
The subject of work, organizational and business psychology (AOW) is human behaviour and experience in economic and organizational contexts. The primary focus here is on the causes and effects of action and decision-making processes, taking into account emotional, cognitive and motivational influences in the workplace, in teams and entire organizations, as well as in markets and media contexts. AOW psychology is an integrative and interdisciplinary field that transfers findings from basic psychological research to phenomena in the world of work and business, develops its own models and theories to explain such phenomena and shapes the transfer to other disciplines such as human resource management, marketing and occupational science and medicine. Finally, AOW psychology generates practical solutions for current issues and problems in the world of work and business on the basis of scientific findings.
The three main task and service areas of the chair include research, teaching and practice.
Within the scope of our research we deal with the subject areas of team management and development, prevention of stress and strain, as well as processes of motivation and self-management.
In particular, these areas involve :
- the analysis of the dynamics of regulatory performance processes within organizational units,
- analysing intra-individual processes of coping with stress
- analysing individual mechanisms of autonomous self-regulation and voluntary self-control.
We apply various research methods from experimental and field research. In the course of our research, we pick up on current trends - such as digitalisation - in order to address current issues in the modern world of work and business.
Our claim in the teaching is to provide students with the theoretical tools they need to be prepared for tasks such as personnel diagnostics, work analysis and design, leadership and personnel development. To this end, we regularly offer a wide range of courses in various modules and degree programmes that delve deeper into the central topics of organizational, personnel and occupational psychology. We also offer students the opportunity to write seminar papers and dissertations at our department. In our seminars, for example, selected relevant aspects of market and advertising psychology or personnel development and diagnostics are discussed in an application-orientated manner.
Last but not least, at our chair we pursue the goal of applying the findings from (business) psychological research to the challenges of the world of work and business in a targeted manner. The focus here is on practice and transfer are the focus here. Together with various practice partners potential for improvement or demonstrate solution-orientated approaches that have proven effective in research. Among other things, we carry out comprehensive risk assessments in companies, support organizations in the development of their occupational health management or develop and evaluate concepts for personnel diagnostics and development.