Work Psychology

The general aim of this course is that the students get the basic knowledge on the behaviour and the psychological experiences of employees in work contexts from an individual, group, and organization perspective. The main goal of the course is to acquire the competences to perform psychosocial interventions in real working settings.

UNIT 1. INTRODUCTION TO WORK PSYCHOLOGY
1.1. Conceptual delimitation of Work Psychology
- Brief historical development of Work Psychology
- What is Work Psychology?
- Content areas of the discipline.
- Relationship of Work Psychology with other disciplines.
1.2 A model of behavior at work (Individual, group and organizational level)
- Dependent variables in the PT model (Performance, Absenteeism, Turnover, Job satisfaction, Counterproductive behaviors).
- Independent variables in the PT model (individual, group and organization)

UNIT 2. JOBS AND OCCUPATIONS
- Positions, Jobs and Occupations: Concepts
- Elements and uses of Job Analysis
- Task characteristics (Variety, identity, Importance, Work and social feedback, and social contact)
- Occupational competencies and professional qualifications
- Classifications of Occupations and Occupational Dictionaries.
- O*NET Dictionary: Structure and characteristics; Functions; Socioeconomic and occupants data.


UNIT 3. RESEARCH METHODS IN WORK PSYCHOLOGY
- Behavior at organizations.
- Types of knowledge: Tenacity, intuition, authority, experience, rationalism and science.
- Scientific method and the study of individuals, groups and organizations.
- Characteristics and elements of scientific research.
- Evaluation of research in Work Psychology.
- The research design (Experimental, quasi-experimental and correlational).
- Experiments in research (laboratory, case study and field study)


UNIT 4. MEASUREMENT AND ASSESSMENT IN WORK PSYCHOLOGY
4.1 Basic measurement concepts
- Continuous and discontinuous variables
- Measurement scales (nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio)
- Observed measurements and true measurements
- Measurement errors: random and systematic
- Central tendency and variation statistics.
- Direct, typical and transformed scores
4.2 Evaluation
- Predictors and criteria
- Reliability (Internal consistency, stability, equivalence and agreement between raters.
- Reliability estimators: Spearman-Brown, Cronbach's alpha and Küder-Richardson.
- Validity (of content, construct and criterion)
- Validity estimators: Covariance and Pearson Correlation.


UNIT 5. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN WORK PSYCHOLOGY
- Individual differences at work
- General cognitive ability
- Specific cognitive abilities
- Measurement of cognitive ability
- Cognitive ability and job performance
- The normal personality: The traits
- The model of the five big factors (The Big Five)
- Personality and work success
- Personality measurement
- Vocational interests (Holland Model).


UNIT 6. METHODS AND TECHNIQUES FOR DATA AND INFORMATION COLLECTION
6.1 Organizational Surveys
- Concept and organizational uses
- The survey team and the declaration of objectives
- Types of surveys
- Formats of questions and answers
- Responses' biases
- Survey application modalities
- Preparing the survey administration: presentation, authorizations, instructions, pilot testing, response rate, follow-up
6.2 Focus Groups
- Concept and characteristics
- Procedure: planning and content, recruitment phase, moderation phase, analysis and final report
- Advantages and disadvantages
6.3 Meta-analysis
- Concept and characteristics.
- Phases in the development of a meta-analysis: problem formulation, data collection, data evaluation, analysis and interpretation of results, communication of results
- Advantages and limitations of meta-analysis.

UNIT 7. WORK MOTIVATION
7.1 Motivation: Concept and components
7.2 The motivational process
7.3 Theories of the content of Motivation:
- Maslow's Theory of of Needs
- Alderfer's ERG Theory
- McClelland's Theory of Social Motivations
- Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory
7.4 Theories of the process of Motivation
- Vroom's Expectancy Theory
- Locke's Goal Setting Theory
7.5 Measurement of work motivation

UNIT 8. ATTITUDES AND VALUES
8.1 Attitudes
- Concept and components
- Theory of Planned Behavior
- Functions of attitudes
- Attitude modification: barriers and modification strategies
- Attitudes and consistency: cognitive dissonance theory
- Attitudes and work
8.2 Values
- Concept and characteristics
- Universal values
- Instrumental and terminal values
- Hofstede's Model (dimensions of national culture)
- Importance of values in the organizational context
- Values: personal-job fit and person-organization fit

UNIT 9. JOB SATISFACTION AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT
9.1 Job satisfaction
- Concept and approaches
- Facets of job satisfaction
- Measurement of job satisfaction
- Job satisfaction antecedents: job characteristics and personal characteristics
- Job satisfaction as a predictor: satisfaction and its relationship with absenteeism, turnover, and job performance
- Responses to job dissatisfaction
9.2 Organizational commitment
- Concept and characteristics
- Components of organizational commitment
- Related concepts: occupational commitment and job embeddedness
- Measurement of organizational commitment
- Organizational commitment as a criterion variable
- Organizational commitment as a predictor variable
9.3 The relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment

UNIT 10. EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT
- Employment from a psychological perspective
- Instrumental functions of employment
- Latent functions of employment
- Psychological effects of unemployment
- Moderating variables of the effects of unemployment
- Psychological theories of unemployment: Theories of the Phases or Stages, Jahoda's Functionalist Approach, Agency Theory, Vitamin Model, Differential Psychology Model of Unemployment

UNIT 11. TELEWORKING
- Definitions, Background, and Elements of Teleworking.
- Advantages and disadvantages of teleworking.
- Types of telework and teleworkers' profiles
- Risks in teleworking
- Telework and Job Performance

- Aamodt, M.G. (2010). Evaluación y análisis de puesto. En Psicología Industrial/Organizacional (6ª ed.),(pp. 33-74). México DF, México: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

- Alcover, C.M., Martínez, D. y Rodríguez, F. y Domínguez, R. (2004). Introducción a la Psicología del Trabajo. Madrid: McGraw Hill.

- Chiavenato, I. (2011). Administración de recursos humanos: el capital humano de las organizaciones. México: McGraw-Hill.

- Gibson, Ivancevich, Donnelly y Konopaske (2006). Organizaciones: comportamiento, estructura, procesos. México: McGraw Hill.

- Gil F y Alcover C.M (2003). Introducción a la Psicología de las Organizaciones. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.

- Gómez Mejía, Balkin y Cardy (2008). Gestión de Recursos Humanos. Madrid: Pearson-Prentice Hall.

- Kaplan, R.M. y Saccuzzo (2006). Pruebas psicológicas. Principios, aplicaciones y temas. México: Thomson.

- Landy, F. J y Conte, J.M. (2005). Psicología industrial. México : McGraw Hill.

- Luthans, F. (2008). Comportamiento organizacional. México: McGrawHill.

- Martín Quirós, MA. (2009). Psicología del Trabajo, de las Organizaciones y de los Recursos Humanos: un área abierta a la reflexión. Madrid: Pirámide.

- Martínez, D. y Rodríguez, F. (2008). Métodos de investigación en Psicología de las Organizaciones. En F. Gil y C.M. Alcover, Introducción a la Psicología de las Organizaciones. Madrid: Alianza Editorial, pp. 109 – 134.

- Moscoso S. y Salgado, J. (2002). Análisis del puesto y ocupaciones: Métodos y Técnicas. En L. Sobrado Fernández Orientación profesional: Diagnóstico e inserción sociolaboral. Barcelona

-Muchinsky, P.M. (2004). Psicología Aplicada al Trabajo. Madrid: Paraninfo-Thomson Learning.

-Newstrom, J. (2007). Comportamiento humano en el trabajo. México: McGrawHill

-Osca, A. (2006). Selección, evaluación y desarrollo de los Recursos Humanos. Madrid: Diaz de Santos.

-Pereda Martín, S. (2008). Psicología del Trabajo: Teoría y práctica. Madrid: Síntesis.

- Robbins, S.P. (2004). Fundamentos de comportamiento organizacional. México: Prentice Hall.

- Spector, P. (2002). Psicología Industrial y Organizacional. Investigación y práctica. México: Manual Moderno

1. Competences and learning results that students are expected to acquire:
1.1. Knowing how to apply techniques and and how to take decisions in the area of the management of human resources and organizational development

2. List of competences that are expected to be improved with the course:
2.1 To work individually and in teams
2.2. To locate, to analyze, systematize, and manage different sources and types of information.
2.3 Autonomous learning
2.4 To work and to have relations with the others, respecting the basic procedure of coexistence, the basic rights, and democratic values

3. Specific competences of the course
Once the course finishes, students should be able to exhibit a series of competences/skills/basic abilities (at a non-specialized level) that are required for:
3.1. Identifying and understanding the importance of the human factor at work.
3.2. Knowing how to apply some of the main methods, techniques, tools, strategies, and assessment procedures of the human behavior at work.
3.3. Developing communication skills (oral/written, verbal, non-verbal etc)
3.4. Showing a positive attitude towards the contributions that the discipline of work psychology can make to the achievement of individual and organizational goals.
3.5. Guiding their professional career with respect and consideration to the principles and values of the Work Psychology and the Deontological Ethics of the career.

Both lectures and practical sessions are oriented towards the training of students in the acquisition of knowledge related to the content of the course. To achieve this goal, in the lectures, the teacher will explain various topics using audio-visual materials and ICT tools. The practical sessions will consist of: (1) working with case analyses and simulations to apply the concepts that were learned in lectures and to acquire specific competencies that are necessary to pass the course; (2) working in small groups with dynamics where, in addition to developing specific competencies directly related to the content of the course, students will practice oral communication skills. In addition, students will have to read some mandatory documents (i.e., scientific papers or similar).
Continuous assessment and practical sessions allow students to get information on their performance. Studets can also set individual meetings with the teachers of the course, who will provide ongoing feedback on their progress throughout the course, regarding their acquisition of competencies related to knowledge, techniques, and attitudes. Examinations will assess the level of knowledge acquisition by each student regarding the contents of the units described in the program of the course.

Additionally, students will have access to an e-classroom for support in on-site teaching of the Psychology of Work subject via the Virtual Campus of the USC. This e-classroom will provide numerous tools facilitating various types of alternative activities related to teaching, group work, or personalized tutorials (such as virtual workgroups, online tutorials, debate forums, etc.).

Attendance at the expository and interactive sessions is MANDATORY, except for justified reasons. Each absence from the expository sessions will be penalized with 0.1 points in the final grade of the expository part (max. 3 points) and the absence from each interactive session will be valued with 0 points in the work or project of that interactive session.

The evaluation of the specific competencies of the subject that are more related to the acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge will be carried out through the final exam and/or partial exams that will be worth 70% of the final grade. The exam will have two parts, a larger part with multiple choice questions and a smaller part with essay-type questions (statistics exercises, developing content, etc.).

The evaluation of both specific competencies and those related to the degree will be done based on the students' performance in each of the interactive activities (individual and group projects, case analysis, assignments, readings, etc.). This part will be worth 30%. In case of lack of attendance at the interactive sessions, the activity carried out will be valued with 0 points.

The final grade will be obtained from the weighted average of the expository part plus the interactive part, with a minimum of 5 points in each part.

Students who are granted exemption from attendance, following Instruction No. 1/2017 of the General Secretariat on exemption from class attendance in certain circumstances, will be evaluated with a final exam, which will account for 70% of the final grade, and with the evaluation of the exercises, reports, etc. referring to program topics, which will account for 30% of the final grade. The final grade will be obtained from the weighted average of the expository part plus the interactive part; Passing the subject implies having obtained at least 5 points out of 10 in both parts.

It is estimated that students will need 150 hours of work of personal study. Distributed among personal study, accomplishment of individual works or in groups, preparation of presentations and readings.

Students will have to take the subject up to date; both referring to exhibition classes and practices so it deals with a yearly subject with a wide syllabus.

Plagiarism and misuse of technologies:
The fraudulent completion of any exam, exercises, reports, etc., either in whole or in part, that may be subject to evaluation for the course will result in a failing grade for the current course, in accordance with Article 16 outlined in the "Regulation on the evaluation of students' academic performance and review of qualifications."

The use of mobile phones, as well as any other electronic device (tablets, laptops, headphones, etc.) is PROHIBITED in class sessions, unless the teacher suggests the use of an electronic device to carry out an activity.