Organisational Psychology/ Organisational Behaviour  MSc

By the end of this module you will understand assessment in the context of organisational selection.

The module will cover:

• Psychological theories and the evidence base for employee selection assessment, including validity, reliability, utility and fairness
• Job analysis techniques
• Methods of selection assessment, including interviews, psychometric and situational judgement tests, assessment centres and personality assessment
• Fairness and diversity
• Applicant reactions to selection assessment.

You will develop practitioner skills necessary for working in a recruitment or selection setting, including analytical, consultancy, communication and team working skills.

Skills development sessions include: conducting a job analysis; interviewing skills; conducting assessments using the "ORCE" model; and practical case-studies designed to develop and review selection processes.

You will study the theoretical and practical perspectives on appraisal for performance and the working relationships between individuals, groups and employers. The module draws on key theories of motivation, conflict and group processes at work.

You will cover:

• Performance appraisals, including 360
• Diversity and employee relations
• Motivation and reward systems
• The psychological contract
• Conflict and bullying in the workplace

Skills development sessions include: peer-group presentations; analysis of appraisal systems (case study); debating sessions (to encourage critical thinking); and evaluation of interventions.

In this module you will:

• Learn about theories of occupational choice and methods designed to help employees plan and manage their careers effectively
• Understand coaching psychology models, drawing on evidence based practice, along with ethical considerations, and evaluation
• Be introduced to the practicalities of conducting research in organisations, focusing on the issues faced by researchers in applied settings. This part of the module is designed to introduce you to what will be required of you in your research dissertation.

Skills development opportunities include: assessment of ethical dilemmas commonly faced by practitioners and evaluation of theories and career guidance interventions; coaching skills, using models such as the GROW and SPACE; content and template analysis workshops; interviewing and facilitation skills.

You will review theories and techniques of training and organisational development and change. The module covers a range of topics including: training needs analysis; training design and evaluation; leadership; organisational culture; power and politics at work; implementing change; and team working and group dynamics.

Skills development includes: undertaking training needs analysis; training design and training evaluation; evaluating change interventions; identification of of tools available for use as an organisational change and development practitioner.

This module is composed of a series of 'hands-on' workshops designed to introduce you to practical skills that are used by occupational psychologists and HR consultants.

Visiting lecturers are drawn from industry and have extensive experience working with public and private sector organisations.

You will learn about the professional ethics and responsibilities that come with practising organisational psychology in the workplace.

The module is an opportunity to apply the theoretical element of the course in organisational settings and expand your professional networks.

This module introduces you to the field of occupational health psychology. The module focuses particularly on promoting psychological health in the workplace, and considers the role of the individual employee in the stress and coping process.

The module begins by outlining the important role of psychological well-being in all areas of working life, and considers some core constructs and theories in this field of study. The second half of the module focuses on employee-focused interventions designed to improve psychological well-being, including: the latest generation of cognitive-behavioural therapies (CBTs); mindfulness training; workplace counselling; and workplace interventions stemming from the positive psychology movement. Attention is also paid to the ethical and practical issues associated with promoting mental health in the workplace.

You will develop skills in how to measure employees' psychological well-being and how to communicate the importance of employee well-being to organisations. You will also get the opportunity to practise various mental health promoting approaches such as mindfulness, behavioural activation, and cognitive reappraisal.

This module will give you practical knowledge of both quantitative and qualitative data analytic techniques. For the quantitative component, lectures will cover a range of univariate and multivariate analyses. For the qualitative component, you will be exposed to IPA, thematic and discourse analysis. This module has a practical component including two SPSS workshops to help enhance your understanding of statistical output.

You will learn how to perform the following analyses on SPSS:

• Statistical concepts such as sampling distributions and significance testing
• Analysis of variance (ANOVA), analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA)
• Uses and interpretation of multiple regression
• The principles and practice of questionnaire design and factor analysis.

You will examine various topics related to the design of work and work systems. The module includes lectures on the principles and practices of user-centred design and the field of human-computer interaction (HCI). Other lectures cover the topic of shift working, and the challenge of encouraging sustainable (i.e. environmentally friendly) behaviour in the workplace. The module also includes a series of lectures examining links between work design, stress, and physical health. These lectures focus particularly on two prominent models of work-related stress, the links between work design and cardiovascular health, and also evidence of the impact of economic recession and redundancy on people's psychological well-being.

You will learn how to apply the principles of user-centred design to real-world design issues and have the opportunity to practice designing the most optimal shift systems. You will also be provided with unique insight into the facilitation stance and skills required for implementing participative work redesign interventions.

You are required to submit a dissertation. Work on your dissertation will start in term two with a research methods seminar which will help you develop the necessary skills for undertaking independent research.

You will choose a topic under the guidance of a project supervisor. You will conduct empirical research in your chosen area, which will involve gaining access, collecting and analysing data and submit a 10-13,000 word dissertation. In the summer term, you will work full-time on completing your final dissertation.