The Industrial and Organizational Psychology Program (I/O) follows a scientist-practitioner model. The program provides students with the knowledge and research skills needed to study human motivation, performance, and well-being in the workplace. Students are also provided with opportunities to work on real-world projects, in both academic and industrial settings, that examine the application of psychological principles and findings to workforce management. The primary objective of the I/O Psychology program is to train individuals seeking the Ph.D. degree to conduct research and to practice in the areas of industrial psychology and organizational behavior. Students receive state-of-the-art training in the theories and methods of I/O psychology and management. This integrated program relies on the expertise and dedication of both Psychology and Management faculty members.
Faculty include: Shane Connelly, Eric Day, Michael Mumford, and Lori Snyder
Topics addressed within the program should enable students to work with organizations in the areas of:
- Employee Selection and Placement
- Leader Assessment and Development
- Leadership Skills, Behavior, and Processes
- Performance Management & Feedback
- Employee Motivation and Productivity
- Group and Team Dynamics
- Organizational Design and Development
- Human Resources Planning
- Training and Development
- Job and Task Analysis
- Complex Skill Acquisition and Adaptive Performance
- Employee Satisfaction
- Occupational Health and Well-being
- Occupational Safety
- Disabilities in the Workplace
- Compensation and Benefits
- Emotions in the Workplace
- Innovation in Organizations
- Creativity in the Workplace
- Ethics in Organizations
- Diversity and Discrimination
- Ideological Groups and Organizations
Program features
Our approach to student development is based on an active learning model. As part of their education, students are expected to apply what they learn in the classroom in faculty-directed research or consulting projects. Students receive training in:
- Designing and conducting research studies
- Preparing and presenting research proposals
- Working with funding sponsors and clients in organizational settings
- Developing and implementing new assessment measures, training, and other organizational interventions
Students often work as part of a team addressing a broader research or organizational problem. With experience, students are given the opportunity to take responsibility for a significant aspect of a project. Some examples of work currently being done by students include:
- Identifying the determinants of skill retention and adaptability
- Developing and testing models of self-regulation, complex skill learning, and performance
- Exploring the multifaceted role of conflict in groups and teams
- Examining the interplay between leadership and group dynamics
- Developing new procedures for assessing organizational leaders
- Developing and evaluating research and professional ethics training
- Investigating factors that influence the credibility and persuasiveness of ideological groups in online settings
- Exploring individual and situational factors in workplace aggression and counterproductive work behavior
- Studying the factors that influence vocational interest and its evolution over the course of undergraduate education
- Investigating incivility experiences and how attributions about these experiences impact emotional and performance outcomes
- Examining the experiences of underrepresented populations at work, particularly in science fields
- Studying planning and mental models as determinants of expertise
- Investigating emotion, motivation and personality in the workplace
- Understanding and preventing health disparities in Oklahoma communities
- Understanding the processes associated with creativity and innovation in the workplace
