Defining I-O Psychology

Industrial and organizational psychology is defined as the scientific study of human behavior in the workplace and organizational settings. But what does that mean?

We invited SIOP members to help answer that question, posed as, “If you were telling a stranger or relative what the field is and what you do, how would you explain it?”

“When I explain I-O psychology to someone unfamiliar with the field, I usually begin with something they already understand: human resources,” said SIOP Member Marla Albertie. “For example, an HR payroll specialist makes sure employees receive their pay and bonuses. An I-O psychologist looks deeper. We ask why employees are paid a certain amount, how bonuses are calculated, what workplace trends influenced those decisions, and how compensation may affect employee motivation and behavior.

“Simply put, I-O psychology is the study of the human behavior behind how things work and flow in the workplace.”

SIOP Associate Member Linda Rakowiecki also noted the human behavior component of I-O psychology.

“The Industrial side focuses on the operational aspects of human capital management, including job analysis, recruiting, onboarding, and training,” she said. “The Organizational side focuses on the human experience in the workplace, including engagement, motivation, leadership, culture, and my passion, organizational change.”

An IT professional for most of her career, Rakowiecki uses I-O psychology change management methodologies in all her projects and initiatives, including defining and communicating change, assessing and managing stakeholders, and preparing stakeholder groups to increase the likelihood of adoption of the changes being implemented. She said she also leans heavily on I-O psychology information in leadership, culture, engagement, and motivation to manage teams and interactions with colleagues and stakeholders.

SIOP Associate member Allison Jarrett also approaches the definition of I-O psychology through two paths.

“The first is understanding how organizations work, how decisions are made, why people behave and respond as they do, what influences performance, and what may happen when an organization makes a change,” she said. “The second path is what we do with that information. As a practitioner, I use what we know about people and workplace behavior to help organizations make better decisions before problems happen instead of constantly reacting afterward. That could mean thinking through how employees may respond to a major change, understanding why a process is not working, identifying what employees need to be successful, or determining who may be the best fit for a particular role.”

SIOP Student member Dina Ciliento’s interest in I-O psychology came from working in healthcare.

“I watched talented, hardworking people struggle, not because they lacked ability or motivation, but because processes were confusing, training was inconsistent, or the systems around them created unnecessary barriers. That made me curious about why some workplace changes succeed, why others fail, and what organizations can do to help people perform at their best,” she said. “What I love about I-O psychology is that it gives us a way to answer those questions using evidence rather than assumptions. It helps organizations improve organizational effectiveness.”

Process problems, Ciliento said, include communication breakdowns, training gaps, leadership challenges, or systems that unintentionally make it harder for people to succeed.

“Those issues tend to show up through people, so it’s easy to blame the individual when the real problem is often happening beneath the surface,” she said. “At its core, I think the field starts with a simple belief: Most people come to work wanting to do a good job. When they can’t, my first question isn’t “What’s wrong with the employee,” it’s “What’s getting in their way?” That’s the question I find myself asking every day, and it’s what continues to draw me to the field of I-O psychology.”

Join the conversation! Tell us on LinkedIn how you define I-O psychology.

This article is part of our Smarter Workplace Awareness Month initiative, which was created to celebrate and promote the science and practice of I-O psychology. It is an opportunity for SIOP members to help share the many ways I-O psychology makes the workplace smarter—more effective, efficient, productive, and generally a better place for employees and employers to work.

It is also an opportunity for business leaders to learn how I-O psychology and SIOP members can enhance human well-being and performance in organizational and work settings.