Remembering Arthur Kornhauser: Industrial psychology's advocate for worker well-being.

Zickar, Michael J.

doi:10.1037/0021-9010.88.2.363

Cited by 35 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 39 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…Marion A. Bills, who in 1951Bills, who in -1952 was the first woman president of AP A Division 14 (which evolved into the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology [SlOP]), conducted long-term research in the insurance industry considered a model for collaboration between psychology and business (Ferguson, 1952) Other staff members of note include Arthur W. Kornhauser, who did important early work in selection and testing, attitude surveys, labor union relations, 9 and employee mental health (Zickar, 2003) and Clarence Stone Yoakum, who was field supervisor of all mental testing for the Army in World War I (Bingham, 1946) and who supervised the doctoral program at CIT. Four students received their doctorates from that program.…”

Section: The Division Of Applied Psychologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This effort demonstrated that large groups of individuals could be tested at a reasonable cost. Although the military's response to this testing program was mixed (Samuelson, 1977), the perceived success of 9 Although industrial psychology has long been criticized as overly favoring the management perspective (e.g., I3aritz, 1960) and indifferent at best to unions, the relationship bel ween industrial psychology and unions is more complex, and there were certainly exceptions to the pro-management perspective; Kornhauser \Vas one of the most prominent (see Zickar, 2003 for biographical information about Kornhauser, and Zickar, 2004 for more information about industrial psychology and unions). 8 the group testing effort would fuel a strong interest by industry for psychological testing after the war ended.…”

Section: World War I and Industrial Psychologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there is little doubt that the management perspective has been the dominant one in the history of 110 psychology, this does not necessarily mean that l/0 psychologists are antiworker. l/O's history with organized labor, for example, is actually quite nuanced (see Gordon & Burt, 1981;Stagner, 1981;Zickar, 2001Zickar, , 2003Zickar, , 2004. 1n addition to 110 psychologists' legitimate concern with helping managers improve efficiency, 110 psychologists should recognize they also have an obligation to the worker.…”

Section: History Of Research and Practice In I/0 Psychologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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A historical survey of research and practice in industrial and organizational psychology.

Vinchur¹,

Koppes²

2011

APA Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vol 1: Building and Developing the Organization.

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The understanding of psychology is one of the most important roads to success for the modem business man. Industrial and commercial work are in thousandfold contact with mental life. Salesmanship and advertising, learning and training for technical labor , choosing the right position and selecting the right employe, greatest efficiency of work and avoidance of fatigue, treatment of customers and of partners, securing the most favorable conditions for work and adapting the work to one's liking, and ever so many other problems stand b efore the business world and cannot be answered bu t by psychology (Miinsterberg, 1918, p. v).The above quotation by Hugo Miinsterberg is typical of the ambition and confidence (some migh t say overconfidence) of at least some of the founders of industrial-organizational (110) psychology. Although the results of more than 100 years of applying psychology to organizations have caused us to be a bit more humble and circumspect in our pronouncements, it is true that the science and practice of I/0 psychology have made a fair am ount of progress in dealing with Miinsterberg's concerns. The field has had an in teresting and eventful history. As I/0 psychology has expanded and matured, we have seen an increased interest in this history. This is most welcome, as it is our belief that knowledge and appreciation of history is essential fo r deep understanding. Tracing the evolution of ideas in substantive areas of 1/0 psychology and examining the litany of insights, incremental progress, and missteps that resulted in the current state of the field can lead to a richer appreciation and understanding for researchers and practition ers alike.Previous historical overviews of I/0 psychology vary in emphasis, orientation, and detail. Examples include Ferguson (1962)(1963)(1964)(1965),1 who built his history around the Carnegie Institute of Technology's (CIT's) Division of Applied Psychology. Baritz (1960), although critical of industrial psychology's close ties with management, provided a great deal of information about early industrial psychology, as did Napoli (1981) in his history of the psychological profession. A chapter by Hilgard (1987) concentrated on the history of I/0 psychology in the United States; Warr (2007) provided an overview of the development of I/0 ou tside of the United States; and McCollom (1968) and Viteles (1932) gave summaries of the early years of the field both inside and outside of America. Katzell and Austin (1992) offered a contextual approach to American 1/0 psychology history, as did Koppes (2003). A recent book edited by Koppes (2007) took a topical approach to I/0 history. Many other excellent histories of 1/0 psychology have focused on specific conten t areas, individuals, or time We thank Bianca Falbo, Shelly Zedeck, and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments. All errors are our own. 1 Leonard W. Ferguson completed a series of pamphlets ~overi n g 14 chapters (one volume and part of another) of a planned 12-volume history of industrial psychology centere...

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Section: The Division Of Applied Psychologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: World War I and Industrial Psychologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: History Of Research and Practice In I/0 Psychologymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A historical survey of research and practice in industrial and organizational psychology.

Vinchur¹,

Koppes²

2011

APA Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vol 1: Building and Developing the Organization.

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“…As an applied psychologist, he conducted research that primarily benefited organizations, developing some of the first guidelines on how to validate tests used for employee selection. Most of his career, however, was devoted to pursuing questions that were focused on worker well‐being, concerning himself primarily with helping workers organize in labor unions as well as understanding the negative effects that assembly line work had on the mental health of workers (see Zickar, 2003 for a summary of Kornhauser's career). During his career, Kornhauser considered broader issues of social science and society, studying the pressures put on scientists to study topics palatable to their employers and the negative long‐term effects this had on society.…”

Section: Role Model For Researchers Interested In Social Justice Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recognizing the Need for a Humanistic Movement Within Industrial–Organizational Psychology

Zickar

2010

Ind. organ. psychol.

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I do not take issue with the King and Cortina (2010) article on the need for expanded legal workplace protections or the need for increased research attention on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) employees. I commend them for recognizing the importance of the ''social imperative,'' hence bringing the idea of values explicitly into the discussion about workplace issues. I believe that industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists have spent a disproportionately large amount of effort pursuing questions deemed important by for-profit organizations and considerably less time researching questions motivated primarily by humanistic concerns such as social justice and personal welfare (see Lefkowitz, 2003 for an excellent discussion of this). As Lefkowitz mentions, research related to corporate profitability is socially useful in that profitability provides incomes for employees; however, researchers should not be constrained by issues directly related to profitability. In this commentary, I use Arthur Kornhauser as a role model of a famous applied researcher who was motivated primarily by humanistic concerns and provide some suggestions and strategies for researchers who are interested in topics not directly related to corporate

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“…Industrial and organizational psychology has incorporated a concern for health and safety from its outset as a field within psychology, although some have suggested that in the early days of industrial and organizational psychology, the emphasis was more on efficiency than on worker well-being (Zickar, 2003). Many factors have brought a more balanced approach between well-being and efficiency over the past couple of decades, but one factor that we suggest for this shift is the global emergence of occupational health psychology (OHP) in the mid-1990s as a distinct field.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational Safety and Health

Tetrick

Peíró

2012

The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Psychology, Volume 2

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Occupational health and safety reflects the effect of the work environment on employees, groups and work units in organizations, and organizations as a whole. This chapter provides an overview of the research on workplace safety and specifically discusses safety training, regulatory focus, safety climate, leadership, and job design as they relate to safety. Additionally, the literature on occupational health, drawing heavily on the occupational stress literature, discusses the employee-employer relationship from a psychological contract perspective, including climate for sexual harassment, collective burnout and its contagion, recovery, and organizational wellness programs. Particular attention is given to primary interventions to enhance safety, health, and well-being of employees and to eliminate the harmful effects that may arise through individual characteristics, group/work unit factors, and aspects of the organization.

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Remembering Arthur Kornhauser: Industrial psychology's advocate for worker well-being.

Cited by 35 publications

References 39 publications

A historical survey of research and practice in industrial and organizational psychology.

A historical survey of research and practice in industrial and organizational psychology.

Recognizing the Need for a Humanistic Movement Within Industrial–Organizational Psychology

Occupational Safety and Health

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