Department Industrial and Organizational Psychology

About Us

Our research falls within personnel and work psychology, with a focus on the identification and support of optimal internal and external conditions for high performance.



The focus is on the following application-related topics:

1. The first focus comprises research on the topic of work motivation, in particular research on how goals and feedback at different levels (e.g. personal goal orientation, experimentally induced goals, goals in the work environment) affect human behaviour in learning and performance situations (e.g. in education, or work settings).

2. A second focus lies on research about the role of inter-individual differences for learning and work performance. Here we are particularly interested in the optimal combination of situational demands and personal resources ("person-job fit"), e.g. in terms of work design or professional skills, especially in the digital age. We also develop and validate diagnostic tools for practice.

3. A third focus is research in the area of work & health, which focuses on the optimal design and changes of (work) requirements (e.g. job crafting) for motivation and health of employees. In addition, we investigate the optimale use of personal and work-related resources in today's world of work to maintain and promote employees' ability to work in the short and long term.