Industrial/Organizational Psychologists: When Should Employers Use Them

An effective human resources function must be adaptable—capable of addressing a wide range of workforce challenges with the right expertise at the right time. Whether an organization relies on a single HR professional or a fully staffed department, no team can be an expert in every area. While many day-to-day responsibilities can be managed by experienced HR generalists, certain workplace challenges call for deeper analytical skills and specialized training. In those situations, employers often turn to external experts to complement internal capabilities. One such expert is the industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologist.

As defined by the American Psychological Association, Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychology is “the scientific study of human behavior in organizations and the workplace,” with an emphasis on applying behavioral science to solve work-related problems. I/O psychologists are trained to analyze how individuals, teams, and systems function at work and to translate research into practical, defensible solutions. Employers engage I/O psychologists to tackle complex issues such as improving talent decisions, strengthening organizational effectiveness, partnering with legal departments to ensure fair HR processes, managing risk, and supporting employee well-being across the entire employee lifecycle.

Job Analysis & Job Description Development & Review

An accurate job description that identifies the requirements for employees to effectively perform the job should be in place before any recruitment begins. Whether starting from scratch or revising an existing job description, a job analysis is often the best place to start. A job analysis is a systematic study of the job that yields critical information about the nature of work performed in a job and the requirements of employees who perform the work. I/O psychologists will work with your organization to complete a job analysis and review, update, or create accurate job descriptions for use in both hiring and performance management. Job analysis is also critical for developing and validating, minimum qualifications, job-related employment tests, and other employee selection procedures.

Recruitment & Selection

I/O psychologists can provide a wealth of support when it comes to an organization’s recruitment and selection process. Each step of the hiring process can help an organization find and hire the right person for the job, but it can also create legal and compliance risks if otherwise qualified applicants are blocked from moving forward. I/O psychologists can take a data-driven approach to reviewing a hiring process, identifying steps in the process that may create equal employment opportunity barriers that are not job-related or defensible. They will then work with the organization to determine the root cause and make any necessary modifications to the process to mitigate risk.

Many organizations include some form of assessment in their hiring process, such as an application review, the application of minimum and preferred qualifications, structured interviews, skills or cognitive tests, and/or behavioral/personality assessments. While these can be very helpful ways of identifying the right candidate, they carry significant legal risk if they are not designed and used appropriately. An I/O psychologist can work with an organization to validate assessments, reducing the legal risk while helping ensure the best candidates are hired.

Training & Development

The value of partnering with an I/O psychologist doesn’t end once employees are hired. I/O psychologists can also provide support for training and development efforts, with the goal of keeping employees engaged and optimizing performance and productivity. In addition to using the information collected during performance and talent management reviews done by the organization, I/O psychologists can conduct needs assessments to identify gaps in employee knowledge that could be addressed through training and development efforts. They can gather data from the workforce, both qualitative and quantitative, and use this information to help design effective training and development programs tailored to the company’s workforce.

Performance and Talent Management

An effective performance and talent management system is essential to the success of an organization. Thoughtfully designed and accurately implemented performance management and talent systems help drive productivity, motivate employees, support business goals, and identify individual and organizational development needs. I/O psychologists have the skills and education needed to help an organization design or improve a performance and talent management system. I/O psychologists will combine data about the organization and employees with their knowledge of psychological principles to create performance and talent management systems that are objective, relevant to the skills, knowledge and abilities needed, and aligned with organizational goals. Objective performance and talent management systems are more valid predictors of employee success in current roles and for promotional opportunities.

When to engage an I/O psychologist

Many companies choose to engage I/O psychologists proactively, helping to identify and mitigate potential issues, or assist with planning for and carrying out organizational changes. Any of the areas discussed above can be implemented with an I/O psychologist proactively. Collaborating with an I/O psychologist proactively makes sense when an organization is preparing for organizational change and can use help with planning the implementation, managing communication, and preparing for and managing any resistance to the changes. Proactive engagement might also include working with an I/O psychologist to measure employee well-being, productivity, and engagement or to create new job descriptions when expanding or creating new departments or roles.

It can also be necessary for organizations to bring in I/O psychologists on a reactive basis, responding to an immediate problem or crisis. Examples of this include addressing a sudden change in employee turnover patterns, investigating team dysfunction or conflict, or managing issues raised through employee complaints. I/O psychologists are also often called on to assist organizations during litigation. They can participate in litigation as expert witnesses related to issues like employment discrimination, workplace harassment, wrongful termination, pay discrimination, and more.