Organizational Psychology Course

Lesson 1 • Major Theoretical Frameworks

Introduces foundational theories shaping organizational behavior research. Provides the conceptual vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Defining Organizational Psychology

Clarifies scope, purpose, and boundaries of the field. Distinguishes organizational psychology from related disciplines like HR and management.

Lesson 3 • Ethics in Organizational Psychology Practice

Examines professional ethical standards and their application to research and consulting. Grounds all subsequent practice in responsible conduct.

Lesson 1 • Diversity and Individual Differences

Addresses demographic, cultural, and cognitive diversity as sources of variation in work behavior. Prepares students to manage diverse teams effectively.

Lesson 2 • Attitudes, Values, and Work Behavior

Explores how job attitudes and personal values influence organizational outcomes. Addresses attitude formation, change, and measurement.

Lesson 3 • Emotions and Emotional Regulation

Analyzes emotional experience, expression, and regulation in professional contexts. Introduces emotional labor and its consequences for well-being.

Lesson 4 • Cognitive Abilities and Decision-Making

Covers general mental ability, cognitive styles, and their role in task performance. Connects cognitive factors to training design and role assignment.

Lesson 1 • Job Design and Intrinsic Motivation

Connects job characteristics to intrinsic motivation and performance outcomes. Guides redesign of roles to enhance autonomy, variety, and meaning.

Lesson 2 • Employee Engagement Measurement

Introduces validated engagement constructs and diagnostic tools. Enables practitioners to assess and benchmark engagement levels accurately.

Lesson 3 • Content Theories of Motivation

Reviews need-based models explaining what drives employee effort. Evaluates empirical support and practical relevance of each theory.

Lesson 4 • Sustaining Motivation Over Time

Addresses motivational decline, burnout risk, and long-term engagement strategies. Integrates reward systems with psychological needs for lasting impact.

Lesson 1 • Team Processes and Collaboration

Examines communication, coordination, and cooperation mechanisms within teams. Links process quality to team performance and member satisfaction.

Lesson 2 • Conflict and Negotiation in Teams

Distinguishes functional from dysfunctional conflict and teaches resolution strategies. Prepares students to facilitate productive disagreement.

Lesson 3 • Roles, Status, and Group Structure

Analyzes how role differentiation and status hierarchies shape group behavior. Addresses role conflict, ambiguity, and their performance consequences.

Lesson 4 • Group Formation and Development

Traces group development stages and the psychological processes underlying cohesion. Provides tools to accelerate team formation and norm establishment.

Lesson 1 • Authentic and Ethical Leadership

Examines self-awareness, transparency, and moral reasoning as leadership foundations. Connects ethical leadership to follower trust and organizational integrity.

Lesson 2 • Transformational and Transactional Leadership

Contrasts transformational inspiration with transactional exchange mechanisms. Links each style to follower motivation, performance, and commitment.

Lesson 3 • Trait and Behavioral Approaches

Reviews early leadership research on traits and behavioral styles. Evaluates predictive validity and practical limitations of these models.

Lesson 4 • Contingency and Situational Models

Introduces models that match leadership style to situational demands. Teaches diagnostic skills for selecting appropriate leadership approaches.

Lesson 1 • Defining Culture and Climate

Distinguishes organizational culture from climate and clarifies their measurement approaches. Establishes conceptual precision needed for diagnosis and intervention.

Lesson 2 • Diagnosing Organizational Culture

Teaches qualitative and quantitative methods for assessing current culture. Prepares students to produce actionable culture diagnostic reports.

Lesson 3 • Culture Change Interventions

Presents evidence-based strategies for shifting culture toward desired states. Addresses resistance, leadership alignment, and sustainability of change.

Lesson 4 • Culture Typologies and Frameworks

Introduces validated frameworks for categorizing organizational cultures. Enables comparative analysis and strategic culture positioning.

Lesson 1 • Organization Development Interventions

Surveys human process, technostructural, and strategic OD interventions. Guides selection and sequencing of interventions to match organizational needs.

Lesson 2 • Diagnosing Organizations for Change

Teaches systematic organizational diagnosis using open-systems frameworks. Enables accurate identification of root causes before intervention design.

Lesson 3 • Evaluating Change Effectiveness

Introduces evaluation designs and metrics for assessing change outcomes. Closes the action research loop with rigorous impact measurement.

Lesson 4 • Resistance to Change

Analyzes individual and organizational sources of change resistance. Equips practitioners with strategies to reduce resistance and build commitment.

Lesson 1 • Communicating Findings to Stakeholders

Develops skills for presenting complex psychological data to non-specialist audiences. Covers report writing, executive briefings, and data visualization.

Lesson 2 • Building a Sustainable Practice

Addresses long-term client relationships, professional reputation, and continuous learning. Prepares students for independent or embedded consulting careers.

Lesson 3 • The Consulting Process and Contracting

Outlines the full consulting cycle from entry to exit and teaches effective contracting. Establishes professional boundaries and mutual expectations with clients.

Lesson 4 • Designing Evidence-Based Interventions

Teaches how to translate diagnostic findings into targeted, measurable interventions. Connects psychological theory to practical program design.