Development of Organizational Social Psychology at St. Petersburg (Leningrad) State University

Abstract

Russian organizational psychology began to develop in the 20s of the twentieth century. The impetus for its appearance was the need for accelerated industrial development. In the early years of its inception, organizational psychology was based on ideas expressed in this field by foreign scientists and practitioners — organizers of production. Numerous conferences on the problems of scientific organization of labor were held, and their own scientific directions and theories were gradually formed. The main goals of organizational psychology are psychological support and the search for ways to improve the efficiency of work in various organizations. Pioneering work in this area was the research of scientists of the St. Petersburg (Leningrad) Psychological School. The article discusses the historical milestones of the creation and development of organizational social psychology at LSU/St. Petersburg State University. Special attention is paid to the analysis of scientific and historical prerequisites for the formation and current state of organizational social psychology at the Department of Social Psychology of St. Petersburg State University. The main directions of socio-psychological thought in the field of organizational psychology are: 1) scientific analysis and search for socio-psychological ways to improve the efficiency of personnel; 2) substantiation of approaches to the study of the socio-psychological climate and organizational culture; 3) research of socio-psychological processes occurring in labor collectives (job satisfaction, labor stimulation, collective forms of labor organization, adaptation of employees, increasing their loyalty and engagement); 4) development of socio-psychological methods of training employees of organizations (business games, socio-psychological training); 5) theoretical and methodological justification of the concept of consolidation of the social capital of organizations; 6) study of career problems and gender inequality of working women.