Compare And Contrast Industrial/organizational Psychology And Human Resource Management

Industrial and organizational psychology is one of the fields of psychology. It is a field of applied psychology in which the results of basic and applied research into the well-being and efficiency of people in work is applied to problems arising in industry and non-industrial organizations (oxford dictionary of psychology, 2006). In classic overviews of the field, Guion (1965) defines Industrial/Organizational psychology as "the scientific study of the relationship between man and the world of work: in the process of making a living". Blum & Naylor (1968) define it as "simply the application or extension of psychological facts and principles to the problems concerning human beings operating within the context of business and industry". Industrial/Organizational psychology has historically subsumed two broad areas of study that investigate the nature of the person (individual-differences psychology) and the nature of the situation or context (social psychology), although this distinction is artificial (Guion, 1965). Rucci (2008) defined Industrial/Organizational psychology as a discipline of psychology that applies the principles of psychology to the workplace. The purpose of Industrial/Organizational psychology is "to enhance the dignity and performance of human beings, and the organizations they work in, by advancing the science and knowledge of human behaviour". Katz & Kahn (1978) also defined Industrial/Organizational psychology as the study of human behaviour in organizations; the behaviours of interest they believed contribute to either the effectiveness of organizational functioning, the satisfaction and well-being of those who populate the organizations, or both. These behaviours and the people who exhibit them exist in a dynamic open system.

Although several authors have defined Industrial/Organizational psychology in varied ways, they all embrace a common feature, which is the applications of science, principles and theories in psychology at the work place for the enhancement of the organization'seffficiency and improvement of employees performance at the workplace.

The establishment of an applied psychology in business organizations, then industrial psychology (now known as industrial/organizational) psychology, did not occur in a vacuum. It evolved from a confluence of precursors and has roots in philosophy, psychology, science and so forth (Koppes, 2003; Landy & Conte, 2004). Vitels (1932) noted economic (example emphasis on efficiency), social (that is societal) and psychological (for example, experimental psychology, study of individual differences) factors that served the foundations of industrial/organizational psychology. Katzell and Austin (1992) and Koppes (2003) also identified several cultural forces (such as advances in science, the rise of Darwin's evolutionary theory, the Functionist school of thought in psychology, faith in capitalism and the Protestant work ethic and the growth of industrialism) that served the foundation of industrial/organizational psychology. They believed that these cultural forces came together at the turn of the 20th century in the United States. Other influences affecting the beginning of an applied psychology in business include the introduction of mass production, expansion of vertical and horizontal organizations, growth of mega corporations, rise of measurement and statistics and new engineering developments.

Human Resource Management on the other hand is the management of an organization's employees (Armstrong 2006). It is a term used to refer to how people are managed by organizations. The field has moved from a traditionally administrative function to a strategic one that recognizes the link between talented and engaged people and organizational success. The field draws upon concepts developed in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and System Theory Human Resource Management is the domain of practitioners who manage the people within organizations. They recruit and select people, train and develop them, pay them, and ensure that legislation affecting employment is adhered to such as Health and Safety, anti-discrimination, and other aspects of the terms and conditions of work. They also plan the numbers of people required to do the work and manage the relationships between management and employees through appropriate structures and processes (Coyle-Shapiro, Hoque, Kessler, Richardson, 2011).

The field of Industrial/Organizational psychology and Human Resource Management are inter-related in practice. For instance the Industrial/Organizational psychologist will rely on the Human Resource consultants for important data such as records of employees' performance, needed skills, knowledge, and experiences required by the organization for an effective performance and other. On the other hand these consultants rely on the psychologists because they have the expertise in assessing human characteristics for recruitment, training and development purposes and for redesigning jobs to in a more suitable manner for employees (Bhagria, 2010). Industrial/Organizational psychology and Human Resource Management also embrace some common features in the academic endeavour. They share some common courses such as personnel management, occupational health and safety, job analysis, recruitment and selection, training, appraisal and performance improvement work motivation and reward, health and safety at the work place and others in the quest of fulfilling the basic requirement in the completion of these fields in the academia. Aside the relation between these two fields of study; Industrial/Organizational psychology and Human Resource Management have some common features which make them similar, however they differ to some extent. Issues discussed below address some of the similarities and differences that exist between Human Resource Management and Industrial/Organizational psychology.

Human Resource Management like Industrial/Organizational psychology is both an area of practise within an organization and a body of knowledge that may be developed and taught (Bhagria, 2010). These two fields of study are body of knowledge taught in the academic field of study. For instance, in the University of Ghana, Industrial/Organizational psychology and Human Resource Management form a program or discipline taught and studied in the Masters of philosophy program in the Department of Psychology and the School of business respectively. The aim is to impact knowledge and develop the scope of students' abilities and skills in these fields of study. This is to enhance their ability to apply the necessary skills in the practical world. This implies that Industrial/Organizational and Human Resource Management are both applicable to the work settings. This is