the structure and technology. Further more the present business and entrepreneurial environment has thrown additional challenges to the present day managers. These challengers are

• Globalisation of business
  
• Information explosion and
  
• Quality service revolution
  

Typically an organization has a pyramidic structure : the constituent elements being 

• People
  
• Structure and
  
• Technology
  

Maintenance of smooth industrial relations and peace

It is expected pf an industrial psychologist that he tries to understand the aspirations of the management and the employees. Having understood these aspirations he is required to interpret these aspirations to the other parties. An industrial psychologist has an important role to play in inculcating proper attitudes which, in the ultimate analysis, would lead to smooth frictionless and lasting industrial peace.

Organisations are social units with a purpose. They are established for the achievement of certain goals. Since these goals can be attained only by a group of people working together, there is in the notion of organization the concepts are a system of social, technical and economic elements and coordinate human and material resources to attain multiple objectives.

Motivating the employees

The human element in the organization has tremendous capacity to rise to the demands placed. A motivated employees is a great asset to the demands placed. A motivated employees is a great asset to the organizations. However the managers have to make special efforts and evolve various schemes etc., to ensure that employees are motivated. Motivation requires two pronged efforts (i) the financial and (ii) Psychological the industrial psychologist is required to develop psychological intensives to motivate employees. Basically psychological motivation makes the job a source of pleasure. The industrial psychologist is required to design the jobs to take care of the psychological needs of the employees. Not only this but he must also train the managers in the art of motivating the employees.

Designing of performance appraisal system :

Proper performance appraisal helps in understanding the training needs; in motivating the employees, in giving feed back to the employees and to the organizations with a respect to performance and training needs of an employee. Proper performance appraisal system helps in granting pay arises as well as promotions. 

The performance appraisal system in order to be effective demands performance interviewing and counseling. These are the two major areas where an industrial psychologist draws on his training and the skills, He may also have to train other managers in these areas.

Cultural anthropology

Anthropology means the study of man. Although there are many subfields of anthropology the discipline of organizational behavioural draws support from cultural anthropology. Since, human behaviour is largely dominated and governed by the cultural heritage, understanding the cultural aspect becomes important for a manager.

Many aspects of life have a significant influence upon behaviour, therefore, any understanding of employee behaviour must be preceded by study and understanding of the cultural in which they live. People meet at various places homes and street, they read books; they go to movies and they engage in may other activities that cause them to develop a set of basic values long before they seek their first employment. In fact, basic values are so well ingrained that they are very difficult to change even before a person finishes high school. They influence the amount of education one seeks, how hard one work on the job, and the way in which one cooperates with other at the work place. The basic relationship is that culture off the job affects on the job performance.

Developing tests for recruitment

We all know that industrial psychology has its roots in development of the recruitment tests. In the modern era confronting the industry. The question of appointing a proper person for the proper job assumes great importance. Who but an industrial psychologist design the tests and help the organizations making the best fit between the job and man?

Designing training programmes :

It is not only sufficient to ensure proper recruitment but the people recruited must be motivated and trained properly. Only after proper training can a person deliver the goods. Designing of the proper training programmes assumes importance because of the fast pace of change specially the technological change. Training ensures avoidance of obsolescence. 

Psychological functions

An industrial psychologist has to perform many important functions in the organizations . In the Indian industry, one must remember, there are only a handful or organizations that have retained an independent industrial psychologist. In Indian industry the trained is to blend the functions of the industrial psychologist with the functions of the personnel or human resource management. Tripically therefore in India the personnel manager is also an Industrial psychologist. Even though this is so we must understand the functions of the industrial psychologist.