Business Psychology

Course Overview

The course of Business and Organizational Psychology aims to introduce students to the psychological aspect of an organization. Students will be acquainted with the key concepts, theories, and substantive issues relevant to the study of business and organizational psychology and the understanding of organizational behavior. The course starts with an explanation of the main pillars of psychology and how they are translated into the organizational setting. Organizations are dynamic systems of interacting entities at the individual, group, and organizational levels. The course has been designed to include latest research findings as well as the theories of psychology, with an emphasis on developing an integrative perspective for studying substantive phenomena in organizational psychology and behavior.

Learning Outcomes

The course will offer students the necessary knowledge to understand organizational behavior and dynamics. By the end of this course students should be able to identify the core concepts of psychology applied in business and organizations.

With the completion of this course students are expected to:

  1. Understand fundamental principles, concepts of business and organizational psychology.
  2. Learn the main theories of psychology that apply in the organizational setting.
  3. Understand human motivation and emotions and their role in career success.
  4. Learn about job satisfaction, work-life balance, stress, and well-being in the workplace.
  5. Learn about the theories of leadership and how they can impact the success of an organization.
  6. Get acquainted with the principles of social psychology, persuasion, and communication techniques used in the organizational settings.
  7. Describe the different methods industrial organizational psychologists use in applied and research settings.
  8. Transfer knowledge and apply business and organizational psychology principles to real-life scenarios arising in the workplace.

Course Content

This course will introduce the basic principles and theories of psychology that apply in the organization. Principles of differential psychology, such as intelligence, motivation, stress, emotions, empathy, etc., are presented in this course. Furthermore, theories of leadership, persuasion, job satisfaction, and well-being are also introduced in this course.

In more details the topics covered in this course are listed below:

  1. Introduction to the science of psychology and the schools of psychological thought.
  2. Business and organizational psychology and the differences to HR management. What do business and organizational psychologists do?
  3. The study of personality and the connection between personality and career success.
  4. Intelligence types and the workplace.
  5. Motivation and emotions in business psychology.
  6. The emerging role of emotions in work life.
  7. Influencing organizational behavior through the application of learning theories.
  8. Cognitive dissonance theory in management.
  9. Theories of leadership and persuasion.
  10. Equality theory as a counterbalance to equity theory in organizational psychology.
  11. Neurodivergence, workplace prejudice and discrimination toward individuals with mental illnesses.
  12. Team dynamics and team building in the workplace.

Instructional Method

The course will include lectures, where the professor will explain the new concepts and introduce the theoretical background and empirical approaches in the field of market research and consumer behavior. Seminars will be organized for students to discuss the concepts and brainstorm ideas. During the seminars case studies, group projects and presentations will be integrated, where students can apply the knowledge presented in the lectures.

Required Course Materials

  1. McKenna, E. (2020), Business Psychology and Organizational Behaviour. Ed. 6. Routledge, Teylor and Francis Group, London and New York
  2. Zacher, H. Lehmann-Willenbrock, N. et.al. (2022), Work, Organizational, and Business Psychology: An Introductory Textbook, W. Kohlhammer GmbH

Assessment

Evaluation will be based on the students´ performance during the whole time of the course. Students will work on group projects that will be assessed in conference-like presentations. Students will receive verbal feedback from the professor and the other participants in the course. Written feedback will be given to students in submitted works and essays. A final project will serve as a final exam for the successful completion of the course.