Intro To I/O Psych

Question 1

job analysis

Answer 1

a process in which an I/O psychologist investigates what activities are performed of a given job and what qualities - commonly referred to as KSAOs (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics) - an employee needs to be able to do the job well; the process of studying a job to determine which activities and responsibilities it includes, its relative importance to other jobs, the qualifications necessary for performance of the job and the conditions under which the work is performed

Question 2

recruitment

Answer 2

a set of organizational activities and practices that are intended to attract new hires to an organization; the goal is to generate applicants who are qualified for employment, who will accept employment offers, and who will ultimately succeed on the job (and who will fit in with the company’s needs and values); this is the first step in the hiring process

Question 3

employee selection

Answer 3

the process of interviewing and evaluating the candidates for a specific job and selecting an individual for employment based on certain criteria (qualifications, skills, and experience); exact steps vary by company, but the basics include - job announcement, reviewing applications, screening candidates, interviewing, final selection, testing, and making an offer; a candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities are the foundational elements of selection criteria; selection criteria represent the key qualifications, training, abilities, knowledge, personal attributes, skills, and experience a person must have in order to do a job effectively

Question 4

harassment

Answer 4

defined as aggressive pressure or intimidation; covers a wide range of behaviors of an offensive nature; it is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and moral reasonableness; the two most common forms are quid pro quo and hostile work environment harassment; other types include religion based, discriminatory, personal, physical, power, psychological, sexual, or third-party harassment; more examples include race, sexual or gender orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, political beliefs (although Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits harassment on the basis of race, religion, sex, and national origin)

Question 5

pay equity studies (internal and external)

Answer 5

compare employees who previously worked in areas with different costs of living or in different countries; to implement pay equity, you must evaluate the 4 key factors of a job class - required qualifications, required effort, responsibilities, and working conditions under which the job is performed (by using a job evaluation system); external equity refers to the comparison of pay between an employee and those outside of the company; internal equity refers to the comparison of pay between people in the same company

Question 6

leadership

Answer 6

an informal process that involves many people; in the process, one person attempts to influence the others and to produce a change in the behavior of their followers; leadership occurs anytime one person influences another, and it can occur with or without a formal organization; some of the most in-demand leadership skills required in the workplace include - active listening, empathy, ability to share clear messages and make complex ideas easy to understand for everyone, strategic thinking skills, creativity, ability to inspire and convince others, and flexibility; styles include authoritarian (or autocratic), participative (or democratic), delegative (or laissez-faire), transformational, transactional, situational, and coaching

Question 7

employee evaluation

Answer 7

the assessment and review of a worker’s job performance (most companies have a system in which employees are evaluated on a regular basis - often once a year - and these assessments are done at the end of the year or on the employee’s work anniversary); many evaluations provide quantitative measurements essential for a production-oriented work environment, others provide employers with metrics regarding the quality of employees’ work; how to effectively evaluate employees - set performance standards, set specific goals, take notes throughout the year, be prepared, be honest and specific with criticism, don’t compare employees, evaluate the performance (not the personality), and have a conversation

Question 8

feedback

Answer 8

constructive feedback in the workplace is extremely important b/c workplaces need effective communication to succeed and thrive; as well as increasing staff morale, feedback helps us learn more about ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses, our behaviors, and how our actions affect others; how to give effective employee feedback - avoid giving unsolicited advice, be specific, come with a deep level of empathy, do not wait for a quarterly review, keep it private, make the conversation a two-way street, and focus on performance rather than personality (keeps it more objective, and emotions out of it)

Question 9

motivation

Answer 9

drives and excites employees, which results in their maximum contribution; setting and achieving goals, clear expectations, recognition, feedback, as well as encouraging management all contribute to an increase in workplace motivation; increase communication, offering challenging work, recognizing achievement, boosting team spirit, and increasing independence are all top motivators at work; motivation is important in the workplace b/c it allows management to meet the company’s goals, having motivated employees can lead to increased productivity and allow an organization to achieve higher levels of output; in addition to being more highly engaged, motivated employees handle uncertainty more easily, are better problem solvers, have higher levels of innovation, creativity and customer-centricity, are more profitable, create higher levels of customer satisfaction, and increase employee retention rates; employee motivation is key to an organization’s success, it’s the level of commitment, drive, and energy that a company’s workers bring to the role every day, without it, companies experience reduced productivity, lower levels of output and it’s likely that the company will fall short of reaching important goals too

Question 10

organizational commitment

Answer 10

can be thought of as an extension of job satisfaction, as it deals with the positive attitude that an employee has, not toward their own job, but toward the organization as a whole; it is likely to be higher among employees who perceive they have input into decision making b/c it allows them to help shape the organization and shows that they are valued by the organization (people tend to have satisfaction and commitment for things they help shape); role ambiguity, job control and insecurity, career advancement, performance appraisal, and positive team experience have been claimed to significantly affect organizational commitment; 3 types - affective, continuance, and normative

Question 11

employee training

Answer 11

the process for providing required skills to the employee for doing the job effectively, skillfully, and qualitatively; training of employees is not continuous, but it is periodical and given in specified times; it helps in bringing about positive change in the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of employees; some tips for creating a training program include - create a plan (what do you want employees to learn?), host regular training sessions, use employees as trainers, cross train workers, and set training goals; some benefits of employee training include - better productivity, positive work attitude, risk acceptance, better communication, interpersonal growth, and skills grooming for professional growth; some examples of types include - technical or technology training, quality training, skills training, soft skills training, professional and legal training, team training, managerial training, and safety training

Question 12

wellbeing

Answer 12

(in general) the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy; workplace wellbeing relates to all aspects of working life from the quality and safety of the physical work environment, to how workers feel about their work, their working environment, the climate at work and work organization; workers wellbeing is a key factor in determining an organization’s long-term effectiveness; steps to take that can improve health and wellbeing in the workplace include - practice good all-around self-care (prevention is better than cure when it comes to maintaining wellbeing), take a break, maintain a positive work/life balance, communicate, utilize employee support, and practice mindfulness

Question 13

satisfaction

Answer 13

job satisfaction is any combination of psychological, physiological, and environmental circumstances that cause a person to truthfully say that they are satisfied with a job; five components of job satisfaction - 1. pay 2. opportunities for advancement 3. recognition 4. autonomy 5. meaning; employees who report high job satisfaction tend to achieve higher productivity, keeping employees safe and satisfied can also lead to higher sales, lower costs and a stronger bottom line; factors affecting job satisfaction level include - working environment, fair policies and practice, a caring organization, appreciation, pay, age, promotion, and a feeling of belonging; 3 dimensions of overall job satisfaction - general satisfaction, internal work motivation, and growth satisfaction (which are combined into a single measure); benefits of higher job satisfaction - lowers voluntary turnover, reduces employee absenteeism, reduces long-term HR costs, contributes positive results towards Employee Referral Programs, boosts employee productivity, and increases employee retention

Question 14

realistic job preview

Answer 14

a recruiting tool used to communicate both the good and bad aspects of a job; essentially, it is used to provide a prospective employee with a realistic view of what the job entails

Question 15

organizational communication

Answer 15

a broad field that encompasses all forms of communication that allow organizations such as companies, government agencies, and nonprofits to function, grow, connect with stakeholders, and contribute to society; refers to the forms and channels of communication among members of organizations such as corporations, nonprofits or small businesses, studies have found a strong relationship between the levels of communication in an organization and job performance and satisfaction; 4 types - formal and informal communication, directional communication, internal and external communication, oral and written communication; broadly speaking, consistent and open communication across an organization ensures all employees, from senior management to entry-level staff, understand the company’s goals and culture, as well as how it presents itself to its customers and clients

Question 16

business communication

Answer 16

the process of sharing info between employees within and outside a company; effective business communication is how employees and management interact among each other to reach organizational goals and be more aligned with the core company values; 2 main types - internal (upward, downward, and lateral) and external; effective communication within a business is important b/c it can help to foster a good working relationship between you and your staff, which can in turn improve morale and efficiency

Question 17

group dynamics

Answer 17

a system of behaviors and psychological processes occurring within a social group (intragroup dynamics), or between social groups (intergroup dynamics); are relevant in both formal and informal groups of all types; the purpose of group dynamics is to deal with the attitudes and behavioral patterns of a group - it can be used as a means for problem-solving, teamwork, and to become more innovative and productive as an organization; characteristics of team dynamics that make for a winning team include - shared purpose (a team has a shared goal whereas a group may/does not), trust and openness, willingness to correct mistakes, diversity and inclusion, interdependence and a sense of belonging, consensus decision making, and participative leadership; factors affecting group behavior include - group member resources, structure (group size, group roles, group norms, and group cohesiveness), group processes (the communication, group decision making processes, power dynamics, conflicting interactions, etc.) and group tasks (complexity and interdependence)

Question 18

groupthink

Answer 18

the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility; some causes include - group cohesiveness, overall group isolation, group leadership, and decision-making stress; a phenomenon that occurs when a group of individuals reaches a consensus without critical reasoning or evaluation of the consequences or alternatives; it is based on a common desire not to upset the balance of a group of people

Question 19

conflict (management) styles

Answer 19

accommodating - one party yields the win to the other party, high importance of relationship, low importance of achieving goal; avoiding - one or both parties seek to suppress the conflict, low importance of relationship, and low importance of achieving goal; compromising - both parties win and give up something, medium importance of relationship, and medium importance of achieving goal; collaborating - both parties win, high importance of relationship, and high importance of achieving goal; competing - one party seeks to satisfy interest regardless of impact to other party, low importance of relationship, but high importance of achieving goal

Question 20

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 20

a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid, needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up; 1. physiological needs - air, water, food, shelter, sleep, clothing, reproduction (basic needs 2. safety needs - personal security, employment, resources, health, property (basic needs) 3. belongingness and love needs - friendship, intimacy, family, sense of connection (psychological needs) 4. esteem needs - prestige, feeling of accomplishment, respect, self-esteem, recognition, strength, freedom (psychological needs) 5. self-actualization - achieving one’s full potential, including creative activities, or desire to become the most that one can be (self-fulfillment needs)

Question 21

organizational fit

Answer 21

when an employee’s (personal and professional) values and beliefs align with and complement those of the company they work for, we speak of organizational (or culture) fit; this is important b/c it is the key to employee engagement, performance and productivity; employees who identify more with their company are happier, experience greater job satisfaction, are more committed, perform better and are more likely to stay with their organization

Question 22

stages of team development

Answer 22

1. forming - involves a period of orientation and getting acquainted, uncertainty is high during this stage, and people are looking for leadership and authority; 2. storming - conflict and competition are at its greatest b/c group members feel confident and begin to address some of the more important issues surrounding the group, during this stage, all members have an increased need for clarification before they are able to move on to the next stage, their focus may shift from the tasks at hand to feelings of frustration or anger with the team’s progress or process, members may express concerns about being unable to meet the team’s goals, during this stage, members are trying to see how the team will respond to differences and how it will handle conflict; 3. norming - consensus develops around who the leader(s) is, and individual member’s roles, interpersonal differences begin to be resolved, and a sense of cohesion and unity emerges, team performance increases during this stage as members learn to cooperate and begin to focus on team goals, people start to resolve their differences, appreciate one another’s strengths, and respect your authority as a leader, now that they know one another better, your team members will feel more comfortable asking for help and offering constructive feedback; 4. performing - consensus and cooperation have been well-established and the team is mature, organized, and well-functioning, there is a clear and stable structure, and members are committed to the team’s mission, problems and conflicts still emerge, but they are dealt with constructively

Question 23

KSAOs

Answer 23

knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics are the attributes required to perform a job; knowledge refers to the body of factual or procedural info that can be applied, such as knowledge of foreign languages or computer programming languages; a primary purpose for KSAOs is to measure those qualities that will set one candidate apart from the others

Question 24

scientist practitioner model

Answer 24

a training model for graduate programs that provide applied psychologists with a foundation in research and scientific practice; this model creates a basis for understanding on which science and practice are built together; I/O psychology is based on this model

Question 25

EEOC

Answer 25

the U.S. equal employment opportunity commission is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee b/c of the person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, etc.

Question 26

affirmative action

Answer 26

a policy that aims to increase opportunities in the workplace or education to under-represented parts of society by taking into account an individual’s color, race, sex, religion, or national origin; the purpose of it is to establish fair access to employment opportunities to create a workforce that is an accurate reflection of the demographics of the qualified available workforce in the relevant job market; it means taking positive steps to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and culture from which they have been historically excluded

Question 27

adverse impact

Answer 27

the negative effect an unfair and biased selection procedure has on a protected class; it occurs when a protected group is discriminated against during a selection process, like a hiring or promotion decision

Question 28

four-fifths rule

Answer 28

states that if the selection rate for a certain group is less than 80% of that of the group with the highest selection rate, there is adverse impact on that group

Question 29

diversity initiatives

Answer 29

policies and practices designed to improve the workplace experiences and outcomes of target group members; they most often target women and ethnic or racial minorities, but they can target any group who faces pervasive disadvantage in the broader society; an organization’s strategic response to diversity, looks at the internal and external needs of the organization in the area of diversity and responds with a strategically aligned approach; a company’s mission, strategies, and practices to support a diverse workplace and leverage the effects of diversity to achieve a competitive business advantage; how to implement (can be difficult) - involve the entire top management team, adapt the organizational structure, communicate about the initiative on continuous basis, create a formal project plan, change all HR initiatives to include diversity

Question 30

references

Answer 30

people who can talk about your work experience, work habits, character, and skills

Question 31

integrity (honesty) tests

Answer 31

a specific type of personality test designed to assess an applicant’s tendency to be honest, trustworthy, and dependable

Question 32

discrimination

Answer 32

the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex; some examples of workplace discrimination include - age, gender, race, ethnicity, skin color, national origin, mental or physical disability, and genetic info; workplace discrimination is costly, personal biases against someone’s ethnicity, age, gender, or other differences can shape hiring decisions and workplace relationships

Question 33

stereotypes

Answer 33

mistaken ideas or beliefs many people have about a thing or group that is based upon how they look on the outside, which may be untrue or only partly true; a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing; stereotyping people is a type of prejudice b/c what is on the outside is a small part of who a person is; repeated experiences of stereotype threat can lead to a vicious circle of diminished confidence, poor performance, and loss of interest in the relevant area of achievement; stereotype threat has been argued to show a reduction in the performance of individuals who belong to negatively stereotyped groups

Question 34

prejudice

Answer 34

preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience; how do address it in the workplace - set expectations and gather feedback, encourage elective participation, build bias awareness, reduce opportunities for bias through structure, measure and experiment; some examples include - racism, sexism, ageism, classism, homophobia, nationalism, religious prejudice, and xenophobia; effects include - lowered self-esteem, lowered drive to improve oneself and lowered desire to grow/develop, can also often lead to bullying and the forms of discrimination; how to deal with it - build a strong network of supportive and caring people, develop a strong cultural identity, identify, combat, and reframe negative thoughts, push back against it when possible and practical, take a break from triggering media and people

Question 35

decision-making

Answer 35

the overall job satisfaction, motivation and engagement of employees can be directly impacted by the leadership’s ability to make decisions, by committing to making good decisions you are giving your employees the opportunity to trust in their leaders and know that the work they do is valuable; this is the key skill in the workplace and very important for leaders, it is a critical skill for effective management and leadership; how to make good decisions in the workplace - 1. define the problem, challenge, or opportunity 2. generate an array of possible solutions or responses 3. evaluate the costs and benefits, or pros and cons, associated with each option 4. select a solution or response 5. implement the option chosen; five decision making skills for successful leaders - 1. identify critical factors which will affect the outcome of a decision 2. evaluate options accurately and establish priorities 3. anticipate outcomes and see logical consequences 4. navigate risk and uncertainty 5. reason well in contexts requiring quantitative analysis

Question 36

interviewing (structured vs. unstructured)

Answer 36

a structured interview is a type of interview that relies on a set of standardized and premeditated questions in order to gather info; an unstructured interview is a type of interview that does NOT rely on a set of premeditated questions in its data-gathering process (the interviewer asks questions that are not prepared in advance); structured interviews are better b/c they are more objective and 2x as effective at predicting job performance than unstructured interviews; advantages of an unstructured interview include - better understanding of the candidate than in a structured interview, it is very flexible and more comfortable, very practical method to analyze the candidate, it is very valid and interactive, it breaks the communication gap between the interviewer and the candidate, it creates a good hope to the candidate about the organization’s work atmosphere, interviewer might attract the candidate towards the organization; disadvantages of an unstructured interview include - it is time consuming, there are chances to get diverted from the entire interview, not suitable for certain candidates, it might also create a negative opinion about the organization, there are risks of speaking about confidential matters during the interview

Question 37

goal setting

Answer 37

set goals that align with company objectives; invite employees to identify job-specific goals; set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely); emphasize attainable goals; set consistent goals for employees with similar responsibilities - providing guidance and direction, facilitating planning, motivating and inspiring employees, and helping evaluate and control performance; goal setting is an easy way to keep your employees motivated in your workplace, having no specific goal to work on can lead to lower morale of the employee, and ultimately affects the productivity of work, on the other hand, achieving goals keeps them motivated and improves their confidence and job satisfaction

Question 38

personality testing

Answer 38

companies believe this can give them better insight into the candidate beyond a face-to-face interview, in particular, employers feel this is a better indicator of a potential employee’s soft skills and culture fit; using workplace personality tests helps your teams understand how their coworkers are different, and helps managers better understand their direct reports, the results can shine a light on ways you can adapt your processes in a way that will be most effective for different teams in your organization; two types of personality tests - self-report inventories (such as MBTI) and projective tests (such as Rorschach inkblot test and thematic apperception test); in terms of reliability and validity of these tests, while some argue they are helpful, they may not be completely accurate; the most reliable and valid is the Big Five personality test - measures level of 5 specific traits: extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism (each trait represents a continuum)

Question 39

referrals

Answer 39

employment referral is a method for finding potential new employees through recommendations by current employees; anyone can refer an applicant to a job by informing them of the job opening or sharing their resume with a hiring manager; a referral who gets an interview has a 40% better chance of getting hired than other candidates (even if they aren’t necessarily more skilled or smarter than other applicants); a successful referral often makes an employee feel better about the company they work for, and not only do they tend to stay longer after the referral, but they are more engaged as well

Question 40

Hawthorne effect

Answer 40

the alteration of behavior by the subjects of a study due to their awareness of being observed; refers to the fact that people will modify their behavior simply b/c they are being observed; in an I/O context, this is largely about managing employees so they feel more like an integral part of the business, part of the research on this determined that employees tend to be more productive when they feel that their efforts are being watched and that attention is paid to their performance

Question 41

organizational citizenship behaviors

Answer 41

a term that is used to describe all the positive and constructive employee actions and behaviors that aren’t part of their formal job description; refers to the behaviors of individuals that promote effectiveness in organizational functioning, it is important to employees as it enhances social connections that influence job performance; a person’s voluntary commitment within an organization or company that is not part of their contractual tasks