Key Thinkers in Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Key Thinkers in Industrial and Organizational Psychology explores the lives, ideas, contributions, and impact of key figures who have shaped and developed industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology.

Through a chronological lens, the book traces the history and context behind the groundbreaking work of a diverse group of individuals who have influenced the field. Among those featured are pioneers such as Walter Dill Scott, Charles S. Myers, Lillian Evelyn Moller Gilbreth, Francizka Baumgarten-Tramer, Chen Li, and Bernard M. Bass. The book offers the reader a comprehensive understanding of the evolving ideas and discoveries that have shaped I-O research and practice over time.

This book is an invaluable resource for all scientists and practitioners of I-O psychology and historians of psychology, as well as anyone interested in how psychology has transformed workplaces and influenced organizational practices.

Laura Koppes Bryan is the inaugural T.G. Lewis Faculty Scholar in Organizational Behavior and former Interim Dean of the University of Kentucky Lewis Honors College, USA. She is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association for Psychological Science, and the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology (SIOP). Her work on the history of industrial and organizational psychology has been published in the Journal of Applied Psychology and as book chapters, and she edited both editions of Historical Perspectives in Industrial and Organizational Psychology (2007; 2021).

Andrew J. Vinchur is Charles A. Dana Professor Emeritus of Psychology and former psychology department head at Lafayette College, USA. During the first half of his professional career, he published research on topics such as employee selection, meta-analysis, job analysis and psychometrics; however, for approximately the last 20 years his primary research focus has been the history of I-O psychology, especially the early history of the field. He is the author of The Early Years of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (2018).