Psychology of changes and decisions in organisations and in the economy

Fensterputzer vor der Glasfront eines Bürogebäudes

This key research area (which primarily falls within the thematic area of work, society and the economy) studies how people respond to the challenges they are facing in economic contexts today. It particularly focuses on changes in organisations and in the world of work, including the acceleration of work, decisions regarding work processes, the consequences of monitoring and trust with regard to commitment to rules (e.g. tax compliance), and how humans respond to the permanent availability of products and regulate their own consumption. This area also examines differences between countries and cultural influences. Its research is based on theories from work psychology and organisational psychology, economic psychology and social psychology, and contributes to their advancement.

In its applied research, quantitative methods predominate. Cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, observations and diary studies are conducted. Another goal is to prove causal influences in field and laboratory studies. The aforementioned methods are complemented by qualitative approaches such as interviews, focus groups and association techniques, which are used to study topics such as social representations of economic phenomena. In addition, techniques such as eye movement measurement are applied in both field and lab studies in order to directly capture the use of information for decision-making. This key research area examines both aspects of experience (such as emotions) and specific, observable behaviours and decisions.