Unit

I
Industrial –
Organizational
Psychology
01 02 Challenges at Workplace
Nature & Meaning

Goals, Stress, Burnout,

Forces, Role Absenteeism,
of a Work
psychologist Environment,
in Industries Alcoholism,
and Substance
Organization abuse, Conflicts
01.
Nature &
Meaning
 Nature &
Meaning
❖ Industrial Psychology, as an
important branch of applied
psychology makes a scientific
study of the behaviour of the
employees engaged in
industrial organizations.
❖ Their Behaviour is studied with
special reference to production
and efficiency.
❖ Industrial Psychology further
studies the problems and
adjustment pattern of workers
in field and laboratory
situations.
 Goals

Describe

Understand

Predict

Control
Forces
People
• Individuals
• Groups

Environment Structure
• Government • Jobs Organizational
• Competition • Relationships Behaviour
• Societal pressure

Technology
• Machinery
• Computer hardware & software
 I-O Psychology as a
career
• The minimum requirement for working as an I-O psychologist is a master’s

degree.

• Majority of I-O masters degree graduates find professional jobs in their specialty

areas at competitive salaries in industry, government, consulting firms and

research organizations.
 I-O Psychology as a
career
• I-O psychologists work in business, industry,
government agencies, service organizations,
consulting firms, and universities.
• Many of the psychologists who teach courses in
I-O psychology also undertake research and
consulting activities.
Role of Psychologist in Industries and
Organization

Supervision
Performance
&
Leadership Appraisal

Frustration,
Conflict,
Stress & Placements
Strain

Employer & Construction &

Employee Administration
Relationship of
Psychological
Tests
02.
Challenges
at
Workplace
 Challenges at Workplace

Work Substance
Stress Burnout Absenteeism Environment Alcoholism Abuse Conflicts
 Stress
• The word stress comes from the Latin words “strictus”
(which means “tight” or “narrow”) and “stringere” (which
means “to tighten”).
• The term stress was borrowed from the field of physics
by one of the fathers of stress research Hans Selye.
• In physics, stress describes the force that produces
strain on a physical body.
• Stress is a negative emotional experience accompanied
by predictable biochemical, physiological, cognitive, and
behavioral changes that are directed either towards
altering the stressful event or accommodating its effects
 Types of Stress
• Eustress: Good stress; any stressor that motivates an
individual toward an optimal level of performance or
health.
• Neustress: Any kind of information or sensory stimulus
that is perceived as unimportant or inconsequential.
• Distress: The unfavorable or negative interpretation of
an event (real or imagined) to be threatening that
promotes continued feelings of fear or anger; more
commonly known simply as stress.
• Acute stress: Stress that is intense in nature but short
in duration.
• Chronic stress: Stress that is not as intense as acute
 Stress
Stress is the pressure people feel in life.

Causes of Stress
• Work Overload
• Time pressures
• Poor quality of supervision
• Insecure job climate
• Role conflict and ambiguity
• Inadequate authority to match responsibilities
• Differences between company and employee values
• Frustration
• Technology with inadequate training or support
 A Model of Causes, Types and Consequences
of Stress
Constructive
Organizational organizational &
Stressors Positive personal
Individual Stress consequences
Differences • Short term
• Long term

Employees

Destructive
organizational &
Negative personal
Non work Stress consequences
Stressors • Short term
• Long term
 Approaches to Stress
Management
• Social Support – Is the network of helpful activities,

interactions, and relationships that provides an employee with

the satisfaction of important needs.

Types - Instrumental, Information, Evaluative, Emotional

• Relaxation – Involves quiet, concentrated inner thought in order

to rest the body physically and emotionally.

• Sabbaticals – Provide unpaid time off, others give partially paid

leaves, and a few continue full pay while employees are away.

• Personal wellness – Disease screening, health education, and

fitness centers, changes in lifestyle.

 The General Adaptation
Syndrome
A term coined by Hans Selye; the three distinct physiological phases
in reaction to chronic stress: the alarm phase, the resistance phase,
and the exhaustion phase.
Selye identified three stages of the general adaptation syndrome:
Stage one: Alarm reaction. The alarm reaction describes Cannon’s
original fight-or-flight response. In this stage several body systems
are activated, primarily the nervous system and the endocrine
system, followed by the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and
musculoskeletal systems. Like a smoke detector alarm buzzing late
at night, all senses are put on alert until the danger is over.
 The General Adaptation
Syndrome
Stage two: Stage of resistance. In the resistance stage,
the body tries to revert back to a state of physiological
calmness, or homeostasis, by resisting the alarm.
Because the perception of a threat still exists, however,
complete homeostasis is never reached. Instead, the
body stays activated or aroused, usually at a lesser
intensity than during the alarm stage but enough to
cause a higher metabolic rate in some organ tissues.
One or more organs may in effect be working overtime
and, as a result, enter the third and final stage.
 The General Adaptation
Syndrome
Stage three: Stage of exhaustion. Exhaustion occurs
when one (or more) of the organs targeted by specific
metabolic processes can no longer meet the demands
placed upon it and fails to function properly. This can
result in death to the organ and, depending on which
organ becomes dysfunctional (e.g., the heart), possibly
the death of the organism as a whole.
 Burnout
Some major pressures that result in stress that is sustained for long
periods.
Problems predictably arise when high-intensity stress continues for
an extended duration.
As a result, people become physically and psychologically
weakened from trying to combat it. This condition is called burnout.

Three components of Burnout - Maslach

• Emotional exhaustion – the feeling of being drained and empty
that is caused by excessive psychological and emotional
demands, often brought about by work overload or unrealistically
high expectations.

• Depersonalization – A feeling of callousness and cynicism and

a reduced sensitivity towards others.

• Reduced sense of personal accomplishment – The feeling

that one’s actions and efforts are wasted and worthless.
 Absenteeism

• Dissatisfied employees do not plan on being absent

but easier way to do so. It occurs usually on Monday

and Friday.

• Tardiness – Arrives late, not involved, short frequent

breaks.

• Presenteeism – Employees come to work despite

troublesome physical and emotional health conditions.

 Absenteeism

1) Work related Causes

• Ineffective selection and placement procedure
• Excessive Work-Related Fatigue / Long hours of work
• Unsatisfactory Working Condition
• Poor Supervision
2) Community Causes
• Inadequate housing and transport facilities
• Lack of Hospital Facilities
3) Personal Causes
• Medical Reasons
• Fatigue or Nervousness
• Lack of Job Satisfaction
1) Physical Working Condition
• Office and Workplace design Work Environment
• Illumination, Noise, color
• Temperature and Humidity
2) Working Schedules
• Working Hours
• The four-day work week
• Permanent part-time employment
• Flexible work schedules
• Rest pauses
• Shift work
3) Psychological and social issues
• Job simplification
• Boredom/Monotony/ Fatigue
• Ethnic harassment
• Gender harassment.
 Alcoholism

Although behavioral changes occur gradually after a few

years of steady drinking an employee’s job performance

and efficiency will have deteriorated.

• Excessive absenteeism

• Long lunch breaks

• Lies

• Errors

• Low Productivity
 Substance Abuse
• Impairment in judgment and reflexes

• Sluggishness of movement

• Dilation or contraction of pupil

• Bloodshot eyes

• Needle marks on arms in extreme cases

• Increase in employee theft

 Conflicts

Conflict is an interpersonal process that arises from

disagreements over the goals to attain or the methods

to be used to accomplish those goals.

Levels of Conflict

• Intrapersonal Conflict

• Interpersonal Conflict

• Intergroup Conflict
 Conflicts
Sources of Conflicts

• Organizational Change

• Different sets of values

• Threat to Status

• Contrasting Perceptions

• Lack of Trust

• Personality Clashes

• Incivility
 Process

Causes of Conflict
• Organizational Change
• Different sets of Values
• Threats to Status Contrasting
Perceptions
Conflict Outcomes
• Lack of Trust
• Lose-Lose
• Personality Clashes
• Lose-Win
• Win-Lose
• Win-Win
Perceptions of
Conflict
• Constructive
• Destructive
Resolution Strategies
• Avoiding
Participant Intentions • Smoothing
• Winning • Forcing
• Losing • Compromising
• Confronting
THANK
S!