Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior Management

Abstract

This article compares traditional industrial-organizational psychology (I-O) research published in Journal of Applied Psychology (JAP) with organizational behavior management (OBM) research published in Journal of Organizational Behavior Management (JOBM). The purpose of this comparison was to identify similarities and differences with respect to research topics and methodologies, and to offer suggestions for what OBM researchers and practitioners can learn from I-O. Articles published in JAP from 1987–1997 were reviewed and compared to articles published during the same decade in JOBM (Nolan, Jarema, & Austin, 1999). This comparison includes (a) author characteristics, (b) authors published in both journals, (c) topics addressed, (d) type of article, and (e) research characteristics and methodologies. Among the conclusions are: (a) the primary relative strength of OBM is its practical significance, demonstrated by the proportion of research addressing applied issues; (b) the greatest strength of traditional I-O appears to be the variety and complexity of organizational research topics; and (c) each field could benefit from contact with research published in the other.