Psychology is a popular career specialty that’s gaining more and more recognition as a driving force in helping businesses and organizations achieve their goals.
As such, organizational psychologists are in demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that psychology jobs will experience an eight percent rate of growth through the end of the 2020s. This is higher than the average for all occupations. As such, it makes it a smart choice to study in college.
The organizational psychology program at your college or university will no doubt do a good job of providing you with the necessary opportunities to learn and grow in this field. But simply doing coursework and participating in activities like internships is often not enough to broaden your knowledge. This means that it’s necessary to find other study resources to help you along.
Featured Schools
Fortunately, there are many different resources you can turn to for accelerating your growth as an organizational psychology student. Below are just a few examples of easy, flexible, and effective ways to advance your education while you earn your degree.
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, known as SIOP, is the leading association for professionals in the field. Students who complete a degree in organizational psychology can pursue an endorsement from SIOP. Having a credential from SIOP can be beneficial to any professional, from helping you gain new skills to boosting your resume’s appeal to potential employers.
The Society offers many benefits for students of psychology. You can:
- explore internship opportunities
- participate in free webinars
- learn information about career paths
- get information about trainings that are available for organizational psychologists
Additionally, SIOP offers the chance to catch up on recent and relevant research in the field of organizational psychology, as well as explore grants and other funding for conducting your own research.
This organization has virtual workshops, too. You can participate in online activities with other students and professionals in this field. These workshops are led by recognized practitioners and researchers. They offer you the opportunity to learn about evidence-based practices on current topics in organizational psychology.
SIOP also curates job information in its career center. There, you can find details about:
- internships
- job openings
- career paths, and more
SIOP provides materials that pertain to ethics and ethical practice, too.
Of additional interest is that this organization offers benefits for students and professionals alike. So, after you graduate and enter the workforce, you can maintain your SIOP membership and continue to learn and grow as an organizational psychologist. These learning opportunities include:
- yearly conferences and consortiums
- white papers and journals
- access to local industrial-organizational psychology groups where you can learn from other professionals in the field.
Psych Learning Curve
Psych Learning Curve is an educational website established by the American Psychological Association. While the website is not entirely dedicated to organizational psychologists, there is a series of blog posts that talk in-depth about the discipline and what it entails.
However, as an organizational psychology student, you would do well to peruse the entire website. There is general information on psychology as well as its sub-disciplines. These may be helpful to you as you seek to build a better understanding of the relationship between all the aspects of this field.
Additionally, Psych Learning Curve has a section dedicated to undergraduate students. There is a section dedicated to graduate students, too, where you can explore various topics related to industrial-organizational psychology and other graduate and postgraduate topics.
Psych Learning Curve has a collection of articles dealing with advocacy as well. Though there are many disciplines in psychology, advocacy for others is a hallmark trait of them all – organizational psychology included.
Because the website is overseen by the staff of the American Psychological Association, you can rest assured that the information provided is accurate.
Society for Judgment and Decision Making
Though not dedicated to organizational psychology, the Society for Judgment and Decision Making (SJDM) has a wealth of resources on topics that are directly related to the study of organizational psychology.
As a member of SJDM, you’ll have access to a variety of publications including:
- the Society’s journal
- a blog
- a books series
- newsletters
These publications offer insights into a wide range of subjects, from economics to social psychology to research on competence in decision making.
Additionally, SJDM curates a collection of resources related to research in this field. As a student in organizational psychology, you might find helpful information in the SJDM catalog.
Like most organizations, SJDM also hosts an annual meeting where you can learn from professionals in the field as well as from other students who are pursuing similar courses of study. There are opportunities to present papers at the conference. There are even funding options to help offset the cost of attendance for eligible students.
Podcasts
Podcasts are a great resource for organizational psychology students, especially working adults who don’t have much time to sit and read articles that are not assignments for class.
Older podcasts like the I-O Podcast, which is delivered by SIOP, are moderated by professionals in the field. They include information on a variety of issues and subjects that inform organizational psychology.
You can tune in and listen to conversations about all manner of topics, including:
- current trends
- controversies in organizational psychology
- organizational dynamics, just to name a few
The goal of the I-O Podcast is to help listeners gain insights into organizational psychology and provide detailed analyses of important topics. It’s an entertaining podcast, too, so you can learn something new while enjoying the discussion!
Another great resource is Department 12, a podcast dedicated to industrial and organizational psychology that is updated frequently. Recent episodes dive into topics related to:
- Transitioning from one career into another
- Curiosity and thought leadership
- Creativity
- Organizational culture
Department12 also has a collection of articles relating to various organizational psychology topics. You can also access a mini course on industrial-organizational psychology on the Department12 website.
For those interested in team coaching, the Team Coaching Zone podcast is an excellent learning tool.
You can explore 130 episodes that relate to the study and exploration of topics like:
- how to accelerate team development
- fostering leadership cultures
- how to speed up organizational change
This podcast features leaders from the world of business, from managers to executives to entrepreneurs. Each offers their unique perspective on organizational coaching.
Best of all, the topics discussed in this podcast are applicable to students and professionals alike. So, as a student today, you can use this podcast as a supplemental resource to your studies. As a professional in the future, you can still tune in and learn something new.
To learn about workplace psychology, a good podcast to add to your list is Workplace Psychology with Dr. Martha Grajdek.
This podcast dives deep into the modern workplace to examine topics related to:
- current issues in the workplace
- organizational well-being
- how to retain top talent
- the value of giving and receiving feedback
This podcast is intended to help you develop a better understanding of your role in the workplace and how you can utilize the skills you’re learning to make improvements to the way the workplace functions. Additionally, you’ll come away with:
- a greater knowledge of workplace issues
- potential solutions to workplace problems
- an improved sense of your role as an organizational psychologist
And though it isn’t just a podcast, the Great IO Get Together is a great podcast-like resource that incorporates both fun and serious topics into its once-monthly audio and video episodes.
The Great IO Get Together is designed to be a place for IO professionals, teachers, and students to come together. It’s a fantastic resource if you want to learn about all things organizational psychology.
Since podcasts can be found on both Apple and Android devices, not to mention on computers, it is a resource that can be easily utilized no matter if you’re on campus, at home, or somewhere in between.
Organizational Psychology Videos
Educational videos on the field are bountiful. Topics range from TED Talks that discuss the field from a psychologist’s perspective to professors providing their lectures online for students. It is simple to log on to the internet and find a handful of videos that will help explain a concept or theory in organizational psychology.
These videos are often offered by organizational psychologists, making them a great resource. However, students will want to check the date of the videos, as some concepts or methods may be outdated.
YouTube is, of course, an excellent source for finding organizational psychology videos. There are videos on topics related to:
- IO jobs
- discussions about advanced degrees in this field
- potential income as an organizational psychologist
This just scratches the surface, though, as you will find hundreds of videos on a wide range of topics in this field.
Again, be a good consumer of online information and take note of the source of the videos you watch. Is the channel established or brand-new? Is the person behind the channel a reliable source with verifiable credentials, or are they just a talking head? Look also at the number of likes and dislikes. This shouldn’t be the only measure by which you judge the value of a video. But generally speaking, if a lot of people dislike the video, the content is probably not worth your time.
Also check out the comments of YouTube videos that you watch. You will often find good discussions in the comments between the video creator and people that are adding to the conversation with their unique knowledge, skills, and perspectives.
Massive Open Online Courses
Massive Open Online Courses,(MOOCs), are free online courses that are delivered by colleges and universities from around the world. These courses are even offered by some of the premier educational institutions in the U.S. and abroad, including:
- Yale
- Harvard
- Oxford, and many others
The most common sites that offer MOOCs are Coursera and EdX. Both of these sites feature free and paid organizational psychology courses. Both sites also offer an array of certificates in organizational psychology.
It’s important to note that these courses and certifications do not typically lead to course credits. Therefore, these options should not be viewed as a means of earning additional college credit. Instead, MOOCs give you the opportunity to expand your learning in a very flexible, online format.
Even if you audit a course or opt for a free, rather than a paid version of a course, the readings, lectures, and other activities can prove beneficial to you as you learn about organizational psychology concepts. This is true whether you’ve just begun your exploration of organizational psychology or whether you need a quick refresher on topics you’ve studied in the past.
Why Study Organizational Psychology?
Recent studies have shown that when it comes to getting ahead in business, professionals should turn to organizational psychology to make the biggest strides. In a 2017 article in The Economist, it was noted that entrepreneurs who were taught psychology, along with organizational psychology, saw an estimated 30 percent rise in profits over those who had conventional business training. That’s not a small difference!
It should come as no surprise that organizational psychologists are encouraged to study as much as they can about their profession. Doing so will prepare you well for a successful career as a student and will lay the groundwork for building a long-lasting career as a professional in organizational psychology.
The resources listed above are great starting points for you. However, it’s important to remember that there are dozens – if not hundreds – of other excellent resources for learning about organizational psychology.
And when combined with a degree in the field, the learning materials you find online will aid you in finding the perfect spot for a career in the business world.
Sean Jackson
B.A. Social Studies Education | University of Wyoming
M.S. Counseling | University of Wyoming
B.S. Information Technology | University of Massachusetts
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