Objectives of Industrial Psychology

Objectives of Industrial Psychology

Industrial psychology has the following objectives:

Personnel Selection

Industrial psychology tries to find out how a proper individual can be selected to perform a particular task. If this can be done, then the work gets4he right worker while the worker himself gets the work he can do best.

Care of Worker’s Health

If the worker does not have good mental and physical health, the work of the industry cannot progress steadily. His mental and physical health, is profoundly influenced by working conditions and the relations with the management. The motive of industrial psychology is to discover the ideal conditions in which the best mental and physical health of the workers can be maintained:

Protection of Worker’s Economic Interests

Mental health cannot be maintained unless a person’s economic interests are secured. Besides, the worker cannot be boosted to give his best if he is uncertain about his economic conditions. Hence industrial psychology evaluates the efficiency of the worker and determines an adequate salary or suggests scientific principles on the basis of which an sufficient salary can be determined.

Search of Proper Method of Work

One main reason of accidents and mishaps in factories is the improper methods of work. Improper working also gives rise to fatigue and boredom. Hence the other objectives of industrial psychology is to find out the proper methods of work so that accidents are prevented, and fatigue and boredom reduced to the minimum.

Removing Maladjustment

Another important factor which induce the industrial conflicts is the lack of adjustment between the worker and his circumstances and working conditions. This maladjustment is primarily psychological in nature. It is the task of industrial psychologist to find out the cause of maladjustment and to suggest means of rectifying it.

Reform of Working Conditions

It is the ask of the industrial psychologists to find out the ideal conditions in which the maximum efficiency can be attained and the worker maintained at the peak of mental and physical health. The most important working conditions are arrangements requited for proper ‘lighting, proper ventilating absence of noise, provision for periodical test, normal convenience for the male and female employees etc.

Reform in Machines

The work and the machine are equally responsible for the number of accidents and extent of fatigue induced in worker. Prevention of accidents and reduction in fatigue can be achieved by proper designing of machines. Industrial psychologists ‘give useful suggestions for the reformations of machines and tools.

Reform in Human Relationships

In order to maintain a proper atmosphere and a high degree of morale among the workers in an industry it is necessary to have good and cordial human relation between the workers and the management. One motive of the industrial psychologist is to suggest means of improving human relations.

Humanistic Approach in industry

Psychological studies have showed that human relations in industry can not be good unless a humanistic approach is adopted. Therefore the relations existing between the management and the various levels of workers should be improved and the barriers between them removed.

Study of Aptitudes

Irrespective of quality and nature of the physical conditions prevailing in a factory, it depends upon the workers aptitudes to make the best use of them. If the worker has a favorable attitude towards the work it will get done but if his aptitude is not proper then even the best conditions cannot force the worker to work. The study and the measurement of aptitude is the subject of psychology.

Creating Proper Leadership

The study of leadership is the responsibility of social psychology. In the sphere of industry the supervisor must not only be an official but also a capable leader because other wise he can not direct the workers

properly and encourage them to work hard. Social psychology can help in the field industry by pointing out the qualities that are necessary for leadership and by explaining how qualities can be developed. It can also tell the industrialist about the human being who has s Ii qualities or who is capable of developing them.

Aid In industrial Training

It is now realized that the efficiency of a worker can be considerably improved by the proper kind of training and that the expense involved in training is paid off double fold. Trained people can avoid accidents while the quality and quantity of their production is much higher than that of untrained people. Hence, different kinds of training programmers for different jobs are now called for, Such training programmers can be devised only by the psychologist, who can locate the basis of such training and the various methods employed in it.

Motion and Time Studies

Different people take varying amounts of time to complete a specific job because they work at different rates. Today time and motion studies are conducted to find out the efficiency of individuals and even of machines. Psychologists help in the space redesign, posture of sitting and positions in which workers should work etc.