Organisational psychology, also know as industrial and organisational (I/O) psychology, is a dynamic and pervasive field within the general discipline of psychology. Organisational psychology focuses on people attitudes, values and behaviours in the domain of work, especially within organisational settings, such as private businesses, government organisations, the military and so on. The field covers a very wide range of issues, ranging from the selection of individual people for specific jobs through to the management of large-scale organisational change and development. Organisational psychologists therefore contribute to a broad array of processes and functions within organisations.

While many textbooks relating to organisational psychology are available, almost all of these have been developed in either the United States or the United Kingdom, and hence refer to conditions applying predominantly in those countries. Consequently, although much of the theory and research described in these texts is of a general nature, there is some lack of direct 'practical relevance' to Australian and New Zealand conditions. Furthermore, the considerable amount of research conducted within these two countries is frequently overlooked in other international texts.

The purpose of this textbook is therefore, to provide a coverage of essential topics in the field of organisational psychology, as far as possible to introduce research illustrations from Australia and New Zealand, as well as international research in each topic area, and incorporate Australian and New Zealand examples and case studies to illustrate the local relevance of theory and research. Each chapter contains a 'practice illustration' and a case study relating to either Australia or New Zealand. Questions for discussion at the end of each chapter will focus on issues that are directly relevant to students in these two countries.