Role of Psychology in Human Resource Management and Development

Today Human Resource has become an integral part of the corporate world. No organization can function without Human Resource. Human Resource Management is a study that has emerged from a very old concept called Personnel Management. Since the bureaucratic age of Wage Administration around 1900’s to the emergence of trade unions and subsequently, the concept of Personnel Management came into existence and this slowly gave raise to Human Resource Management. Now human Resource Management has expanded and grown into enormous proportion. The Human Resource function continues to evolve into an absolute science, with a strong influence of psychology.

Psychology plays a vital role in the beginning itself, for instance, when it comes to selection, recruiting and training employees, psychology is needed. Psychology will assist recruiters in choosing the right employee. There are many psychological tools, which will check the employees’ intelligence, his or her attitude and the way of thinking. When these factors are studied well, the organizing will end up having only the best of best employees, and eventually it will help the organization develop better. Presently there are Human Resource Development Psychologists who are ready to assist the organization to choose the right person and put him at the right place and at the right time!

There are many reasons why Human Resource Management has turned into a Psychology linked science. For instance, more and more organizations across the globe are highly dependent on skilled staff resources to function at the best level, and they also look out for higher performance. There is a huge growth in service sector in countries like India and United States. This growth of service sector has been extraordinary and it has actually overtaken the manufacturing sector by providing employment opportunities. Services like Information Technology or Information Technology enabled services, Rental, Telecom, etc., depend upon the most excellent human resources, that too the need is in large numbers. In order to make the employees grow, get motivated to take up challenging tasks, the management needs to know the in depth study of human psychology.

Organizations always expect good performances and modern organizations are highly developed and they have implemented complicated and advanced tools in order to study an individual’s and the team performance. Tools such as Development Centre are all time popular where teams and individuals are given mock assignments and tests to handle various issues that will consequently show their weaknesses, strengths and the areas where the team and the individual needs to develop and improve. Hence, in order to do this, psychology is required. It will definitely help the organization to understand the employees and motivate them.

A major problem that affects organizations is the stress and pressure that falls on the employees, often many are forced to work late, and it has an adverse effect on the employees’ health. Here is where psychology comes to the rescue, psychologists can offer counseling and help staffs to adjust to the changes and the new environment. Hence, psychology helps the organization and the employees face challenges and keeping work life smooth.