Issues in Occupational Psychology

Module title	Issues in Occupational Psychology
Module code	BEMM268
Academic year	2024/5
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Levke Henningsen (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	60

Module description

The purpose of this module is to introduce Occupational Psychology – a branch of applied psychology that focuses on human workplace behaviours and organisational settings. Many theories and concepts are regularly applied in organisations to increase organisational effectiveness and ensure the satisfaction of people at work. Organisations want and need to select employees with the best fit, and to enable them to become more creative and engaged. Managers need to foster citizenship between team members and effectively deal with diversity issues, and organisational changes to provide fair environments and to capitalize on the innovation potential among their employees.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The primary objective of this module is to introduce you to some of the core issues in the applied field of occupational psychology. The module is structured around several fundamental workplace issues that commonly require psychological expertise, including selection, performance, training, wellbeing, creativity, gender diversity in leadership and in careers, and organisational culture and change. You will enhance your knowledge of concepts, models, theories, and research findings that are central to the study of human workplace behaviour and organisational settings. You will be encouraged to think critically about research and practical applications of theories in organisations and to engage with key debates in the field about issues such as providing enriching, healthy, and fair work environments for all employees. This course also focuses on developing analytical and practical skills to enable you to critically reflect your own future roles in organisations.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Engage with major psychological and management theories and concepts to develop arguments about their application within organisations
2. Critically discuss debates about core issues in occupational psychology

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Outline key theories and published literature related to occupational psychology
4. Discuss behaviour of people in organisations

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

5. Develop arguments and justify them effectively.
6. Research and present best practice solutions to potential organisational stakeholders.

Syllabus plan

This module makes use of a variety of learning methods, enabling students to gain a broad understanding of contemporary and future theory and practice in the field of occupational psychology. Starting with introductory material, we will move on to explore and debate a wide variety of issues that deal with the selection, training, wellbeing, creativity, and performance of people at work. Our taught sessions will cover the following major topic areas:

An introduction to occupational psychology
Selection and assessment
Work performance
Learning, training, and development
Wellbeing at work
Creativity at work
Gender and careers
Gender in recruitment and selection
Diversity management
Organisational culture and change

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
30	120	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities	30	Lectures, workshops, group activities, analysis of case studies and best practice examples, online content
Guided Independent Study	30	Preparatory reading prior to taught sessions
Guided Independent Study	30	Reflection and further reading following taught content sessions
Guided Independent Study	60	Assignment preparation: Researching and writing your assignment

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Seminar discussions and presentations	In class	1-6	Verbal in class

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Individual assignment	70	2500 words	1-6	Written tutor feedback
Group assignment	30	Short presentation (15 minutes plus 5 minutes Q&A)	1-6	Written tutor feedback

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Individual Assignment	Re-work individual assignment 2500 words (70%) and re-submit the original report	1-6	Referral/Deferral period
Group Assignment	Individual assignment (30%), recorded short presentation (15 minutes)	1-6	Referral/Deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you have been deferred for any assessment you will be expected to submit the relevant assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be expected to submit the relevant assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Arnold, J., Coyne, I., Randall, R., & Patterson, F. (2020). Work psychology: Understanding human behaviour in the workplace (7^th edition). Pearson.

Fraccaroli, F. & Sverke, M. (2017). An introduction to work and organizational psychology: An international perspective (3^rd edition). Wiley

Furnham, A. (2005). The psychology of behaviour at work (2^nd edition). Psychology Press

Ones, D. S., Anderson, N., Viswesvaran, C., & Sinangil, H. K. (2017). The SAGE handbook of industrial, work & organizational psychology: V1 Personnel Psychology and Employee Performance (2nd edition). Sage

Ones, D. S., Anderson, N., Viswesvaran, C., & Sinangil, H. K. (2017). The SAGE handbook of industrial, work & organizational psychology: V2 Organizational Psychology (2nd edition). Sage

Ones, D. S., Anderson, N., Viswesvaran, C., & Sinangil, H. K. (2017). The SAGE handbook of industrial, work & organizational psychology: V3 Managerial Psychology and Organizational Approaches (2nd edition). Sage

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. (2019). Organizational behavior (18^th edition, global edition). Pearson Eduction Limited

Stavroula, L. & Houdmont, J. (2010). Occupational health psychology. Wiley-Blackwell

Zibarras, L. & Lewis, R. (2013). Work and occupational psychology: Integrating theory and practice. Sage Publications Ltd

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

Anderson, N., Poto?nik, K., & Zhou, J. (2014). Innovation and creativity in organizations: A state-of-the-science review, prospective commentary, and guiding framework. Journal of Management, 40(5), 1297-1333.

Demerouti, E., Nachreiner, F., Baker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499-512.

Heilman, M. E. (2012). Gender stereotypes and workplace bias. Research in Organizational Behavior, 32(0), 113-135.

Kremer, H., Villamor, I., & Aguinis, H. (2019). Innovation leadership: Best-practice recommendations for promoting employee creativity, voice, and knowledge sharing. Business Horizons, 62(1), 65-74.

Simha, A., & Cullen, J. B. (2012). Ethical climates and their effects on organizational outcomes: Implications from the past and prophecies for the future. Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(4), 20-34.

Tims, M., Bakker, A. B., & Derks, D. (2013). The impact of job crafting on job demands, job resources, and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 18(2), 230-240.

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

You will have access to an online searchable and resources database, with links to several ebooks available through the Exeter Learning Environment (ELE). Within this environment, you will also be supported through online discussion forums and activities.

Key words search

Occupational psychology, organisational behaviour, management, selection, performance, training, wellbeing, creativity, gender, organisational culture

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	7
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	24/01/2023
Last revision date	22/03/2024