Research in industrial and organizational Pyscholy

Organizational Pyschology

1. INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY (BAS-12/ BHM-05) Unit 1 Lecture 5 Research in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology

2. RESEARCH IN INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY Industrial Psychology is a scientific discipline that combines theory and application. Purpose of this lecture is not to make you a researcher. Instead, it is to increase your awareness about the research process, terminology and benefits. 2

3. PURPOSE OF RESEARCH Research is concerned with the systematic gathering of information. The purpose of information gathering is to help us in our search of truth/ reality. Although we will never find out ultimate truth. In case of IP, the purpose of research is to be able to know precisely how any person or group would behave in any organizational context. Ongoing research adds to our body of knowledge by supporting some theories, contradicting others, and suggesting new ones replacing those that fail to gain support. 3

4. STEPS OF RESEARCH The process of research starts with a research question or specification of a problem that needs an answer. Then one or more hypotheses (explanations of what the researchers expect to find) are formulated. Hypotheses may come from various sources such as previous experience and a careful review of literature covering the broad area of research question/problem. The next step is to create a research design- an overall plan or strategy for conducting the research to test the hypotheses. The final stage is to collect and analyze data and interpret the findings. 4

5. VOCABULARY OF RESEARCH Researchers have their own vocabulary to communicate with each other and with the remaining world. It is important to know some of the terms frequently used in research. Knowing that vocabulary can help you feel comfortable with several terms in IP research as well as help in our later discussion. 5

6. VOCABULARY OF RESEARCH Theory - A set of systematically interrelated concepts, definitions, and hypotheses that are put forward to explain and predict phenomena. Research Design - An overall plan or strategy for conducting the research to test the hypothesis. Variable - Any general characteristic that can be measured and that changes in amplitude, intensity, or both. Some popular variables that are studied in IP are job satisfaction, employee productivity, work stress, ability, personality, and group norms. 6

7. VOCABULARY OF RESEARCH Hypothesis - A tentative answer to the research question; tentative explanation of the relationship between two or more variables. T he statement that participation in college athletics leads to a top executive position in a large corporation is an example of hypothesis. Remembers, until confirmed by empirical research, a hypothesis remains only a tentative explanation. Dependent Variable - The variable that is affected by Independent Variable. In a hypothesis, it is the variable that the researcher is interested in explaining. 7

8. VOCABULARY OF RESEARCH Independent Variable - The variable that is the presumed cause of some change in the dependent variable is known as Independent Variable. Note that none of the variables are exclusively Dependent or Independent Variable or always either of the two. You may notice that there are certain variables that are frequently used by researchers as both Independent and Dependent Variable. 8

9. VOCABULARY OF RESEARCH Independent vs Dependent Variable- Hypothesis 1- Increase in Job Satisfaction leads to reduced turnover. In this case, Job Satisfaction is IV and Turnover is DV Hypothesis 2- Increase in salary leads to higher job satisfaction Here, Salary is IV while Job Satisfaction is DV. 9

10. VOCABULARY OF RESEARCH Intervening Variable - Variable that provides the linkage through which an IV is presumed to affect a DV is called Intervening Variable. Example hypothesis- Participatory supervisory practices improve worker satisfaction and therefore, increase performance. In this hypothesis: - Participatory Supervisory Practices is Independent Variable Worker Satisfaction is Intervening Variable Performance is Dependent Variable 10

11. VOCABULARY OF RESEARCH Moderating Variable - Variable that, when systematically varied, changes the relationship between IV and DV. The relationship between IV and DV differs depending upon the level/strength of moderating variable. Example hypothesis- Increasing the amount of direct supervision in the work area will lead to change in worker productivity but this effect will be moderated by complexity of the tasks performed. In this hypothesis: - Amount of Direct Supervision is IV Productivity is DV Comp lexity of tasks is Moderating Variable 11

12. VOCABULARY OF RESEARCH Causality - The direction of cause-and-effect relationship between two variables is known as Causality. A hypothesis, usually, implies a relationship i.e., it presumes one variable as the cause of another variable. In behavioral research, it is possible to make an incorrect assumption of causality when relationships are found. Three e types of evidence are required to demonstrate that one variable caused another: - There is a link between two variables; One variable must precede e the other in time; Absence of other causal factors 12

13. VOCABULARY OF RESEARCH Correlation Coefficient - The strength of relationship between two variables; expressed as a number between -1.00 ( perfect negative relationship) to + 1.00 (perfect positive relationship) When two variables vary directly with one another, the correlation is said to be positive. When two variables vary inversely, the correlation is expressed in negative. When two variables vary independently of each other, the correlation between them is zero. 13

14. RESEARCH DESIGN An overall plan or strategy for conducting the research to test the hypothesis. Four most popular research designs are: - Lab experiments Field experiments Case Studies Field Surveys 14

15. Lab Experiments Conducted in artificial settings. Researchers intervenes and manipulates one or more IV to see its effect on DV. Researcher attempts to control all other variables. Since the entire procedure is conducted under a highly controlled setting, it increases internal validity. But since they are conducted in artificial settings, they suffer a lack of generalizability. 15

16. Field Experiments Conducted in realistic settings. Researchers intervenes and manipulates one or more IV to see its effect on DV. Researcher attempts to control the situation as carefully as the situation permits. 16

17. Case Study Involves in-depth analysis of one or more phenomenon/ settings; often used when little is known about something. Researcher attempts to examine relevant concepts intensely and thoroughly. Helps in hypothesis generation and theory building. Case study report is rich in data and insights; lack of control and difficulty in interpretation. 17

18. Field Survey Typically depend on the use of some form of questionnaire for purpose of describing and/or predicting phenomenon. Utilizes a sample drawn from large population; key objective is to look for relationship between or among variables. 18

19. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION Once the researcher is done with finalizing the research design, the next step is to collect data. Four most popular methods of data collection in IP are: - Interview Observation Questionnaires Nonreactive measures 19

20. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION Interview - Involves face to face, telephone or computer assisted interaction to ask respondents questions of interest. The interview may be structured (pre decided questions) or unstructured (questions evolve from the discussion). Time consuming, can not be used on large sample and the researcher need to be trained and skilled to conduct it. Observation - Involves watching an event, object or person and recording what is observed. Sometimes, the researchers merely observes the phenomena and sometimes, the observer participates in it. The benefit is observer can witness the phenomenon rather than relying on second person’s account and can obtain data which participants, won’t provide on their own. 20

21. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION Questionnaires- Asks about respondents' opinion, attitudes, perceptions, descriptions of work-related matters. Questions may be open ended, true-false type, or multiple choice with fixed response options. Relatively low cost and maintains anonymity. Lacks depth of responses. Nonreactive Measures- Used to obtain data without disturbing the setting. May include things such as physical traces, archives, and hidden observations. 21

22. EVALUATING RESEARCH Reliability Validity Generalizability 22

23. THIS PRESENTATION IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING SOURCES Bir, P. (Publication date unknown). Psychology, Paper 12 Organisational Behaviour, Module 1 Introduction to Organisational Behavior . e- PGPathshala . Retrieved from http://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/Home/ViewSubject?catid=31 Robins, S.P., Judge, T.A., & Vohra, N. (2016). Organizational Behaviour . New Delhi: Pearson. 23