Work and Organizational Psychology

6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 1018724AER for all students in the 1st semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Possible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences

Department

Experimental and Applied Psychology

Educational team

Joeri Hofmans (course titular)
Toon Torbeyns
Jonas Debusscher

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
10 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
25 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

Work and organizational psychology studies the behavior of people being employed in a variety of organizations as well as a number of influencing factors. The topics that are covered have been chosen because they are at the basis of various current developments in our domain and may be relevant for students with different backgrounds.
In this course, behaviour of individuals working in various types of organisations are studied.
The theoretical part covers an historical overview of people and work, basic psychological concepts at the individual and group level in a working environment, diverstiy at work, satisfaction & motivation, autonomous work systems and job design, leadership and recruiting and selection.
The practical part (which is mandatory only for the Psychology students) consists of two parts:
1. a group paper presenting a critical analysis of a practical selection situation;
2. meetings were practical applications of a number of themes/concepts are exemplified (some through role playing).

Course material

Course text (Required) : Arbeids- en organisatiepsychologie, Een verkennende inleiding, Hofmans, VUB, 2220170009636, 2022
Practical course material (Required) : Materiaal voor de praktische sessies wordt tijdens werkcolleges uitgedeeld en/of op het online leerplatform ter beschikking gesteld

Additional info

A self-written (Dutch) text is available for this course at the VUBtiek.
Materials for the practicals are distributed during the sessions and/or can be found on the online learning platform.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

General goals

1 You know the basic concepts and theories and you are able to explain why they are relevant when analyzing behavior in a work and organizational context;

2 You can place the relevant basic concepts and theories in their historical context;

3 You can critically evaluate the basic concepts and theories as well as the research from which they originate;

4 Building on the basic concepts and theories , you can explain the dynamic interplay between the differential strengths and weaknesses of employees and the formal and informal organizational characteristics;

5 You can recognize and interpret practical applications of the basic concepts and theories.

Chapter 1: Introduction and positioning

1 You can define the field of Work and Organizational Psychology and you can situate it with respect to related fields;

2 You can identify the scientific and social developments that have contributed to the emergence of Work and Organizational Psychology:

3 You can critically evaluate those scientific and social developments;

Chapter 2: Some basic determinants of behavior

1 You know what the determinants of individual and group behavior are and you can explain why they are relevant when analyzing behavior in work and organizational situations;

2 You are able to come up with initiatives that prevent that working in groups and group decision-making works out negatively;

3 You can recognize and interpret the effects of individual and group determinants of behavior.

Chapter 3: Diversity at work

1 You can specify what is meant by diversity

2 You know the discrimination theories and you can explain why they are relevant when analyzing behavior in work and organizational situations;

3 You know the common forms of discrimination in the workplace;

4 You can specify how organizations can deal with diversity and what forms of diversity management are more or less effective;

Chapter 4: Work motivation and satisfaction

1 You can argue why employee motivation and satisfaction are important for both the organization and the employee;

2 You know the basic theories of work motivation and satisfaction;

3 You can critically evaluate these theories and the research from which they originate;

4 Based on these theories, you can explain how organizations can affect the motivation and satisfaction of their employees. ;

5 You can recognize and interpret the practical applications of the basic concepts and theories.

Chapter 5: Autonomous systems of work and job design

1 You know the causes and consequences of the division of labor;

2 You can place the emergence of autonomous work systems and job design in their historical context;

3 You know the basic theories of autonomous work systems and job design;

4 You can critically evaluate these theories and the research from which they originate;

5 You can recognize and interpret the practical applications of these theories.

Chapter 6: Leadership

1 You can define what leadership is and you know the different leadership theories;

2 You can critically evaluate these theories and the research from which they originate;

3 Based on the theories, you can explain the dynamic interplay between the characteristics of the leader and several formal and informal task characteristics.

Chapter 7: Recruitment and selection

1 You know the various steps in the recruitment and selection process;

2 For each of these steps, you can specify what they entail and how one can implement them;

3 You can evaluate the predictors that are used in selection procedures on the basis of scientific criteria.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 75% of the final mark.
PRAC Practical Assignment determines 25% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Written exam theory with a relative weight of 75 which comprises 75% of the final mark.

Note: Schriftelijk examen (HOC - Theoriecursus): telt mee voor 75% indien ook WPO, zoniet telt het mee voor 100%

Within the PRAC Practical Assignment category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Presence with a relative weight of 5 which comprises 5% of the final mark.

Note: Werkcollege (WPO - Oefeningen): telt mee voor 5% - aanwezigheid tijdens de bijeenkomsten van de werkcolleges (telt mee voor 5%). Indien aan een van beide onderdelen niet voldaan is (of uitkomt op een 0(nul)), geldt dit als een afwezigheid voor het werkcollege, en dus ook voor het totale opleidingsonderdeel.
Group assignment with a relative weight of 20 which comprises 20% of the final mark.

Note: Werkcollege (WPO - Oefeningen): telt mee voor 20% - deze punten worden samengesteld op basis van een af te leveren groepstaak (telt mee voor 20%). Indien aan een van beide onderdelen niet voldaan is (of uitkomt op een 0 (nul)), geldt dit als een afwezigheid voor het werkcollege, en dus ook voor het totale opleidingsonderdeel.

Additional info regarding evaluation

1e session exam: written exam (multiple choice) with correction for guessing (theory)

2e session exam: written exam (multiple choice) with correction for guessing (theory),

The practicals are included as in the first exam session (if one did not pass and also failed the overall exam, then an individual paper may be written (deadline: first day of second exam session, 12am). If the student does not submit an individual paper in the second exam session, (s)he keeps the grades of the first exam session for the paper. THIS ONLY APPLIES TO THE PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS; ALL OTHER STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE PRACTICE SESSIONS

A peer assessment (mandatory) will be used to establish an individual mark for the group task. Students must assess themselves and their fellow group members on a number of criteria. The result of this is an individual adjustment factor. The adjustment factor will be used to individualize the group point (= the inherent value of the group task). This is done by multiplying the group point by the adjustment factor.
If a student does not complete a peer assessment within the set deadline, the professor can decide to use the maximum deduction of points.
The professor always has the last word and can decide to strengthen, weaken or even ignore the adjustment factor if the obtained scores prove to be unreliable. In principle, this decision will only be taken in exceptional cases, but will always be based on clear arguments, analyses, and/or additional observations/conversations.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context