BookReview.qxd


BOOK REVIEW106

Bergh, Z. & Theron, A.L. (Eds) (2003) Psychology in a work

context (2nd Ed.). Cape Town: Oxford University Press.

Reviewer: Nanette Tredoux, Psytech South Africa.

This book is an overview and introduction to Industrial and

Organisational Psychology. It is a work of ambitious scope, and

it is clear that the contributors have invested a great deal of

thought and effort in the planning and execution of the book.

The current version is the second edition, and it looks set to

become one of those standard textbooks that are revised every

few years to keep up with changing times. It is a handsome

volume, produced to a high standard of editorial care, pleasingly

laid out and organised well enough to be useful as an occasional

reference source. An English-Afrikaans glossary, tables of

contents for every chapter as well as for the entire book, a

comprehensive index and extensive bibliography make it easy to

retrieve the information relating to a particular topic. Every

chapter ends with a conclusion summarising the gist of the

material covered. Quality illustrations lighten the tone and help

to bring some of the concepts to life. Learning outcomes and

self-assessment exercises and questions for every chapter will be

useful to the lecturer using the book as a source for a tutored

course, and for the student studying by distance learning. If sold

at the suggested retail price, the book represents good value

compared to imported textbooks that cover similar ground.

Obviously some difficult decisions had to be made in order to

reach a compromise between comprehensiveness and ease of

understanding. Similarly, compromises have had to be made

between presenting the subject as an international science and

devoting sufficient attention to South African issues. Being an

introductory text obviously intended to be used as a university

textbook, it is potentially an enormously influential work. Many

students who do only one a year or two of Industrial Psychology,

could have their perception of Psychology as a science and

profession profoundly influenced by what is included or left out

of this book, and the way it is presented. While such students

may never become Psychologists, they could nevertheless end up

as managers with considerable decision making power. Without

wishing to seem unduly critical of the choice of subject matter,

a few points could be borne in mind for future revisions:

The historical overview of the growth of Industrial Psychology

in South Africa could be expanded somewhat. The founding of

the National Institute for Personnel Research is rightly

mentioned as a landmark event in the development of the

subject, but no mention is made of its demise and the effect that

might have. The reader is also left with the impression that the

Human Sciences Research Council is still an organisation

specialising in the development of assessment instruments,

when that is no longer strictly true. The implications of the

privatisation and commercialisation of Psychometrics research

and development need to be given some exposure.

More attention should be given to delineating the activities that

are reserved for Psychologists, Psychometrists and Registered

Counsellors. In the interest of stimulating critical thinking and

understanding, the book encourages speculation and ‘armchair

analysis’ of case studies. This is important to help students gain

insight into the subject matter, but as we all know, a little

knowledge can be dangerous. Students should be made aware of

the need to use properly qualified professionals for the reserved

activities in a work situation.

The theory relating to personality in the workplace is well

summarised and presented, and some attention is also given to

measurement issues relating to personality. Much less attention

is devoted to abilities, skills and the measurement of potential,

and the problems of measuring these in South Africa. In a

general introduction to the field, this should have been given

more attention than the brief discussion of bias and fairness in

the methodology chapter. I also missed a discussion of the

methodology of job analysis and the importance of good

criterion measurement.

Bearing in mind that the book will be used in South Africa where

many students are at an educational disadvantage, one should

consider the ways in which it may accommodate such students.

Apart from the glossary which should be helpful to Afrikaans

students, the book does not condescend to the student who may

not be used to thinking in conceptual terms. Abstract concepts

and technical terms come thick and fast, and the average student

is likely to need a good dictionary to cope with the verbal

content. The student is assisted by the organisation of the

information, the highlighting of specific learning points, self-

assessment aids to bring gaps in their knowledge to light, and a

summary for each chapter. The student needs to come to the

book with a well-developed command of English, a willingness

to absorb a great deal of information, and an ability to grasp

many new concepts quickly. The authors have done a great deal

to make the information accessible, but they stop short of spoon-

feeding the student. Thus the usefulness of the book is not

limited to students. Anyone needing an overview of the field

could benefit by it.