A psychologist's take on world events, life, happiness and the human condition
Organisational Psychology is a specialised field of professional psychology that seeks to optimise human performance in the workplace. I call it fancy Human Resources.
Because this is my primary field of work, you’ll find an increasing number of articles on Shrink Wrap with this tag (or its synonym Workplace Psychology) below.
The field embraces topics such as psychometrics (measuring human traits and predicting behaviour), executive coaching and performance, recruitment technologies and processes, stress resolution, organisational culture, and behavioural problem-solving.
The field goes by a multitude of alternative names. Don’t be confused because they are essentially the same thing, though some may have slightly different qualification requirements depending where you live:
To see what kinds of services these Psychologists provide, check out the Insight Matters web site.
Or if you are in more of a bloggy mood, keep reading here…
Working with family can be hard. Dysfunctional dynamics transfer from home to the workplace, making life more stressful than it needs to be and threatening the success of the business. This post is the ultimate guide to understanding what’s up with your sibling relationships and what to do about it.
(HINT: This is really for anyone who has difficulty with their adult brothers or sisters – you don’t have to be working with them.) Read more…
The Bank of Queensland have been talking with me recently about the unique stresses of owning a small or medium business, and what to do about them.
They commissioned research into this topic, resulting in the fascinating Business Balance Report. It reveals shockingly high levels of depression, anxiety and stress among Australian business owners.
So I gave them some tips for staying sane and happy while running a business. Read more…
I was on the radio today, discussing the citizenship test with presenter Thomas Oriti. Does it really predict anything about a person’s values? Is it useful?
We also talked about the use of psychometrics in the business world, and how that kind of testing differs.
Having the radio or TV on in the background drives me bat-poop crazy. Fortunately, I and my other half have evolved a reliable arrangement that includes volume controls and a rather spiffy wireless headset. (For him, not me.)
It wasn’t always this way. As in any relationship, the compromises of cohabitation are negotiated and whittled over time. Working from a nice open-plan home much of the time, at first I found myself frustratingly unproductive. I had discovered the inherent incompatibility between the analytical nature of my business consulting and writing work, and sharing space with a stimulation-craving extrovert. Read more…
If the US presidency were a regular job, Psychologists would draw up selection criteria and candidates would be screened for stability and competence.
How might the world look if more leaders were earnest public servants instead of unstable egoists and sociopaths?
Does this remind you of anyone? Superficially charming, even warm. Extreme intimidation of others. Manipulative and controlling. Bad tempered. Self-obsessed. Lacking remorse.
Then you may be working with a corporate psychopath. Contrary to popular understanding, psychopathology is not always about murderousness. It’s defined broadly as …
And there’s a surprising amount of it about. One woman in 200 is classifiable as a psychopath, as is one man in 80. Chances are, you have a psychopath in your building. Read more…