RESEARCH NEWS
Organisational Psychology in Demand
According to the recently released US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)’ ranking of the 20 fastest-growing occupations, organisational psychologists will lead the way with an expected growth rate of 53 percent between now and 2022.
Organisational psychologists specialise in human behaviour in the workplace, and are employed because their expertise results in staff that are a better fit for the organisation, resulting in increased productivity, reduced turnover, and lower labour costs.
Macquarie University has long been as a recognised leader in the field of organisational psychology with our experts collaborating on a range of projects that have the power to create immediate, positive workplace change across a wide range of industries.
Professor Mark Wiggins, Associate Dean, Research, in the Department of Psychology, and his team, for example, are using eye tracking technology to examine the process of information acquisition by rail controllers during simulations of their day-to-day work and determining how that information acquisition changes during major events. Their goal is to establish workload experienced by rail controllers and providing a baseline against which to assess new interfaces and processes.
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Barbara Griffin is conducting an ARC-funded research project on positive aging in the workplace. Her research has already revealed that the way older employees think about their future appears to be of particular importance for determining the extent they engage in proactive behaviour at work, as well as plan for their retirement and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Associate Professor Griffin’s work has been adopted by a number of organisations as they seek to develop evidence-based strategies for retaining and motivating their mature-aged workforce.
For many years, Macquarie has also offered a Master of Organisational Psychology that leads to professional registration. Alumni now work in a wide array of jobs in both the public and private sector, ranging from user experience and workplace relations, to occupational rehabilitation, change management, assessment, executive coaching, talent management, HR, safety, research, organisational development and training.
Now, in response to increasing demand for people with organisational psychology knowledge, in 2016 we are introducing two new postgraduate business psychology degrees: the Graduate Certificate of Business Psychology, which provides graduates and practising professionals with knowledge in some of the fundamental areas of organisational psychology and the Graduate Diploma of Business Psychology, which provides advanced knowledge in organisational psychology.
These courses are open to those not just with psychology qualifications but those with any bachelor degree and at least two years’ relevant work experience. Applications for these courses close on 30 October.
Associate Professor Barbara Griffin will be leading an online chat on Thursday 8 October to answer any questions you have.
Thanks!
As a graduate of the MOrgPsy course in its second year at Macquarie, I am incredibly pleased that the course and the profession is getting the traction and recognition it deserves!
I have employed and continue to employ Organisational Psychologists in our field of User/Customer Experience in Sydney and Singapore. I believe that there is a massive opportunity for this skill set in the workplace and equally in the digital and online space where user experience researchers are in very short supply.
We continue to support Prof Williams, and other researchers in many disciplines at Macquarie University, with eye tracking. It is a technology that provides Organisational Psychologists with an amazing opportunity to apply research in a highly valid and reliable way; that business people understand and fall in love with.
There are numerous businesses in Sydney and Melbourne that desperately need Organisational Psychologists, with eye tracking backgrounds, in user experience research. These include Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, GE, Australia Post, TAL, and my business.
Studying Organisational Psychology at Macquarie University was the best choice I have made in my psychology career and you should make it yours too.