About IWP - History & Aims
Our History
The Institute has a strong history of fruitful collaboration with organizations, having commenced as the Social and Applied Psychology Unit in 1968. The earlier Unit was financed by government research councils and departments, whereas the Institute of Work Psychology (created in 1994) receives core funding from the University of Sheffield. Funds for specific projects are provided by private and public organisations, research institutions, and from international collaborations.
Key aims
- Advance knowledge about the causes of individual, team and organizational effectiveness at work.
- Increase understanding of the well-being of people at work.
- Advance knowledge about innovation and creativity at work.
- Disseminate this knowledge in the scientific community, in the workplace and in the wider public domain.
- Design, implement and evaluate methods of promoting effectiveness, innovation and well-being at work.
- Develop staff and students to high levels of expertise in work psychology.
Research Aims
The aim of the Institute´s research programme is to combine scientific quality with practical relevance.
In scientific terms the emphasis is on developing and testing theory about the effects of work on employee well-being and performance, and doing so using rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods, with particular emphasis being placed on the use of longitudinal and change studies.
Collaborations
As well as drawing upon a range of sub-disciplines of psychology, work is conducted in collaboration with other disciplines appropriate to the topic under investigation such as:
- Engineering
- Medicine
- Economics
- Management
Practical relevance is ensured by focusing research on work practices and issues of contemporary and emerging significance, and conducting empirical studies within and in collaboration with industrial, commercial and public organisations.
Research projects
The Institute has contributed to core areas of work psychology and related areas including:
- Job redesign
- Training and learning
- Teamworking
- Emotional labour
- Job stress
- Knowledge capture
- New forms of work
- Human resource systems