develop a selection test to measure things
that are thought to be predictive of performance,
and ultimately conduct a study to
investigate whether performance on the
selection test is correlated with the performance
criterion measure (Cascio, 1998).
Because all of these are ‘‘I’’ activities, what
relevance does the ‘‘O’’ side of the field have
for the life insurance company in this example?
On first glance, it would appear to be
very little. However, if you think about it,
organizational topics are highly relevant. For
example, after these life insurance agents are
selected, they must be socialized into the
culture of the specific agency in which they
will be working, as well as the broader company
culture (Bowen, Ledford, & Nathan,
1991; Kristof, 1996). Also, demands of life
insurance sales may necessitate the hiring of
individuals who will cope well with these
demands (Jex, 1998). Thus, the organization
needs to understand the unique stressors
that are associated with this job, as well as
the attributes that facilitate coping. As we
will see, socialization and occupational stress
are important topics within organizational
psychology.
This point can also be illustrated by
taking an ‘‘O’’ topic and describing the relevance
of the ‘‘I’’ side of the field. Let’s say
the U.S. Army is interested in improving
decision-making and communication processes
among the small groups that comprise
special-forces units. Fortunately, in organizational
psychology, there is considerable literature
on group effectiveness and processes,
and the Army could draw on these sources to
help guide its efforts (e.g., Guzzo & Shea,
1992). Can issues that are relevant to the ‘‘I’’
side of the field be ignored? Absolutely not.
To be effective, a group must have a certain
mix of skills, abilities, and personality traits.
Thus, regardless of the team processes that
are taught to these units, care must be taken
to select the right mix of individuals in the
first place. It is also unlikely that decisionmaking
processes would improve unless
these teams receive accurate and timely performance
feedback. Selection and performance
appraisal, of course, are two of the major
topics on the ‘‘I’’ side of the field.