Introduction
Industrial and organizational psychology is also known as occupational one. It entails the study of people’s behavior at the workplace and applying relevant psychology theories and principles in the organization. It is the science of work psychology.
Industrial organizational psychologists are well trained using the scientist-practitioner model. They ensure that the human actions are in line with the accepted code of conduct in the organization and are connected with its strategic objectives. The main goal of industrial-organizational psychologists is contributing to organization’s success through improvement of performance, safety, health, satisfaction, and general well-being of all employees. Industrial organizational psychologist carries out comprehensive researches on worker’s behaviors and attitudes. Conducted studies are used to give guidelines and directions on how to improve the situation through hiring practices, provision of feedback, training programs, and management systems. During periods of employee transitions, industrial-organizational psychologists help in the management of change in the organization.
Being one of the most recognized specialties in the world, industrial and organizational psychology has many benefits. Apart from equipping the student with rare skills, the profession also helps in the growth of the organization. It entails the systematic collection of data about jobs offered using the stipulated hiring process. It is a task oriented work analysis career that involves the examination of tasks, duties, competencies that are required in a job. Through such study, organizations can obtain the best and most competent workers in all departments. It also allows cutting on costs that could have been incurred following the hiring of a non-competent employee. The profession benefits the worker as well as the organization.
Examination of the competencies, proficiencies, skills, abilities, and other traits necessary in successful completion of a task is critical in the hiring process. It ensures continuity and job security in the organization. Information obtained from job analysis practices is used in many ways including performance appraisals, establishment of job-related selection procedures, training programs and general allocation of tasks. One of the major drawbacks of this career is getting a consistent and friendly way of dealing with all employees in an organization without hurting any of them. It is also a challenge for the participants to fully understand the workers’ strengths, especially in technical fields. I am personally attracted to this career because it is in line with my passion of critically analyzing issues in organizations and providing workable solutions.
Motivation for the Job/Career/Vocation
Motivation is unquestionably the most important factor in a person’s career choice. In my case, this is not an exemption. Motivated and dedicated workers do not fail easily at work. They enjoy their career at all levels. It is the motivation that provides the tenacity required to deal with any challenge at workplace. The ratio of my motivators is higher compared to the hygiene factors that give me resons to move forward. Motivation at work forms a strong set of energetic forces that originate within the individual, and it propels him to doing things that are beyond his imagination. It helps in the initiation of work-related behaviors that are critical and meaningful to the organization. Through motivation, I can determine my intensity, direction and capability at work. Industrial and organization psychology is a demanding career that entails dealing directly with individuals at all levels in the organization.
Incentive programs offered at the workplace like performance appraisal are in line with my motives. I want to rise to the top position at the organization, and this can greatly help. Incentive programs are critical in any company in order to boost performance. They are used in various fields, and industrial organization psychology is no exemption. Researchers have proven that productivity can be increased by more than 25% through incentive programs in this area of specialization.
The need to achieve the goal motivates me more than the need to avoid failure. This is my individual desire for substantive accomplishment at my job. It is an urge that propels me to mastering skills, observing control measures and following high standards at work. The need to achieve entails repeated and prolonged activities to accomplish something in a unique way. It is working with singleness of purpose towards the attainment of a distant goal. I endure and maintain consistency at work so as to achieve more in my career. Intrinsic motivation is driven by an internal need to reach goal and by pressure resulting from the set out expectations.
The need to avoid failure also plays a critical role in my achievements. I have mastered the art of converting my fears into motivation. Since I am afraid of failing, I tend to work hard to avoid failure. The horrible fear of misfortune has always acted as a motivator in my career. I have discovered the power of flipping the negative energy around into a challenge. Through self-doubt, I have developed the key things required in growing one’s career.
How the Job/Career/Vocation is recruited, hired and evaluated
There are numerous factors that make for an attractive candidate for this job. These skills and qualities can be assessed in various ways by the employer. Managers in this field desire particular qualities in their workers. These are skills that must be known, practiced, and incorporated in the candidate’s thinking so as increase the chances of winning an available position at the organization. One of such quality is dedication. This entails showing consistency in execution of assigned duties. The candidate must be able to exceed the employer’s expectations to win the position. He must also be willing to take any task that is in line with the kind of profession that he was assigned for. Another quality is self-discipline, which means staying on track and not allowing modern technology like the internet to distract the person from his job. He maintains focus all the time to ensure that he delivers the best results. Self-discipline also means that the employee can work with minimal supervision. Ability to work under tight schedule and still deliver professional results is a critical feature that employees would look in a potential candidate.
Other key features are diligence and dependability. The first one entails the urge to always deliver the best results. It is striving to undertake any task with utmost excellence. The second feature means that the employee can be relied upon by the organization any time. It implies that the candidate must be punctual at work and shows up at all meetings as required. Understanding that failure to show up at work results to adverse impacts in the company is critical for the employee. Another important quality is pro-activity. The candidate must be able to take the initiative to perform a task instead of waiting to be told what to do.
To remain competitive, I have devised a strategy. I have resolved to be a critical thinker, to be a strategic problem solver, future-oriented, foster teamwork, and to initiative. Working in an organization requires the ability to not only inspire others, but also motivate them. I have resolved not to be afraid of voicing my opinions on issues that I deem important to the organization. Developing a positive attitude is also crucial in improving cooperation with other employees. This is also critical even in stressful and time limiting circumstances. Being enthusiastic and ambitious is also helpful so as to affect other workers positively. The final strategy is to build my reputation through my work quality and by demonstrating dependability and integrity.
Review of your Job/Career/Vocation choice by considering how 3-5 topics that we covered this semester affect the job
Various topics that we have covered in class will definitely affect my job. One of such topics is the organizational design. It is the structure of the organization. It is the environment in which the company is built. The organizational design can affect my job in and around the organization. Creation of processes, roles, and reporting protocols are based on the design of the organization. The behavior at my workplace will be determined by the structure of the management team. The design will impact my mind and health at work in terms of realizing the core duties of my department with respect to the vision statement of the organization.
Another topic that will have an impact on my job is teamwork vs. individual effort. An organization that embraces teamwork is better than one that puts more emphasis on individual effort. Teamwork provides a better platform of employees to develop and advance their skills as opposed to individualism. I can find it easier to accomplish tasks in an organization that promotes teamwork because of the division of labor. Through teamwork, I can acquire skills easily from my colleagues who have been in the industry longer than me. Teamwork at the workplace offers the staff the opportunity to become familiar with each other and learn how to mingle with each other. It ensures the development of the company and the individuals workers. Through teamwork, I would be able to develop self-confidence and courage to handle any task that comes my way at the workplace. Teamwork, as opposed to individual effort, is the oil that makes the organization run successfully.
The last topic that can impact my job is an opportunity for achievement. An organization that provides a good platform for development is important in personal as well as career growths. Commitment by the top-level management team of the organization to provision of opportunities is fruitful to both the organization and workers. Opportunity for achievement can be viewed in various ways. A friendly environment for workers in all departments is part of this. Providing the employees with an opportunity to exploit their full potential at work is beneficial to both the workers and the organization. It acts as an avenue for the employee to farther develop himself. It also increases the worker’s productivity level that is important for the achievement of organization’s strategic objectives.
Conclusion
Researchers have proven that organizational design has direct and indirect impacts on the workers. Apart from influencing the employee’s motivation, it also affects their satisfaction at the workplace. If I am motivated at the workplace, I will deliver better and high quality results. The design of the organization will also affect the efficiency, which helps the company distributes responsibilities and adapts to inevitable changes. When the design is effective, I will spend less organization resources while delivering my tasks. Maintenance of dynamism in design is also helpful to the management in identification of incentive programs appropriate for the workforce. Design will have a significant impact on the rate of my career growth at the organization.
Professional environment enables to improve my skills, thus I will be able not only gain but also deliver more to the organization.