Chapter 12

Learning Objectives 

After reading this chapter, one should be able to answer the following questions:    

1. In what ways are organizational psychology and community psychology alike, and in what ways are they different?  
2. How do organizational culture and organizational citizenship relate to people’s experiences within an organization?  
3. What is thriving, and what helps people to feel this? 
4. What are some of the reasons for organizational change?  
5. What are different forms of leadership and how do they affect an organization?  
6. How might Psychological Safety be used in community psychology interventions?   

Test your knowledge of this chapter with this quiz!  

Question 1

Organizational psychology researchers differ in the following ways from community psychology researchers.

Use of an ecological model

Interventions at multiple levels

Examination of both mechanisms and processes

None of the above

None

Question 2

Role ambiguity at work occurs when

one’s roles are unclear.

one’s roles conflict.

there is too much to do.

All of these create role ambiguity.

None

Question 3

Meta analysis of stress management programs and flexible work arrangements found them to be

Effective

Ineffective

Most effective for women but not men

Less effective for women but not men

None

Question 4

Which of the following has not been incorporated into stress management programs at some point?

Exercise

Meditation

Relaxation techniques

Choral singing

None

Question 5

A likely consequence of burnout is

being cynical about clients and customers.

a low sense of accomplishment.

feeling drained and exhausted.

All of the above

None

Question 6

What factor appears to play a large role in determining whether individuals in an organization experience burnout?

Pay scales

Fairness

Gender

Rules and regulations

None

Question 7

Interactional justice in the workplace consists of all of the following, but NOT

Respect

Honesty

Competitiveness

Propriety

None

Question 8

What features of an organization inspire empowerment within it?

An accessible opportunity structure

A peer-based support system

A sense of community

All of the above

None

Question 9

Flexible work conditions have:

Been explored for all types of work

Focused on highly skilled professional workers

Been mostly used for trade craft positions

Both b and c

None

Question 10

The concept of psychological safety is:

When a worker perceives that taking risks does not put them in danger

Related to being more engaged in work

More stress at work

Both a and b

None

Question 11

Meta analysis showed flexible programs (hours, telecommuting) led to:

More absenteeism

Better pay for employees

Better health and job satisfactoion

All of the above

None

Time’s up

Study Questions 

1. How might the work on organizational culture and on thriving and stress be related to each other?  
2. What are some of the paths to good citizenship and how is it of benefit to the organization?  
3. What is psychological safety and how does it relate to workplace outcomes?  What more could one ask related to psychological safety? 
4. Using some of the findings presented in this chapter, what would you recommend to an organization working on change?   

Additional Resources 

• Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) ‘SIOP Conversation Series’ on various topics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0mm0IF-EHQ&list=PLKSlc2ksqN2pHS45BPV3m2GfFvzVJYUgG 
• Burnout in the land of work-life balance (BBC video, 2022): https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p07hvtxd/burnout-in-the-land-of-work-life-balance  
• Burnout with Dr. Christina Maslach (University of Minnesota Extension): https://extension.umn.edu/two-you-video-series/burnout-dr-christina-maslach 
• “Locked Out in America: Voices from Ravenswood (1995): https://californiarevealed.org/do/a44a3f1f-2b6b-4dff-abfb-77d82e161b35