PSBA030 Introduction to Work and Organizational Psychology

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Jana Dundelová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Jana Dundelová, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Kateřina Šefčíková
Supplier department: Department of Psychology – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Wed 10:00–11:40 B2.13, except Mon 20. 4. to Fri 24. 4.
Prerequisites (in Czech)
PSBA007 General Psychology II && PSBA013 Social Psychology I && PSBA014 Psychology of Personality I
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Abstract

The main objectives of the course are: 1. obtaining a basic overview of the possibilities of using knowledge from psychology in the work environment 2. understanding the main problem areas in the field of management, HR and personnel management from the perspective of an occupational psychologist.

Learning outcomes
Main objectives can be summarized as follows:
  • critically evaluate historical management systems, judge their advantages and disadvantages and apply partial managment approaches in contemporary organisations;
  • on the basis of gained information assess the degree of work related stress in various professions;
  • understand specific needs of unemployed people and offer them suitable psychological help;
  • to find main applications of psychological knowledge in the field of personell management, organisation and work.
Key topics

1. Introduction to the subject (overview of topics, requirements for the subject and examination, development and areas of work psychology, work psychology and other psychological and non-psychological fields, the importance of work for humans).

2. History of work psychology and management (representatives, main ideas, contributions and limitations of individual theories); a) mechanistic approach to organization - theory of bureaucracy (Weber), scientific management (Taylorism), psychotechnics (Münsterberg), classical management; b) school of human relations - Hawthorne studies, Hawthorne effect, paternalism; Mayo, Baťa, c) humanistic approaches to organization - self-actualization, theories X and Y; d) modern views on organization - cybernetic principles, general systems theory, contingency theory, ecological schools, theory Z; e) postmodern views on organization – chaos theory, organizational metaphors, rationality, language and power, postmodern organization).

3. Conflicts in the work environment (types of conflicts, development and prevention of conflicts, Thomas Killmann test and possibilities of its use in work psychology).

4. Selection procedure (selection procedure, role of psychologist, CV, motivation letter, job description, psychological methods for selection procedure, AC/DC).

5. Verbal and non-verbal communication in the work process (specifics of work communication, work meetings;  Johari window and its possibilities of use for work psychologists).

6. Psychological aspects of unemployment (first study on unemployment, function of work, psychological consequences of job loss, possible reactions to job loss, unemployment as a psychosocial problem, psychological assistance to the unemployed, balance diagnostics, outplacement, adpatqation, termination of employment).

7.  Organizational culture (origin, internal and external determinants of organizational culture, organizational structure, organizational chart, organizational structure, organizational chart, elements according to Schein, connection with national culture, typologies - Handy, Trompenaars, Hofstede, Deal and Kennedy - compass model, typology of organizational character... etc., possibilities of resolving the conflict of two cultures in one organization, diagnostics, change;, organizational order, functions of organizational structure, types of organizational structure...).

8. Socially pathological phenomena in the workplace (mobbing, bossing and staffing; burnout; their causes, solutions, prevention).

9. Mediation from the perspective of work psychology (development of mediation, mediation and facilitation, process and possibilities of using mediation, facilitation techniques, 6 thinking hats).

10. Psychological specifics of business negotiations (course of business negotiations, target and resistant point, selected tactics of business negotiations).

11. Workload and burnout (workload factors - time pressure, imposed pace, monotony, emotional work and others; current topics: technostress, wrapped work, TWL - total workload, overwork syndrome - overwork, karoshi, prevention of stress and burnout, ergonomics, time management).

12. Mass communication, propaganda, manipulation (understanding the differences between these concepts and practices, their use in marketing and politics, in management, in PR, ethical aspects).

Study resources and literature
    required literature
  • WAGNEROVÁ, Irena. Psychologie práce a organizace : nové poznatky. Vyd. 1. Praha: Grada, 2011, 155 s. ISBN 9788024737010. URL info
  • ARNOLD, John; Iain COYNE; Ray RANDALL and Fiona PATTERSON. Work psychology : understanding human behaviour in the workplace. 7th edition. Harlow, England: Pearson, 2020, xxv, 626. ISBN 9781292269436. info
  • LUKÁŠOVÁ, Růžena. Organizační kultura a její změna. Praha: Grada Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978-80-247-2951-0. info
    recommended literature
  • ARMSTRONG, Michael. Řízení lidských zdrojů. Praha: Grada, 2002, 856 s. ISBN 8024704692. info
  • BALTUS, Rita K. Personal psychology for life & work. 5th ed. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2000, viii, 389. ISBN 0028042948. info
  • HOFSTEDE, Geert and Gert Jan HOFSTEDE. Kultury a organizace : software lidské mysli : spolupráce mezi kulturami a její důležitost pro přežití. Translated by Luděk Kolman. Praha: Linde, 2007, 335 s. ISBN 808613170X. info
  • ŠMAJSOVÁ BUCHTOVÁ, Božena. Nezaměstnanost - technologické a sociální proměny práce (Unemployment- social and cultural changes of labour). In Nezaměstnanost - technologické a sociální proměny práce. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2007, 160 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-4723-5. info
  • TOMEK, Gustav and Věra VÁVROVÁ. Marketing od myšlenky k realizaci. 3. aktualiz. a dopl. vyd. Praha: Professional Publishing, 2011, 344 s. ISBN 9788074310423. info
  • VYSEKALOVÁ, Jitka. Psychologie reklamy. 5., rozšířené a aktualiz. Praha: Grada Publishing, 2023, 360 stran. ISBN 9788027136544. URL info
    not specified
  • Advances in organisational psychology. Edited by A. Ian Glendon - Briony M. Thompson - Brett Myors. 1st ed. Bowen Hills, Qld.: Australian Academic Press, 2007, xii, 524 p. ISBN 9781875378951. info
  • CAMERON, Kim S. and Robert E. QUINN. Diagnosing and changing organizational culture. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011. ISBN 978-0-470-65026-4. info
  • SCHEIN, Edgar H. Organizational culture and leadership. 4th ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010, xvi, 436. ISBN 9780470190609. info
  • LUKÁŠOVÁ, Růžena and Ivan NOVÝ. Organizační kultura : od sdílených hodnot a cílů k vyšší výkonnosti podniku. 1. vyd. Praha: Grada, 2004, 174 s. ISBN 8024706482. info
  • Coping with work stress : a review and critique. Edited by Philip Dewe - Michael P. O'Driscoll - Cary L. Cooper. Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010, 1 online. ISBN 9780470711705. URL info
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
Teaching methods: lectures, class discussion, case study, causuistic, home study.
Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements
Completion of this course: Written Examination (about 6 open questions). The examination aimed at testing the student’s insight into the main theories and concepts of the discipline and at checking the student’s ability to connect relevant facts into logical relations and its practical application; To pass the exam, students need to get at least 60% of the total points. Final exam grades: A - 93% - 100% B - 85% - 94% C - 77% - 86% D - 69% - 76% E - 60% - 68% F - 59% and below
Language of instruction
Czech
Study support
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/phil/jaro2026/PSBA030/index.qwarp
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2027.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2026/PSBA030