Psychology engages in scientific study of the mind and its functions. An applied subfield, industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology uses psychological principles and methods to address workplace issues. The specialty of industrial psychology focuses on deriving principles of individual, group and organizational behavior and applying this knowledge to the solution of problems at work.
Industrial and Organizational psychologists typically work in tandem with human resources, research and development of resources and marketing teams. Focus areas for these professionals often include labor relations, conflict resolution, personnel recruitment, training, and assessment.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if employees were so well suited to their role that their performances were outstanding? The answer is obvious: yes.
And what if staff would be aware of its limits and its progresses connected of psychosocial competences while working?
While it may be unlikely to happen all the time and for everyone, a happy, safe and productive workforce is the ultimate goal of industrial psychology (Aamodt, 2010).
Industrial psychology focuses on areas of employment and organizational processes that create an environment for success, including (Rogelberg, 2007):
- Team and organizational effectiveness
- Employee recruitment and promotion
- Individual differences, measurement, and testing
- Training and development (including coaching)
- Performance management (appraisal and improvement)
- Workplace health (stress and safety)
- Employee attitudes and satisfaction
- Compensation and benefits
- Employee motivation
- Employee harassment and bullying
To better understand how relevant industrial psychology is, for the area “team and organizational effectiveness” we can make a pragmatic example. Not all the employees easily know and understand themselves the importance of team effectiveness and collaboration with colleagues. Sometimes what prevails is the habits of being alone, without confronting or facing each other. One of the main aims of this psychology field is to strengthen the cooperation and work on team building, not only to increase productively, but also to improve the personals skills on how manage situations with others and on how to reduce stress provoked by isolation at work.
Unfortunately, in wind sector industry, the psychological component of the job and the psychosocial skills are often ignored, despite these skills being very important for some of risky jobs.
What is underrated is that psychological and social demands are a primary cause of accidents within the workplace, burn-out syndrome, absenteeism, staff turnover, lower productivity and earlier retirement; especially within industries such as that of renewable energy where psychosocial risks cause the lack of attractiveness of the work.
In this regard, RISKREAL could represent an opportunity to reflect on how crucial the inclusion of industrial psychology as integral part of the organization of industrial companies is. It should be considered starting from the phase of employees’ selection to all the transversal activities dedicated to the staff well-being and safety.
The dissemination of the results of this project, among State Members, could definitely help raise awareness about this matter and stimulate for more research and for the development of good practices in the field of industrial psychology in the energy/wind labor sector.
Written by: Eleonora Drago
from: Istituto Di Gestalt H.C.C.
References:
https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/industrial
https://www.psychology.org/careers/what-is-industrial-organizational-psychology/
