At one level, it seems ironic even to be asking questions related to the broader relevance of INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL psychology research because the field, from its inception, was created to address, inform, and help solve important human capital challenges (e.g., selection of sol diers to fill a wide variety of jobs in World Wars I and II). For example, consider the recent account of some of the classic applications of organizational psychology, along with rich detail about
he difficulties of practical implementation provided by Highhouse (2007). That same sense of mission is true today, as Rogelberg (2007, p. xxxv) noted, “In general the goals of INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL psychology are to better understand and optimize the effectiveness, health, and wellbeing of both individuals and organizations.” Likewise, the mission statement of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) is to enhance human wellbeing and performance in organizational and work settings by promoting the science, practice, and teaching of INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL psychology (SIOP, 2007).