ABSTRACT
In this essay, we examine past, present, and possible future relationships between social psychology and the organizational sciences (organizational psychology and organizational behavior). These two fields are closely related in terms of their origins. Founding members of social psychology, such as Kurt Lewin and Jose Moreno, studied organizational issues (Haire, 1954), and pioneering organizational scientists were strongly influenced by social psychological thinking (e.g., Roethlisberger & Dickson, 1939). Moreover, as the two fields evolved, they focused on many of the same processes and phenomena. For example, person perception has been a major topic in social psychology and an important aspect of selection and assessment research in organizational psychology (Dipboye, 1990; Fiske, 1992). Group decision making and performance have been central to social psychology since its inception, and, with the growing reliance on work groups in organizations, they have become prominent themes in the organizational sciences as well (Levine & Moreland, 1998; Ilgen, 1999). The study of negotiation has always had an important niche in social psychology, and it has become a prominent focus of both teaching and research in business schools around the world (De Dreu & Carnevale, 2003). Motivation and goal striving have been central to both social psychology and the organizational sciences for decades (Higgins & Kruglanski, 1991; Locke & Latham, 1990). Finally, several recent trends in social psychology, such as an emphasis on affect and emotion (Forgas, 1995), have their parallel in the organizational sciences (George & Brief, 1996).
