This Valencian psychologist has been improving the quality of life within companies for years.
Hundreds of people who coordinate and communicate daily with the aim of continuing to develop and sell the product or service offered by the company, so that the company can continue to be profitable. What could go wrong?
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We talk with Nacho Coller, expert in business psychology
Logically, stress, anxiety and conflict are only symptoms of the nature of the work environment. Competitiveness, pressure, results, demands, haste, exhaustion… everything comes together to make it an area where relational and psychological problems can potentially arise . This is where the psychologists of the organizations have a place, who are in charge of diagnosing and intervening to improve these problems.
Nacho Coller is a clinical psychologist who has been improving people’s lives for more than 20 years. We have talked with him in his native Valencia to understand closely what his work consists of and how he can promote a better quality of life in the work environment.
Bertrand Regader: Do you think that in the world of organizations there is a tendency to apply “magic recipes” to motivate workers, without first analyzing what is happening?
Nacho Coller: Yes. Very few are the organizations that carry out a prior analysis and diagnosis of the origin of their problems. Common themes are used, such as stress tolerance, time management, types of leadership or motivation, among others.
It is not always a problem of motivation, but it is true that motivation is the protagonist of any action that is carried out in organizations. And note the importance of not identifying the problem because it will prevent you from applying the most suitable technique to address that situation. And there, psychology, in the world of organizations, has a lot to say.
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When making a diagnosis about the problems that an organization may be dragging at the human level and the behavior of the teams, where do you usually start?
The first step is diagnosis, although it is not always done. The first thing psychology does in the face of any personal or organizational problem is to diagnose. The first step will be to use the techniques available to develop an explanatory hypothesis and make a correct diagnosis of the situation.
And what methods are usually used for this first phase of data collection?
The organizational psychologist analyzes different internal and external factors that affect the needs of that organization; specifically, an analysis of the people who form it and the interrelationship between the two. The objective is to achieve a balance between the welfare of the individual and the benefit of the organization.
For this, three phases must be differentiated in the process: the objective evaluation, the interview and the observation. This is the way to obtain a diagnosis that defines the initial situation and the target situation to be achieved. Depending on the nature of the problem detected, the most appropriate techniques will be chosen to achieve the objective.
How can a psychologist help companies to recognize errors in the way they approach work? Isn’t there sometimes a certain mistrust of what an observer outside the organization might say?
The organizational psychologist is a professional specialized in the behavior of people in the field of organizations. The figure of him as an external and neutral observer is key to detecting conflictive situations as well as creating the optimal setting in which to work in search of the situation.
In your experience, and from what you have been seeing in organizations. Do you think it is complicated to combine the creation of individual goals and collective goals at the same time?
That is the key of organizations that understand that the best way to work is making individual and collective goals go in the same direction. Aligning the DNA of the person with that of the organization is the key to mutual benefit. Achieving the psychological connection of the person to reach the commitment is the key to proper functioning.
And when it comes to promoting talent retention in an organization, what kind of incentives do you think are often underestimated?
The most talented people are the hardest to retain because they know they will survive in another company. Sometimes the best employees are the ones who can end up suffering from burnout syndrome because the demand is greater, as well as their responsibility and involvement.
Knowing the person, and knowing what their internal and external motivators are, is essential for retaining talent.
According to what you have been seeing, is it necessary for the world of psychology to go deeper into the organizational context in other areas that are not training and personnel selection?
Psychology has always been present in the organizational context because it has suitable methods and techniques applicable to the situation to be improved. The techniques used by psychology are various and each one has a different purpose. Other functions include:
- Know and promote the satisfaction of employees in relation to their work.
- Develop and propose strategies to increase teamwork.
- Implement better procedures for the selection, training, promotion and retention of talent.
- Support the increase in productivity through the appropriate person-task-organization relationship.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.