What is Organisational Psychology?
Organisational psychology is the scientific study of human behaviours in the workplace. It is a subfield of psychology that applies psychological principles to organisations and their stakeholders. Also referred to as "people science," you are not alone if you've never heard of it as it is a relatively small field.
However, technological advancements, such as pulse survey tools like HappyTeams, has made it possible to provide strong evidence for the importance of human effect and behaviours on organisational performance. The area is now one of the fastest-growing in business.
What is the difference between an Organisational Psychologist and a Clinical Psychologist?
Many people think that an organisational psychologist is a person you go to if you have been prescribed a psychologist concerning your work. However, this person will most likely be a clinical psychologist educated to counsel and treat patients with psychological problems and disorders.
An organisational psychologist, on the other hand, generally coaches healthy employees and managers in organisations. The three main goals in organisational psychology are:
- Improving employees' physical and mental well-being
- Increasing individual, team, and organisational performance
- Improving workplace productivity
Industrial Psychology vs. Organisational Psychology
Organisational psychology is sometimes referred to as business or I/O psychology, short for industrial-organisational psychology. However, the industrial side is more focused on the recruitment and selection of talent. In contrast, the organisational side focuses on how organisations affect human feelings and behaviour and the consequences of this.
At HappyTeams, we try to make this connection easier for managers by providing precise data on employees’ perceptions of various aspects of their wellbeing, job satisfaction, leadership, and personal growth. We then apply our knowledge of organisational psychology to advise leadership on improving employee engagement and ultimately increasing the team’s and the organisation’s performance.
Related: How HappyTeams takes the pulse on the total employee experience.
Company Culture That Works (from an Organisational Psychology Perspective)
Studies have shown that executives have an inflated view of their company culture.
Company culture strongly correlates with employees being "happy at work" and "feeling valued by the company." 94% of executives and 88% of employees say that company culture is crucial to a company's success. So if the company culture is so valuable, what are the characteristics of a company culture that works?
There is no magic formula to build the best company culture, as culture is as unique as the people who make up the company. There are some great tips to follow to ensure that everyone on the team understands your company's culture.
- Listen. Create anonymous feedback channels that encourage real and honest feedback about the company, its leadership, and its culture. It is not enough to ask, but you have to be prepared to listen.
- Communication. You cannot act on every feedback or make everyone happy. Still, you can be genuine in your desire to improve and communicate that desire.
- Action. Actions speak louder than words. Meet with members of your team and ask them for ideas to improve. Implement programs and policies based on the feedback. Spend time at the office with your employees.
- Commitment. Company culture is not built overnight or by a single survey. It is developed over time. Develop action plans and keep everyone in the loop on the status. Schedule regular town hall meetings and let your employees ask questions to the executive team. Be honest and transparent.
Company culture is more than just a benefits package or company All Hands once per quarter. It is an ongoing commitment and transparent leadership. It is caring about the people that make up the company and letting the company serve them.
Managing a Remote Team? Here's 3 Tips to Managing A Remote Team Well with Happy Teams Organisational Psychologist- Anna Aragon
The Technology Behind Surveying The Total Employee Experience
Gone are the days of annual and quarterly surveys. It used to be that a manager had to guess at the level of employee engagement. However, times have changed. Organisations who are pioneering in employee experience do so by taking the proverbial pulse of their teams by what’s now known as pulsing.
If you’ve not heard, pulsing is the practice of using short, frequent surveys, or check-ins, to get valuable feedback. Pulsing employees removes the guesswork from employee engagement by procuring vital information in real-time. This form of surveying has proven to help employee engagement and boost retention. It gives leadership the insights they need to make data-driven decisions, improving company culture and ensuring employees thrive.
The Daily Pulse & Real-Time Results
Managing teams in the environment that we are in now, it’s imperative that leaders show they are available to employees and proactively listen to their teams. Through a daily pulse survey, employees find their needs are being met in real-time versus at some future date that may or may not ever come.
The use of daily pulse surveys yields incredible employee responses for the following reasons:
- Asking short, to-the-point questions, makes answering easy, leading to higher response rates.
- Employees can offer feedback in emoji format without feeling judged.
- Short pulses collect specific defined data, making it easier for managers to digest information and take quick action.
HappyTeams Methodology
HappyTeams approach to pulse surveys is grounded in Science and is designed to optimise maximum data value for an organization. The pairing of curated questions by top Organisational Psychologists with the Emoji response feature has removed the guesswork from leading and managing employees. The Emoji response feature of the platform allows employees to anonymously share feedback quickly and accurately.
What’s more, the HappyTeams technology only gets smarter the more a team uses the application—making it truly the next generation of employee engagement software. Through daily use and the dynamically evolving question bank, HappyTeams Organisational Psychologists can get deeper insights into employee engagement and job satisfaction, among other key indicators such as employee well-being and experience of management, among different vital categories.
If you're a manager of a team, we encourage you to try out our free-trial and take the pulse of your team today!
