Before it was named, Industrial/Organizational (IO) psychology has been practiced for a long

time. However, there is not much knowledge or understanding of it, and the public tends to
misinterpret it. The article by Hechanova (2005) discusses the history of IO psychology, how
it began in the Philippines, universities that offer master's, doctoral, and graduate programs
in IO psychology, and research, practice, issues, and trends related to IO psychology.
Through this article, I have gained a greater appreciation for the professionals that have
contributed to the development of this field.
A key point of this article that piqued my interest was when the author mentioned that
research requires time for results to be generated, but organizational decisions must be
made quickly, creating a gap between academics and practitioners. The issue is similar to
one we encounter when we study psychology. Why is there no single law of psychology that
explains human behavior? In psychology, research takes time due to the multidisciplinary
nature of the field and the complexity of behavior. Those working in this field are scientists-
practitioners, but the difference between them and academics should not be a concern. My
mind opened up to the possibility that this difference is what has made IO psychology what it
is today. That is, doing the "industrial" and "organizational" parts that involve staffing and
organizational structure. Also discussed was the interface between people and technology in
IO-related functions. In light of this topic, I am concerned that future IO-related jobs and
fields such as personnel psychology, organizational psychology, and ergonomics may
disappear if workers are replaced with artificial intelligence. In addition, I learned that
Organization Development belongs to Business Administration and Related Disciplines, and
not to Social and Behavioral Sciences by CHED. It reminded me of when I enrolled in
Letran, unaware of what courses I would take. When I saw IO psychology on the curriculum
checklist for 2nd semester of my second year, I immediately realized that I would be taking a
business-related course, especially since I just graduated as an Accountancy, Business, and
Management (ABM) student. In relation to this, HR practitioners play four key roles relevant
to IO psychology, including administrative expert, employee champion, change agent, and
strategic partner, as discussed in the article under the Practice of IO Psychology in the
Philippines. Some of the mentioned roles are covered in our Organization and Management
subject in the ABM strand, which has helped me appreciate the subject more.
Identity issues also plague IO psychology. In retrospect, my brother, who had worked in
Human Resource Management for a long time, told stories about colleagues with different
degrees than expected or sometimes without one at all. During that time, I wondered what
the problem was, since it is not wrong to work without a degree. However, having read the
article, I have realized that that's not the issue, but rather its identity. As described in the
article about HR practitioners in the Philippines, conflict might arise in an organization when
an employee comes from a different background than the position they supposedly fill.
Furthermore, IO psychology was primarily concerned with organizational outcomes rather
than individual issues. It eventually grew to include many factors, integrating humanistic
psychology, to motivate and reward employees, as I have seen on numerous occasions. As
an example, my aunt used to take us on company team-building exercises and collective
vacations, which helped improve their quality of life, satisfaction with work, and productivity.
It is, however, the role that IO psychology plays in improving employee performance in
organizations, and therefore economic progress, that I find my most significant learning. I
assumed that IO psychology applies exclusively to the workplace, but it made me realize its
impact on the Philippine economy.
Having graduated from ABM stand and am currently studying IO psychology, the article
helped me reflect on my experiences and provided insight into what I will encounter in the
future.