Industrial Psychology in the Work Place

Industrial Organization is the application or extension of psychological facts and principles to problems concerning human beings operating within the context of business and industry. One of the most important tasks Industrial Organization psychologists perform is developing assessment methods for selection, placement, and promotion of employees. In order to do this, these psychologists study jobs and determine to what degree tests can predict performance in these specific jobs. My group decided to look more into the topic of selection and placement and narrow that down to unfairness in selection and placement. Muchinsky asks, “What does it mean to be ‘fair’?” and continues by saying, “Most certainly there are many ways to consider fairness” (Muchinsky 324). Yet in this specific situation we demonstrate in our screenplay, it was obvious that the exact opposite of fairness was depicted. The first scene is called “The Interviews.” In this scene, I interview both Lauryn and Mike to see who I want to work at my company. Lauryn, who is highly qualified and would clearly be the best person to hire for this job, has an excellent interview with me. Mike, who is an old friend of mine, comes to the interview dressed unprofessionally and unprepared; he does not even provide me with a resume. Still, just because Mike is my good friend, I end up choosing him over Lauryn. This is a big mistake on my part and is extremely unfair to Lauryn as well as my entire company. Now my company cannot benefit from the great things Lauryn might have been able to contribute to us. The purpose of this scene was to show the unjust act I have committed as a boss by the way I “selected” and hired Mike instead of Lauryn. This scene is significant in relation to the rest of the screenplay because this is basically the opening introduction, and this is where the initial problem is formed. “Procedures are perceived to be more fair when affected individuals have an opportunity to

Cited: Erin Brockovich. (2000). Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Perf. Julia Roberts. DVD. Muchinsky, Paul M. (2003). Psychology Applied to Work: an Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Wadsworth Pub Co. The ADA: Your Employment Rights as an Individual With a Disability. (2005). The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Web site: http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/ada18.html.