Business Psychologist

Business is big business in the United States. The United States is home to a vast number of corporations employing countless people. It should be no surprise that the concept of how to make businesses run as efficiently as possible has spawned many books and motivational speakers.

More and more, business psychology is an important part of every CEO’s life. This branch of psychology is also called industrial and organizational psychology , and is vital to business because it helps to recognize factors that create success such as company culture, work/life balance and motivation.

A business psychologist studies a unique branch of psychology and does not have the same responsibilities as a traditional psychologist. They do not normally see individual patients but an entire company can be their “patient”. They are similar to the human resources (HR) department but are more focused on the workplace while an HR specialist has more of a legal and financial focus.

Business psychologists study the workplace and employees to learn how to best motivate employees as well as improve conditions and therefore make the business run smoothly and successfully. They counsel clients, usually the business owners, in order to enhance work performance through improved practices in hiring, employee feedback, training and management.

There are two kinds of business psychologists; a researcher and as an advisor.

It is possible to work on both sides of the field.

As a researcher, they run studies on how to optimize the workplace. The can gather data needed to study their theory from:

• Focus Groups
• Interviews
• Surveys

The research side for a business psychologist can be done at the work place, an independent office, or even a University where they might also be on faculty. As faculty, they would be responsible for lectures and mentorship in addition to their research tasks of: grant writing, research, and publication.

A business psychologist who worked as an advisor, takes the theories proven by research and advises on how to run the company. The can help find problems within a company and devise a plan on how to correct the issue or develop a training program for the employees. They can even determine the best way to physically set up the office.

A business psychologist can be employed by the company or be brought on as a consultant. Some of the specific things they can do are:

• Talent Management
• Training
• Leadership Development
• Human-Machine Interaction
• Employee Interaction and Morale
• Design of Work Environment

In addition to these specific areas, the business psychologist can also evaluate the business and its practices to make sure they are in line with the core principals of the business. If they do not line up, then they can put together a plan of action on how to realign the practices or see if the core principals needs to be modified to fit the current business model in place.

A background in business is important for this type of psychology career – many business owners decide to return to school in order to become a business psychologist. Others choose this path because they have a genuine interest in improving the lives of workers and general health of business.

Business psychologists often only need a master’s degree, unlike other psychology careers. However, a Ph.D. may have a competitive edge in the search for a position.

Some universities offer bachelor’s degrees in business psychology, but make sure you search for it under all its names: business psychology, industrial psychology, organizational psychology, occupational psychology or a combination of these names.

This is usually considered an interdisciplinary major, incorporating business, psychology, human resources, research communication and strategic thinking. Some schools design the business psychology program as a double major—usually business and psychology.

Students will learn how to critically analyze issues related to the workforce of the…