Organizational Psychology

First half of the year 2014 was full of events significant for organizational psychology in general as well as for our journal. Probably the most pleasant of these events were the extension of our editorial staff  and the publication of special issue devoted to the development of "Coach" professional standard.

The importance of the so-called “war for talent” which started in the mid-1990s as a response to postindustrial development and increasing the role of human capital are demonstrated. The concepts of“giftedness” and “talent” are revealed in two paradigms – the psychological and management. Ambiguous interpretation of the concept of talent is regarded as one of difficulties of implementation the talent management technology in the Russian organizations. The representations of the talent from the perspective of stakeholders were analyzed on the materials of expert interviews (N = 44) which represented the following types of organizations: government affiliated organizations (N = 7), business (N = 20), education andscience (N = 10) and researchers of giftedness and talent (N = 7). The data allowed to share talent characteristics(n = 95) firstly in two categories – psychological (n = 48) and social aspects (n = 47). Each of themhas been divided to four headings: innate abilities (n = 9), creative approach (n = 9), communication and leadership (n = 7), motivation and activity (N = 23) in the first category and the eligibility, selection (n = 5), scope (n = 15), the potential (n = 14) and achievements (n = 13) in the second. Obtained talent profiles differ as follows. Government affiliated organizations pay attention primarily on the scope of talent (as faras it has priority at the moment) and its communication quality. The most important points for business organizations are motivation and activity, which should lead to the desired results and products for the company. Representatives of education and science see talent in self-realization in the achievements based on creative abilities. Experts in each of these categories often crafted those characteristics of talent that are more meaningful in terms of their tactic with young talents.

The article is one of the two devoted to creating and applying in practice of individual technologies of increasing personal efficiency of heads and corporate technologies of increasing efficiency of business interactions in the organization, relating to the category of “time-management”. In contrast with time-management technologies, based on a paradigm of managing tasks in time, these technologies are based on the paradigm of Time Mentality — management of relations “to time” and “with time”. The aim of the article is to analyse both of these approaches from the point of the main management task — to have things done before the deadline on a minimal price value. Principles of building technologies and specific examples of these technologies based on counsulting and training experience of authors are described. In this first article the individual technologies of increasing of personal efficiency and efficiency of business interactions, created by concrete heads of business attuned to “themselves”, “their specific features” are described in detail. These technologies are based on understanding of “relations with time and to time” of basic psycho-types on MBTI. The work has practical value of a double kind. The authors formulated method and approach of development of specific psycho-technics of increasing personal efficiency of clients which will be valuable for consultants, coaches and business trainers. For the “users” are valuable “preciseness” of created technologies, in accord with their “mentality”, their compliance with their specific features and thereof, easy applicability in practice.

Opportunities and specifics of application of the Person-Centered Approach (PCA) to the organizational relations and development are discussed in article. The article represents compilation of the program articles "Differences" and “The Strategic Future of the PCA” and descriptions of four person-centered skills. A careful analysis of differences between the Client-Centered psychotherapy, as a private model of the constructive helping relationships, and the Person-Centered Approach, as a general model for all everyday relationships, is carried out. It is emphasized, that in the everyday relationships the Person-Centered skills are used on the basis of a free choice in interests of the Self; the Person-Centered skills are a tool set, not a set of values, obligatory/imperative for use. It is specified that application of this approach to the organizational relations and development brings essential effect in the form of growth of productivity of the organization ("any work is carried out by means of the relations") and in satisfactions with the relationships of employees. It is claimed that as soon as  business is the dominating institution of  modern civilization, creating significant social changes, there is an opportunity to influence these changes through application of the Person-Centered approach to organizational development. It is informed that ‘Pajaro Group’ is created – the international group of the specialists applying PCA in organizations, which pursues the aim of introduction of critical mass of PCA in business for such influence. It is strategically important in information age, which is characterized by «high tech” and “high touch”.  In the provided descriptions of the Person-Centered skills their purposes, nuances of application and effects are specified, and also the algorithm of their application in everyday -- including – business -- relations is described.

Since the United Nations began in 1945, it has reached out to experts in many fields, and in many parts of the world, to cooperate in its global work. Our field of organizational psychologyhas an important role to play at the United Nations, but this has begun only recently, in the past few years. This report offers a concise picture of I-O psychology at the United Nations today, and ways that I-O psychologists in the USA and other nations may learn more details on this.

This survey was conducted at the study of the social-psychological characteristics ofpeople with the intention of starting business. The study included respondents from Central and North Caucasus regions. The study puts forward two hypotheses: (1) individual social capital mediates the emergence of intention to start own business; (2) dominance of individual values as «Independence of acts», «Achievements» and «Stimulations» over «Call of duty», «Interpersonalconformity» and «Modesty» is associated with intentions to start own business. Both research hypotheses were confirmed. It was shown that individual social capital affects the appearance of the intention to start a business. In addition, people who intend to start their own business are identified by high values such as «Independent actions», «Achievements» and «Stimulation», while the respondents do not intend to open a business indicates the priority such values as «Callof duty», «Interpersonal conformity» and «Modesty». Economic views, also has an impact on the occurrence of intent to start a business. Respondents intending to go into business are more inclined to «saving behavior» and are more loyal to credit; they are more prone to risks. In addition,respondents intending to open a business more often agree with the fact that their life dependson them, thus confirming the data on differences in their values. Namely, individuals with the intention of starting business more focusing on «Independent actions» and «Achievements» more than those who did not intend to open business. In further studies, it would be interesting to see which of the respondents actually managed to open their own business, and then identify the social-psychological characteristics, which are allowing not only being intent for starting business but also transforming this intent in the real life.

The authors share their impressions of the conference dedicated to the anniversary of Carl Rogers, one of the brightest representatives of humanistic psychology (January 2014, San Diego, USA), to which they had visited. Particular emphasis is placed on the report conspicuously present organizational-psychological problems in the activities of this conference, as well as in the activities of the Center for Studies of the Person, which was based by K. Rogers in the 70-ies of the last century. Then the text of an interview with one of the companions, and at the same time – a serious opponent – of C. Rogers, Ernest Meadows, which has been practiced the Person-Centered Approach (PCA) for several decades to working with business organizations.

The report describes the V International scientific and practical conference “OrganizationalPsychology: people and risks”, held 29–31 May 2014 at the Faculty of Psychology of the National Research Saratov State University N.G. Chernyshevsky. The author notes the increased interest in the conference, not only in Russia but also abroad. The total number of ten sectionsand a large poster session was attended by over 240 people. 108 researchers made oral presentations. Traditional organizational psychology problems – organizational change, organizational culture, psychology of personnel management, training in organization, and many others – were considered in connection with and in the context of research in the field of health psychology, neuropsychology, psychology of law, pedagogy, cognitive psychology, psychophysiology, physics, philosophy, cultural studies, etc.

Review of the textbook by T.Yu. Bazarov “Psihologija upravlenija personalom. Teorija ipraktika: uchebnik dlja bakalavrov” [Psychology of Personnel Management. Theory and practice]. Moscow: Urait, 2014.
ISBN 978-5-9916-3302-4.