Occupational Psychology

This module locates Occupational/Work Psychology within a global context, providing students with an effective grounding for other core knowledge areas. It covers a range of topics, including organisational structure, design and culture, models of change and development, organisational effectiveness, performance and communications, the design of jobs, work systems and environments, workplace safety and methods for managing risk and reducing human error. Students also have the opportunity to critically engage with contemporary themes, such as technology-mediated work, consumer psychology and the role of social media in the workplace. Case studies, practical examples and exercises are used throughout the module to integrate theory and practice.

This module will provide models for reflecting on evidenced based practice (e.g., the scientist-practitioner model) and specific tools (e.g., critical incident), techniques (e.g., interviewing and group facilitation) and abilities (e.g., assertive communication and conflict resolution) to enable the gathering, analysing and feeding back of data in organisational contexts. This is an interactive module consisting of theoretical and practical inputs and the opportunity to apply knowledge and abilities through discussion, individual presentation and feedback, group activities, skill development and evaluation, with the outputs being captured in critical reflection and portfolio entries. Effort has been made to match the assessment methods of this module with those used in Stage 2 of the QOccPsych so that this forms a logical progression from this module and the MSc programme.

The module aims to develop in students a critical understanding of the ways in which people lead, engage and motivate employees in context of work. Students will learn about the theory and practice of work motivation, effective team-working, performance appraisal and performance management, leadership (and destructive leadership), employee engagement, organisational power, politics & influence, and employee voice. In addition, students will learn about workplace issues concerning gender, inequality and diversity. Sessions will combine theoretical inputs with opportunities to apply knowledge through discussion, class exercises, and debates.

The module aims to develop in students a critical understanding of the ways in which people learn and develop in the context of work and organisation. First, students will learn about the theory and practice of employee training, focusing on issues such as needs analysis, learning theories, different training methods and evaluation strategies. This will then be followed by a wider examination of career development activities, including coaching, counselling and mentoring. Sessions will combine theoretical inputs with opportunities to apply knowledge through discussion, case studies and simulation exercises.

The module provides coverage of quantitative and qualitative methods for psychology postgraduates, including a critical overview of the ontological and epistemological assumptions that underlie both methods. As a result of undertaking this module, students are able to understand the rationale for using different research designs and methods. Teaching sessions use lectures, discussion, and practical exercises. The students engage in skill-based sessions in areas such as interviewing skills, theory development, and various methods of qualitative analysis such as discourse analysis, thematic analysis and interpretative phenomenological analysis. The module also covers the emerging field of evidence-based occupational psychology and innovative technologies in research methods.

This module covers theoretical and practical issues concerning the psychological assessment and selection of employees. An overview of the recruitment and selection process with a focus on the strategic role of employee planning and recruitment will be provided, followed by critical evaluation of different methods of selection such as interviews, focus group, psychometric testing and assessment centres. The module offers an in-depth insight into psychometric ability testing, including practices and considerations around test selection, administration, reporting and feeding back test results, assessing validity and reliability of tests, and issues surrounding equality and fairness in aptitude testing.

This module covers intermediate level and more advanced statistical techniques needed in organisational research. Lectures will be used to teach the rationale behind hypothesis testing and describe the principles behind techniques such as linear regression, and exploratory factor analysis. Students will also attend practical classes in order to apply and develop their knowledge.

This module covers one of the core knowledge areas required for Occupational/Work Psychology and explores how work relates to individual and organisational well-being by considering the role of work and employment. It will cover areas related to the employment lifecycle, patterns of work, occupational health, stress and emotions, the causes, symptoms, assessment, prevention and management of stress, bullying and harassment, positive psychological perspectives and the promotion of wellbeing. Individual differences and diversity in responses will be considered. Critical evaluation of the psychological evidence base for relevant interventions and how these might be implemented and evaluated in practice will also be discussed.

Students will undertake a research project in an organisational setting under the guidance of their academic supervisor. In carrying out the study, students will apply and develop their skills in reviewing the academic literature to define key research questions, implementing appropriate research methodologies, conducting data analyses, negotiating with organisations and writing up the research for both academic and practioner audiences.