A great place of employment is often described as fun, congenial, collaborative, positive, passionate and creative and all happens because individuals have formed a social group. Different kinds of people come from various areas with different cultures, all with one goal to perform tasks, jobs and projects for their employer, to achieve certain goals of an organisation. Such environments often practice dynamic working place as well, where they focus on the output and key deliverables of an individual rather than the number of hours spent at work. In other words, if output levels are high and all responsibilities are taken off, then it doesn’t really matter where and when they are achieved. Experts say, for organisations and companies that do that, they have a high understanding of social psychology in the workplace. Social psychology is the study of human behaviour, mental processes and how they are affected by an organism, physical state, mental state and external environment. It helps us underlie emotional state and mental process as well understands how behaviours of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined and implied presence of others. Throughout its history, social psychologists have applied their theories and styles to all aspects of human behaviour, including organisations, employees, and leadership. According to Andrew Kabarega, a consultant, the goal of social psychology in the workplace is to identify and solve problems at the workplace, increase employee satisfaction and improve workplace vibrantness. “It also allows an employer draft appropriate job descriptions and creates clear communication between management and employees, as well as understand body languages when one cannot speak,” Kabarega says. Using the tools of social psychology encourages personal and organisational success, helps build community and cohesion and enhances the lives of the people that your business touches. Jean Ndaruhutse, clinical psychologist, says applying social psychology helps managers of all levels of an organisation pinpoint their staff’s training needs; businesses understand well the content and design better products, build better workspaces and foster healthy behaviour in the workplace. He adds that, it helps managers as well understand how to hire for particular traits without being discriminatory and also guide them in delivering the relevant training in an engaging fashion. Tools of social psychology are designed to provide employees with feedback about their performance to help foster increased productivity in an organisation. They may also act as forums for setting goals, as well as serving as starting points for performance improvement plans, if necessary. They also detach the judgment of aging in the workplace as one gets to understand why a certain person behaves in one way or another. Experts say that understanding the psychology of various business practices can lead to improved solutions. Many areas of business use the tools of psychology to understand an individual’s behaviour within a group, and social psychology may be the tool that can lead to even more efficient, adaptive, and innovative practices.
