PEOPLE SCIENCE

The science of people at work

These ideas have been with me for some time:

• How does IO psychology inform and enhance people analytics?
• How can people analytics advance our understanding of behavior at work?

For IO psychology professionals, there are many intersections and diverging paths in people analytics. Early career IO psychology graduates may need help navigating between the fields. For experienced professionals, leading this work can be frustrating and siloed. Yet, there are endless opportunities to apply IO psychology in the ‘world of work’.

So, I’m excited to share my thoughts about the growing practice of people.

PEOPLE SCIENCE

People science studies people and teams at work as complex and interconnected systems. It delves into human behavior, personality traits and attributes, competencies, and drives. Beyond individual performance, it examines social dynamics within teams and organizational culture.

People science creates insights that help create positive, engaging, and thriving work environments. These insights frame a fulfilling experience for leaders and their teams. For example, these insights can foster psychological safety and improve wellbeing.

PEOPLE SCIENCE IS A TEAM SPORT

People science has many similarities with IO psychology. In short, IO psychology focuses on workplace behavior. To design programs to help organizations succeed. This may include assessments, competencies models, selection procedures, and training programs. So, it’s common to find IO psychology professionals working on people science teams (like me!).

Understanding people and teams as systems goes beyond any single scientific discipline. People science may rely on theories and frameworks from other disciplines, such as:

• Psychology fields: Cognitive, developmental, educational, industrial-organizational, personality, social, sports psychology…
• Social science fields: Behavioral economics communications, education, linguistics, sociology…
• Interdisciplinary fields: Cognitive science, occupational health and safety, organizational behavior….

Each discipline brings unique perspectives and methods, enriching the multidimensional approach. A people science team may include people from various backgrounds collaborating on projects. Often, this involves transdisciplinary research, leading to new frameworks and knowledge. This makes people science a transdisciplinary field.

PROFESSIONALIZING PEOPLE SCIENCE

While people science lacks a formal definition, an action plan to professionalize it as a discipline will help.

Here are some of the steps for action:

• Define its scope and objectives and develop a theoretical framework.
• Build a research community and establish academic programs/courses.
• Establish guidelines & standards and the business case for it.
• Introduce it at workshops and conference presentations.
• Socialize it through professional organizations and academic publications.
• Foster industry collaborations and advocacy to extend the network.
• Design feedback mechanisms to refine the focus and methods as a discipline.

This action plan creates opportunities to socialize what people science has to offer. It also relies on input from others to ensure a solid foundation for its development.

Does this resonate with you? Is anything missing?

SHARE

Join the conversation on LinkedIn