Die teenswoordige en toekomstige rolle van bedryfsielkundiges in Suid-Afrika

Abstract

Unequivocally, Industrial Psychology as a relevant discipline or, more specifically, the application of the principles of human behaviour in the workplace has, and will continue to have, a central impact on the human condition. Principles arising from Industrial Psychology are interwoven in management practice. The terminology from the discipline is part and parcel of the South African manager's daily nomenclature. In South Africa thousands of university, technicon and college graduates take the principles they have learned in their studies of human resources management and apply them over time in organisations, either directly, or in terms of the outlook (or philosophy) which frames their approach to the working world.Understandably therefore, over time organisations have adapted to the needs of people so that productivity, quality of work life and self-actualization are promoted. Trends that demonstrate this include: flatter organisational structures, the devolution of power, fragmentation of organisations into smaller entities, shared ownership and the incentivisation for achievement.Moreover, evidence abounds that organisational effectiveness is promoted through the application of the principles of Industrial Psychology (see for example, Khumalo, 1999). In addition, it is unthinkable that we will succeed in a world economy built on intellectual capital (Handy, 1995;Bennis, 1998) and creativity (Coy, 2000) without the input of the discipline we call Industrial or Organisational Psychology. Without any doubt Industrial Psychology as a discipline plays an important role in the South African economy. INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY AS AN IRRELEVANT PROFESSIONWhile the place of the discipline in enhancing the world of work is certain, the same cannot be said for Industrial Psychology as a profession in South Africa. If a profession is an occupation requiring specific, specialized education (Fowler & Fowler, 1966), then Industrial Psychology in South Africa is clearly not a profession. If the occupation of the Industrial Psychologist is applying the discipline as discussed earlier in this paper, then the vast majority of those practicing Industrial Psychology are not Industrial Psychologists, as only a very small percentage of those practicing Industrial Psychology are indeed registered as such (Renecle & Crafford, 1990). The difference between the Industrial Psychologist and the many others working in the field of people management and performance, is that the functioning of the former is regulated, whereas the latter are free from so-called professional regulation. This is particularly relevant in areas such as advertising and promotion.Furthermore, the profession as an umbrella is becoming increasingly irrelevant for practicing Industrial Psychologists. The profession, for example, remains regulated by the Health Professions Council of South Africa, whereas Industrial Psychology has as much to do with health professions as does auditing or street sweeping. Few practicing Industrial Psychologists are involved in the profe...

Exploring the roles and contributions of industrial psychologists in South Africa against a multi-dimensional conceptual framework (part 2)

“…This can be attributed to many reasons. Amongst others, the use of the name Personnel Management for courses in I/O Psychology articulated a strong practical and career-orientated image, many qualified industrial psychologists find themselves in HR positions that contribute significantly towards the perceived fusion, and some universities taught I/0 Psychology under the banner of the management sciences, often under the name Personnel Management or later Human Resource Management (Moalusi, 2001;Pienaar & Roodt, 2001;Schreuder, 1999Schreuder, , 2001Veldsman, 2001;Venter & Barkhuizen 2005;Watkins, 2001). This study was not intended to further belabour arguments related to the perceived differences or similarities between the two fields (I/O Psychology and HR).…”

Counselling preparedness and responsiveness of industrial psychologists in the face of COVID-19

“…This lack of training seems to run contrary to what is suggested in the literature. For instance, Pienaar and Roodt ( 2001 ) suggest that IOPs should emerge from their academic training fully equipped with counselling competencies (e.g. expressive and empathic communication and listening skills) that will help them operate ethically and effectively in the workplace (see also Barkhuizen et al, 2014 ; Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2013 ; Johnson & Kaslow, 2014 ; McLeod, 2020 )…”

“…This lack of training seems to run contrary to what is suggested in the literature. For instance, Pienaar and Roodt (2001) suggest that IOPs should emerge from their academic training fully equipped with counselling competencies (e.g. expressive and empathic communication and listening skills) that will help them operate ethically and effectively in the workplace (see also Barkhuizen et al, 2014;Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2013;Johnson & Kaslow, 2014;McLeod, 2020) The second preparedness subordinate theme was related to experience -participants indicated that, because they did not typically deliver mental health counselling services, they had little experience in doing so when called upon during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Knowledge development in industrial/organisational psychology (South Africa)

“…This trend also shows up in the contents of the recent special (review) edition of the SAJIP. With the exception of briefly tipping the hat to the need for philosophical underpinnings (Veldsman, 2001), to the need for scientific and research roles (Pienaar & Roodt, 2001), and for experimenting with non-Western management models and concepts (Moalusi, 2001), contributions to this edition are largely concerned with the serviceability of the discipline to management and organisations.…”