Industrial Psychology in Employee Selection and Training

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Work is a fundamental aspect of human existence. Besides sleep, work occupies a greater portion of a person’s time than any other activity. The importance attached to work has led to the emergence of disciplines such as industrial/organizational psychology that seek to make it a more rewarding experience. According to Aamodt (2010, p. 2), “industrial/organizational psychology is a branch of psychology that applies the principles of psychology to the workplace.” The prime concern of industrial/organizational psychology at the workplace is to ensure that human dignity is upheld because this enhances individual as well as overall organizational performance (Aamodt, 2010). This branch of psychology comprises four fundamental aspects of work namely job analysis and evaluation, employee selection, training and performance appraisal (Rogelberg, 2007).

In personnel selection and training, which is the gist of this paper, industrial/organizational psychology plays a very important role. It serves to ensure that the right employees are placed in positions that are commensurate with their abilities. Eventually, if properly observed, industrial/organizational psychology principles benefit both the individual employees and the organization because it creates an aura of a win-win arrangement for both.

The employee selection process simply involves choosing the best-suited candidate from a pool of recruits. These pools can at times be huge especially in the case of reputable organizations. For instance, according to (Aamodt, 2010), Google Inc. receives about 1,300 job applications daily. This implies that the process of selecting the best individual from such a pool is daunting. However, through the work of industrial/organizational psychologists, it is possible to choose the best.

Many organizations across the globe employ techniques such as testing, which includes psychological tests, cognitive ability tests and integrity tests (Rogelberg, 2007). Evidence suggests that these tests have a bearing on an individual’s later job performance. Organizations also widely employ interviews all over the world when selecting employees. Through interviews, interviewers are able to interact with the prospective employees on a face-to-face basis thus enabling them to determine if an individual is capable of effectively working along other people. (Sackett, 2008). In addition to these two, it is common practice for organizations to seek work samples from prospective employees during the selection process. In some cases, candidates demonstrate their ability to perform given tasks to ascertain their suitability for the intended positions. These are all elements of industrial/organizational psychology in practical application.

With the best candidate having been hired, there is always some form of orientation they have to undergo before commencing the job. The aim of such activities is to acquaint the new employees with the new work environment to help them fit in comfortably (Rogelberg, 2007). There are some cases where hired employees undergo some formal training programs before they start working or while working. For instance, at JCPenney, it is vital for its 150,000 associates across the US to have a clear concept of the organization’s values. JCPenney organizes training sessions for all its associates to give them a sense of belonging and inculcate in them the golden rule philosophy to enhance their efficiency since this is the philosophy upon which the operations of the JCPenney are anchored.

Mentorship programs, which involve the pairing of experienced employees with novices is also a common element of industrial/organizational psychology in modern workplaces (Sackett, 2008). This is especially observable in most American police departments when rookies or officers that have been transferred from other locations are paired up with experienced officers who have been at the given station for a while. The aim of such arrangements is to guide the new officers on the off book details of working at the new station.

Conclusion

It emerges explicitly that industrial/organizational psychology plays a vital in employee selection and training. Since it is primarily concerned with ensuring that people are comfortable in their workplace and are thus productive, all organizations across the world exhibit at least some traces of the principles of industrial/organizational psychology. A keen observation of the way organization go about their employee selection and training activities attests to this assertion.

References

Aamodt, M. G. (2010). I/o applications workbook. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth.

Rogelberg, S. G. (2007). Encyclopedia of industrial and organizational psychology. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE.

Sackett, P. R. (2008). From The Editor. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1(1), 1-2.

Click Here To Order Now!

Industrial Psychology in Employee Selection and Training

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)