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Scientist/Practitioner Approach
Ifunanya B. Onuchukwu
Department of Psychology, Liberty University
PSYC 516-D02- Industrial/ Organizational Psychology
Dr. Gilbert Franco
Oct. 29Th 2020
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Overview of The Scientist-Practitioner Model in I/O Psychology
Organizational psychology is the scientific study of individual and group behavior in
formal organizational settings (Jex & Britt, 2014). Industrial /organizational psychology
therefore can be referred to as the application of methods and principles of psychology in the
workplace for the purpose of harnessing effectiveness and job satisfaction of the employees.
While the industrial aspect of the profession concentrates on hiring (bringing in) the best
qualified into the organization, the organizational aspect of this field concentrates on harnessing
the effectiveness of the employees. Organizational psychology therefore lays emphasis on
applying scientific knowledge in organizations to harness effectiveness and improve
productivity.
The scientist -practitioner model is an ideology that seeks to explain the differences
between the field of research and the application of the principles and solutions discovered
through research in a practical setting of the organization. The scientist- practitioner model
captures this dynamic interaction between generating scientific knowledge and the application of
that knowledge for some practical purpose (Jex & Britt, 2014). This model seeks to bridge the
gap between knowledge gained through scientific research and the reality of applying such
scientific knowledge in organizations to effect job satisfaction and consequently, higher
productivity.
Reasons for Gap Between Scientific Knowledge and Application
Some reasons practitioners may not be apt to apply some proven scientific knowledge in
the practice of boosting the effectiveness of organizations may include:
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1) Practitioners may be deterred by the reluctance of the organization to releases
relevant data needed to apply a principle known to be result prone.
2) The cost of implementing the scientific knowledge may be costly and therefore
resulting in the company declining the application of such scientific research.
3) Practitioners want to make profit and may not go all the way into exhaustively
applying the scientific principles that could enhance effectiveness in the organization.
Means of Reducing the Gap
Jex & Britt, (2014) noted that scientific investigations of organizational phenomena are
often motivated by the practical concerns of organizations therefore the gap between scientific
knowledge and the application of such knowledge can be abridged by practitioners deciding to
apply the solutions proffered by scientific research to address the many challenges organizations
experience. In the same vein, organizations should also be more open to access the knowledge of
professionals trained in the application of scientific knowledge to enhance the effectiveness of an
organization like the industrial/ organizational psychologists.
Effectiveness of the Scientist -Practitioner Approach
A proof of the effectiveness of the scientist – practitioner approach can be seen in the
Bible passage of Exodus chapter 18, where Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses advised him on
how to run the organization (the Isrealites). Jethro taught Modes the principle of delegation of
power and when Moses applied that model, what was seen was the formation of an
organizational hierarchy. The result of such well organized distribution of responsibilities was
the reduction of stress on both the management (Moses), and the people who before the
application of that principle were always waiting in line for long hours to have a turn with the
management.
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There is no gainsaying the fact that the scientist -practitioner approach is an effective
means of increasing the desired effectiveness of both the employees and achieving the
organization goals.
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References
Jex, S.M. & Britt, T.W. (2014). Organizational psychology: A scientist-practitioner approach. 3rd
(ed).
The Holy Bible.
