Fundamentals of
organizational psychology
1. What is organizational psychology?
Organizational psychology is the study of the psychology
and behavior of people in an organization. It is everywhere
in our daily work units, or in a project team we participate
in. For example, in a team, why are some of them proactive,
but some are always passive and lazy? Why are teams
sometimes able to work together efficiently, but sometimes
they are full of contradictions? The answers to these
questions can be found to a large extent in organizational
psychology.
Take the project team of an Internet company as an
example. The project team took on a new task,
To develop a new software. At the beginning, the team
members were enthusiastic and everyone was doing it
Full of energy. At this time, everyone's psychological state and
behavioral performance are actually related to organizational
psychology
Some principles are related. Everyone is looking forward to
this new task and feels that they can be here
This is a positive psychological state that prompts them to
take the initiative
Serve and put into work. Like Xiao Li, he took the initiative
to be responsible for the user interface design of the
software, and immediately began to study various cases of
excellent interfaces, and actively worked with the team to
be responsible for the technical implementation
Colleagues communicate their ideas, which is the behavior
after being influenced by positive psychology.
Later, we encountered problems in the process of
promoting the project, such as technical obstacles, and
various errors always appeared in the code. At this time, the
atmosphere in the team changes, some people start to be
anxious, some people become irritable, and even start to
blame each other. This is also the embodiment of
organizational psychology, in the face of difficulties,
everyone's psychological state changes, and this change
triggers different behavioral reactions.
Therefore, organizational psychology is closely linked to
our work and life, and understanding it can help us better
understand the various things happening around us, and it
can also make us do things more beautifully.
2. Individual differences and organizational behavior
Different people have differences in personality, abilities,
values, etc., and these differences can have a big impact on
their behavior in the organization. For example, extroverts in
team discussions
tend to be more active and like to express their opinions;
Introverts, on the other hand, may be better at
independent thinking and excel in tasks that require in-
depth study.
Abilities also vary. Some colleagues have strong
professional skills and can always come up with solutions
quickly in the face of technical problems; Some colleagues
have strong communication skills and can easily deal with
customers and partners. These differences in ability
determine what role each person is suitable for in the
organization.
Values are just as important. some people pay special
attention to job stability and are willing to work in one unit
for a long time; Some people are more challenging and
innovative, and like to constantly try new fields. If the
organization's values and the individual's mismatch, it can
be awkward to work. Just like an employee who pursues
innovation in a conservative, step-by-step organization, he
may feel that his ideas are not being implemented, and his
enthusiasm for work will decline over time.
Let's look at the example in teamwork. A project team has
both members who are good at technical research and
members who are good at marketing. Technical members
overcome technical difficulties with their professional
capabilities, city
Field promotion members rely on communication skills and
market acumen to open up the market. Their individual
differences complement each other and work together to
drive the project smoothly. If the team is full of members
with similar personalities and abilities, such as everyone is
very introverted and has similar technical skills, they may
encounter obstacles when facing some comprehensive
tasks.
It's also crucial for managers to understand the individual
differences of their employees. By understanding the
differences in employees' personalities, abilities, values, etc.,
managers can carry out a reasonable division of labor and
put the right people in the right positions. In this way,
employees can give full play to their strengths, work
efficiency will improve, and it will be easier to gain a sense of
accomplishment, which is a win-win situation for both the
organization and the individual. Moreover, managers can
also adopt different management methods according to the
characteristics of employees. For employees with strong self-
esteem, more praise and affirmation; For employees who
need to be motivated, set goals that are challenging but can
be achieved with hard work.
3. Motivation theory and application
Motivation is an important means to make employees
more motivated and willing to work harder. There are
several common motivation theories.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory is famous. It says that
people have five needs, from low to high: physiological
needs, security needs, social needs, respect needs and self-
actualization needs. In an organization, meeting the needs
of employees at different levels can play a motivating role.
For example, provide employees with good salary and
benefits, which can meet physiological and safety needs;
Organize some team activities,
so that everyone can enhance their relationship, which
satisfies social needs; awards and public praise to
employees with outstanding contributions to meet the
needs of respect; Assign employees some challenging
projects that can realize their potential, so that they have
the opportunity to realize their value, which is to meet the
needs of self-realization. Let's talk about a sales team, in
order to motivate everyone, the team leader provides
rewards for overseas travel to members with outstanding
performance, which satisfies employees' yearning for a
better life, that is, part of the physiological needs, and also
makes employees feel valued, respected by the team, and
meets the needs of respect. This diverse motivation
method allows employees to feel that the organization
cares about their needs and is more motivated to work.
Herzberg's two-factor theory is also worth mentioning. He
divides the factors that affect the work of employees into
health care factors and motivational factors. If the health
care factor is not handled well, the employees will be
dissatisfied, like the public
The company's policy system, working environment, and
interpersonal relationships. But even health factors are
satisfied
Very good, it may not necessarily make employees particularly
satisfied, but can only eliminate their dissatisfaction.
Motivating factors
It is the one that can truly give employees motivation and a
sense of accomplishment, such as the challenge of the work
itself, the opportunity for personal growth, and the
recognition obtained. It's like a company that improves the
office environment, which is a health factor, and employees
will no longer complain about the poor office environment,
but probably not
At once, he worked very proactively. However, if the
company provides employees with the opportunity to
participate in various cross-departmental projects, allowing
employees to be exposed to knowledge and business in
different fields, this opportunity for personal growth is a
motivating factor that will make employees more
enthusiastic about their work.
There is also expectation theory, which says that
employees have an expectation of the results they can
achieve through hard work, and if this expectation matches
the reward they can actually get, they will work harder. For
example, the company sets a sales performance goal, and if
the goal is completed, you can get generous commission
bonuses and promotion opportunities. Employees will think
in their hearts whether it is possible to achieve this goal
through their own efforts. If they feel promising, then in
order to obtain these rewards,
will actively expand customers and improve sales performance.
When managers apply motivation theory, they must first
understand the needs and expectations of employees.
Communicate with employees more to understand what
they value. Then flexibly use incentive methods according to
the situation of different employees. You can combine
material incentives with spiritual incentives, pay bonuses to
employees who perform well, and publicly praise their work
results in the company's internal groups. We should also
focus on the needs of employees at different levels, provide
more opportunities for self-realization for young and
energetic employees, and make more efforts in job security
and respect for old employees who pay more attention to
stability.
4. Leadership style and team performance
Leadership style has a crucial impact on team
performance. There are several typical types of common
leadership styles.
Authoritarian leaders, they make decisions very quickly
and control a lot of decision-making power. The advantage
is that you can make decisions quickly in an emergency and
lead the team to act quickly. For example, in an emergency
moment when a competitor launches a new product, an
authoritarian leader can immediately decide that the team
will devote all its efforts to the research and development of
a few key features and launch a competitive product ahead
of the opponent. However, the disadvantages are also
obvious, employee participation is very low, which will make
employees feel that they are only executors in the long run,
and do not have the opportunity to exert subjective
initiative, which can easily lead to a decline in team
creativity. Team members may slowly become dictated and
lack initiative and innovation.
Democratic leaders, on the contrary, like to discuss
decisions with team members and encourage everyone to
express their opinions. This stimulates the creativity of team
members, and people are more willing to actively participate
in their work because they feel that their ideas are valued.
For example, when planning a new marketing plan,
democratic leaders will organize a meeting for everyone, and
everyone can put forward their own ideas.
Then discuss the pros and cons together, and finally form a
plan that integrates everyone's wisdom. During this
process, team members will feel that they are involved in
important decisions, have a strong sense of belonging, and
are highly motivated to work. However, democratic
leadership has a relatively slow decision-making process,
and in the event of an emergency, the best time may be
missed.
laissez-faire leadership gives team members a lot of
autonomy and allows them to play freely. For some team
members who are highly self-driven and self-disciplined, this
leadership style allows them to fully display their talents. For
example, in a creative design team, the laissez-faire leader
is allowed
Members are allowed to create works according to their
own rhythm and ideas, and members can freely choose the
theme and form of expression. However, laissez-faire
leaders sometimes have unclear team direction and
difficulty in coordination among members because the
management is too loose, affecting work efficiency.
A good leader must choose the appropriate leadership
style according to different situations. When tasks are urgent
and quick decisions are needed, authoritarian leadership
styles may be more applicable. It is necessary to stimulate
team innovation
When the power building and time requirements are not
particularly urgent, the democratic leadership style will be
more effective; For those teams with strong ability and high
self-awareness, a laissez-faire leadership style may allow
them to fill their fill
Divide to give full play to advantages. Moreover, good
leaders will not always use only one style, they will flexibly
adjust according to the development stage of the team and
the characteristics of specific tasks. When the team is just
established and everyone is not familiar with the work
process and each other's characteristics, authoritarian
leaders can first formulate some clear work rules and goals
to get the team on the right track quickly; As the team
matures, it gradually transforms into a democratic
leadership style to stimulate the team's innovation ability
and enthusiasm.
5. Organizational culture and employee behavior
Organizational culture is like the soul of an organization,
which invisibly affects the behavior of employees. Different
organizational cultures have different characteristics.
An organization with an innovative culture that
encourages employees to try new ideas. Here, failure is not
overly criticized, but is seen as an opportunity to learn. For
example, a technology company,
They often hold various creative competitions in-house to
encourage employees to submit new product ideas or
technical improvements. Even if some plans are
unsuccessful in the end, the company will give affirmation
and encouragement to the participating employees. In this
culture, employees are creative, unafraid to make
mistakes, and have the courage to explore new technology
areas and business models. Like Xiao Zhang in the R&D
department, he put forward an idea about a new software
algorithm, although he encountered many problems at the
beginning, but with the support of this innovative culture,
he and his team continued to try to improve, and finally
really developed a more efficient algorithm, which
improved the competitiveness of the company's products.
There are also organizations with a teamwork culture
that emphasizes close collaboration among members. For
example, in some advertising companies, a project often
requires the cooperation of multiple departments such as
copywriting planning, design, shooting, and post-production.
The company often organizes team building activities to
enhance the relationship and tacit understanding between
employees. During the project execution process, everyone
understands that only by cooperating with each other can
the task be completed.
When planning Xiao Li writes advertising copy, he will take
the initiative to communicate with the designer to ensure
that the style and visual performance of the copy match.
Designers will also accurately design suitable pictures
according to the content of the copy. This teamwork
culture makes the entire project process smooth,
improving the quality and efficiency of work.
Organizations with a hierarchical culture have a clear
hierarchy. Employees shall act in accordance with the
prescribed procedures and authority. In such organizations,
decisions are usually made by the top management, and
grassroots employees are more likely to execute orders. For
example, in some traditional manufacturing enterprises,
workers on the production line carry out production
operations according to the tasks assigned by superiors, and
the R&D department conducts technology research and
development according to the leader's arrangement.
While a hierarchical culture ensures organizational order
and stability, with standardized workflows, it can limit
employees' initiative to innovate and sometimes involve
rapid and flexible messaging.
Employees will behave differently in different organizational
cultures. In an innovative culture,
Employees actively participate in innovation activities and
have active thinking; In a teamwork culture, employees pay
attention to
Collaborate with others and be good at sharing knowledge and
experience; In a hierarchical culture, employees will be strict
abide by the system and process, and the behavior is
relatively standardized and conservative. Organizational
managers should shape a good group
Weaving culture. Convey the organization's values to
employees through publicity and training. For example,
determination
Organize training for new employees, specifically introduce
the connotation and importance of organizational culture, so
that everyone can start from one
Integrate into this cultural atmosphere from the beginning.
Managers themselves should also lead by example and
practice organizational culture. If the organization
advocates integrity, then managers must be honest and
trustworthy in their work, so that employees can do so
Only then will you be convinced and follow the practice.
