Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Essay Sample)

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Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Victoria Secrets sells products and a lifestyle that their customers want to identify with. The company has created a synergistic relationship with its customers that their experience with the product and every touch point of the retail store reinforces the belief in the brand (Barrick, Stewart & Piotrowski 45). It also reinforces the customer’s view to change, improve, and maintain their quality of life. The company has passionate customers who are mostly loyalists. Since companies are frustrating for managers and employees, industrial and organizational psychology (I/O psychology) may help in studying the workplace environment, the organization, and employees. The current study uses Victoria Secret as a case for studying I/O psychology.
Organizational psychology
Organizational psychology defines the focus of the organization and the workplace (Baumeister, Gailliot, DeWall & Oaten 1774). Increasing productivity and maximizing organizational performance depends on the impact of organizational performance on individual behavior. Motivation, work attitudes, leadership, and organizational development, are criteria that companies use to establish organizational health. Studies show that these factors enhance employee performance and contribute to the overall health of the company (Olivier et al. 12).
Motivation
Victoria Secrets uses extrinsic motivation to keep its employees productive. The common types of extrinsic motivation applied at the company include commissions, sales incentives, and praise (Bhatnager 9). Victoria Secrets has a motivated environment that rewards promotions depending on individual performance. Additionally, the company empowers its associates by giving them employee discounts and free clothes as gifts. The rewards are extremely powerful at the company since they motivate the staff to go beyond the comfort productive zones. The company uses praise and reward to refine behavior and to create positive reinforcement (Chang, Chi & Mak 5). Victoria Secrets knows how to keep its employees productive and happy.
Work attitudes
Studies show the presence of a strong relationship between the attitudes of employees and their productivity within the workplace (Klehe & Anderson 978). It is sensible for people to work hard and better when they are positively motivated. The company has initiated various steps to prevent poor attitudes that develop and to include mechanisms that may keep employees on track in case of difficulties. Within Victoria Secrets, the company uses positive reinforcement and rewards selectively to keep the staff from being accustomed to praise (Chang, Chi & Mak 5). The company withholds rewards unless performance is improved to shape productivity. The company practices even-handed management to support employees and to keep polices and work practices fair. The managers also appreciate employees, thereby making them feel like part of a team (Chang, Chi & Mak 5). Raises and bonuses are applied according to performance as a way to show appreciation to the employees.
Leadership
At the company, the leaders favor a work environment that allows employees to assume responsibility for solving problems (Thomas & Hersen 3). The company has set moderate goals for employees that they are sure they can attain. The leaders are not shy and continue recognizing feedback about progress to know how they are fairing. The leaders understand what makes workers tick and rewards high achievers to ensure that they become increasingly skilled. Leaders at Victoria Secrets encourage performance-based achievers who complete their duties in ways that coworkers do not rival (Thomas & Hersen 3).
Organizational development
Organizational development considers the systemic approaches to bringing about organizational change, and the problems that it attracts. Organizational development encompasses sensitivity training, team building, and feedback (Thomas & Hersen 3). Victoria Secrets engages in periodic comments that assess the emotions and attitudes of employees, before communicating the results throughout the organization. Victoria Secrets encourages teamwork after realizing that teams completed most of the tasks easily. The large assortment of lingerie and bras require teamwork to complete efficiently. The company enhances the morale of the team by building self-confidence among teams (Milgard School of Business 12). The younger generation at Victoria Secrets is changing the perspectives of the workforce because employees are expecting meaningful relationships out of their work with managers.
Industrial psychology
Industrial psychology focuses on the relationship between individuals and the workplace (Thomas & Hersen 3). It often covers aspects such as job analysis, training, selection, and performance measurement.
Job analysis
Job analysis forms the foundation of all human resource activities such as selection, training, and performance appraisals. In the analysis of job performance, organizations often engage in asking incumbents for provider ratings on the importance of job tasks and the frequency of performed tasks (Peeters, Van Tuijl, Rutte & Reymen, 2006). Results from job analysis surveys infer significant responsibilities on the knowledge and skills required to complete a task successfully. A survey is the most important tool that Victoria Secret employs in measuring the level of employee satisfaction within the company. The surveys also help in measuring the will of employers towards employees.
Training
Training helps employees in adjusting successfully in the workplace. It also includes efforts by employees and corporations to improve performance and self-fulfillment through various methods and programs (Peeters et al. 2006). Victoria Secrets takes its employees through rigorous training that ensures each employee adapts to the culture of the organization. The company has a tightly knit work-family culture that enables it to work effectively in teams. Training and development at the company are highly recognized for its value as a corporate strategy that molds employees into a highly skilled workforce. The goals of the training session at Victoria Secrets are quantifiable since it entails understanding the particular clothing processes and performing related procedures with precision. The training sessions is tied to bra and other sales training that is given in full at the time of hire (Peeters et al. 2006). The company also has a monthly education component in training in addition to employee pricing for individual items. Each employee completes the training session each month. The company decides whether to pay employees or not, during the training sessions that occur at inceptions and in the middle of work.
Selection
In the selection process, employers often evaluate potential employees before making the required improvement and notifications. Victoria Secret invests more in training its educated employees because of their value in creating a more dedicated workforce (Klehe & Anderson 979). The employer often searches through several employee levels before interviewing employees from outside the organization. The employer then gives more training to selected candidates, a process that the company invests in heavily. The company’s intense training process means that it provides more training for each employee. The intensive training relates to the intense selection of the store. However, the training does not substitute selection. Supervisors who conduct training for the new production level workers engage in training with a direct consequence for poorer quality workers (Klehe & Anderson 979). Supervisors often spend much time in the selection of front-line workers just as they do in their training.
Performance measurement
Measuring performance allows one to understand the organization’s ability in accomplishing specific goals. Performance measurement allows providers to understand what works well within an organization. The organization measures performance to ensure quality improvement, transparency, and participation in certain programs (Klehe & Anderson 979). Performance measurements allow an organization to assess the quality of information offered to improve the organization. Performance measurement paints a picture of the Victoria Secret’s quality, allowing the organization to learn from positive results that may help in making required changes. At Victoria...