I’m a business psychologist, but many people don’t understand the breadth of my work and how it supports a strong company culture, effective communication and productive teams. So, in this article, I want to outline business psychology and how it is effective in resolving common workplace issues. It all starts with mindset.

How Our Mindset Impacts Our Work

Psychology is the scientific study of how our minds work, but why is this important in business?

How we are treated, how we are feeling and what we prioritise are all factors that influence our mindset and determine our behaviours.

Think about it from a personal perspective. You have knowledge, experience, skills and capabilities. When you feel valued, respected, included and encouraged, you willingly apply these and contribute. However, in a different work environment, your abilities can remain hidden. In this situation, you resent giving anything more than the minimum requirement and even that feels like an effort.

Therefore, if you want engaged and proactive employees who collaborate, use initiative and seek out opportunities, it’s valuable to know what makes their team tick. Then you can create the conditions, work culture and communications that help you get the best from your employees.

“Business Psychology is an area of applied science that brings together specialists from various disciplines, striving for a common goal — to make business more efficient and at the same time more “humane” improving the subjective wellbeing of all subjects included in it, their personal and professional development.”        

— Source: Westminster Research

Why Do Companies Engage Business Psychologists?

As a business psychologist, I offer an objective perspective and evidence-based insight into employee attitudes, actions and team dynamics. I highlight opportunities, solutions and hidden talent and my findings can inform positive change and decision-making. So, when leaders are open to business psychology, it can have a significant impact on the workplace culture.

Companies typically engage Business psychologists at times of development, change or when there is an issue to be resolved.

These include:

• Recruitment Drives – where business psychology can be a valuable tool in assessing skills, personality traits and talent without bias.
• Training and Development – particularly when upskilling individuals with leadership potential to engage with and motivate their team.
• Conflict Resolution – where personality clashes or departmental silos are hindering progress and creating a poor working environment.
• Building Inclusivity – developing a workplace culture that can meet the needs of a diverse workforce, ensure psychological safety and attract talent from all backgrounds.
• Performance Management – spotting untapped potential, as well as addressing poor individual or team performance.
• Organisational Development – particularly helping leaders with change management and embedding growth strategies across the team.
• Improving Employee Well-being – exploring provision and support that enables employees to remain healthy, positive and productive.

Business Psychology in Action

All services are guided by psychological principles. However, I tailor my approach and tools used to best meet the specific needs identified by the company.

The variety in my role is one of the things that I love. I could be consulting with an organisation on business strategies and psychological risk assessments on one day, then facilitating personality and aptitude assessments on the next. My week could start with a workshop on team dynamics and end with a speaker slot at a conference, raising awareness of neurodiversity or psychological safety.

I’ve been fortunate to work with managers, leaders and teams in SMEs, large corporations and education settings. In each case, we’ve been able to work collaboratively to identify and address barriers that were hindering progress or identify fresh opportunities.

Would Your Company Benefit from Business Psychology?

Most businesses will experience difficult times. If they involve finances, you call on an accountant and if it’s legal matters, you need a solicitor. However, for issues relating to the attitude and performance of the workforce, a business psychologist fits the bill.

To aid a shift from stagnation to growth, a business psychologist will help you to identify and address the barriers that are hindering progress. So, if you would like to find out more, contact us at Mindset BPS.