1.2. The subject and main directions of management psychology.

The subject of management psychology is interpreted ambiguously. From one point of view, the psychology of management is designed to optimize the management of the "man-equipment" and "man-man" systems, and from the second, it studies the "man-man" system, as well as the "person-group", "group-group" and etc. In accordance with this, there are differences in the definition of management psychology. For example, in the first approach, it is defined as a branch of psychology that studies the psychological patterns of management. The main task of management psychology is the analysis of psychological conditions and features of management activities with the aim of increasing the efficiency and quality of work in the management system. In another understanding, management psychology is one of the most important branches of social psychology that studies the problems of communication and interaction of people in various social structures.

Adhering to the first point of view, E.E. Vendrov and L.I. Umansky identified the following aspects of management psychology: socio-psychological issues of production groups and teams, the psychology of the leader’s activities, the personality psychology of the leader, psychological issues of selection of management personnel, psychological and pedagogical issues of management training, engineering management psychology. The position of V.F. Rubakhina and A.V. Filippova, who attribute to the main problems of management psychology, functional structural analysis of management activities, engineering and psychological analysis of the construction and use of automated control systems (ACS), socio-psychological analysis of production and management teams, the relationship of people in them, the study of the psychology of the leader, the relationship between leader and supervised, psychological aspects of selection and placement of managerial personnel, psychological and pedagogical issues training of managers.

Being in other positions, A.G. Kovalyov included in the psychology of management the identification of optimal moral and psychological personality traits of the leader, ensuring the maximum effect of team management, the definition of real types of leaders and their influence on the productive activities of people, the establishment of patterns of development of the team and leadership dynamics; study of the structure of the team and the specifics of the leadership approach to various microgroups. Supporting this view, A.I. Kitov believes that the psychology of management mainly focuses on the psychological aspects of managerial relations that operate in the process of interpersonal and intergroup interaction of people in the process of work

Since engineering psychology primarily and primarily examines the "man-machine" system as a control system, a significant part of its problems is included in the field of management psychology. However, it is not possible and expedient to include engineering psychology in the latter, due to the fact that in this case there will be a mismatch of the methodological foundations of these branches of psychological knowledge that have repeatedly proved their theoretical and practical maturity.

But you can not restrict the subject area of ​​psychology management issues of social psychology. After all, such questions as professional selection of managers, rationing of their activities and its psychological analysis fall out of consideration. It is clear that these issues are inextricably linked with other components of the leadership process and therefore should be decided from a unified position.

There are necessary grounds to consider the psychology of the management of complex psychological science. According to A. L. Svenitsky, this implies the use of the provisions of social psychology, ergonomics, engineering, differential, pedagogical psychology and other psychological sciences in relation to the theory and practice of managing organizations. Management psychology is one of the rapidly developing branches of psychology, which studies the psychological patterns of individual and group behavior in organizational management systems. It was formed at the junction of two scientific disciplines - management theory and psychology, which determined its complex nature. The psychology of management synthesizes in itself the actual psychological data with the most important laws of the structure and functioning of organizations. In addition, according to modern concepts, it is a science that studies not only management activities, but also the whole complex of psychological problems associated with management. In the management structure, there are necessarily two components - the controlling and controlled subsystems. The first correlates with management activities, and the second - with the executive. Therefore, the study of the latter is also the task of managerial psychology.

Managerial activity is the most important and decisive link in the functioning of organizations; This is a kind of quintessence of management practice as a whole. But the very concept of “activity” is at the same time one of the most important general psychological categories; therefore, it is through it that the theory of management and psychology is synthesized, and the psychology of management itself becomes possible as a scientific discipline. Because of this, it is traditionally considered that it is management activity - this is the “core” of the whole managerial psychology (or even its subject as a whole).

The structure of managerial psychology, like any other scientific discipline, is formed by ideas about the object, subject and method. The object of management psychology are a variety of organizational management systems. Its subject is the psychological aspects, factors and mechanisms of functioning of the governing and controlled subsystems of organizations.

The subject of managerial psychology is usually divided into four main areas:

1. Psychological patterns of management activity itself.

2. Psychological laws of the subject of this activity - the head.

3. The main features of the interaction of the head with his subordinates.

4. Psychological laws of the managed subsystem (performing activity) and its subjects (subordinates).

Methods of managerial psychology are divided into two groups - general, non-specific methods for it (borrowed from other branches of psychology) and its own (special methods developed in it).

The management process objectively implies the existence of a certain organization - the management system . It forms the general and objective context in which the management process unfolds and therefore is the object of study of the psychology of management. One of the main tenets of management psychology is that differences in the structure of organizations significantly influence management activities, and sometimes they predetermine it. In addition, the psychological characteristics of the activities of the head depend not only on the type of organizational structure, but also on its hierarchical place in it. In this regard, an important task of management psychology is the definition and characterization of the influence of various organizational structures on management processes.

At the heart of building any organization is a combination of two basic principles - hierarchical (“vertical”) and coordination (“horizontal”). On the basis of the first, the so-called “management vertical” of the organization is formed; the second determines the content and form of the functional division of labor in it. It is customary to distinguish between two main types of organizational structures - hierarchical and adhocratic, which, in turn, include a number of options. Hierarchical structures are a type of organization, characterized by a multi-level management, strict coordination of levels and a small amount of management on each of them. They are divided into "classical" - linear-functional and divisional structures. The basis of the first is the so-called "mine" principle of construction. According to him, an organization is departmentalized (divided) according to a functional principle, that is, according to specialized types of work within it. Further, for each of them, a hierarchy of services is formed that permeates the entire organization from top to bottom. Divisional structures (from the Latin. Divisio - department), while maintaining the hierarchy of the organization, are characterized by additional ways of structuring them: for example, by product type; on a territorial basis. Adhocratic (“Organic”) structures arose as a kind of reaction to the shortcomings of hierarchical structures and, above all, to their susceptibility to bureaucracy. They are built on principles radically different from the structures of the first type. There are four main types of adhocratic structures: design organization, matrix, conglomerate and free structures.

Project organization - it is a temporary structure created for solving a specific task and uniting the most qualified employees of the organization for its most effective solution. Matrix organization is characterized by the presence of two "contours" of management, double subordination of the project team. The matrix organization is subordinate to both the project manager and the head of the functional department in which he works constantly. The most modern type of structure is a free structure - a type of structure that does not have a rigid and stable organization, but changes it and acquires a particular form depending on the changing external conditions and the main tasks at one time or another.

In any organization, vertical and horizontal differentiation is distinguished. The first is determined by the number of hierarchical levels, and the second - the degree of detail, "fractional" allocation of functional services.

Organization formalization - is the degree of rigidity and institutional regulation of its structure. One or another combination of these parameters gives two main classes of structures - “flat” and “deep”. The former are characterized by a small number of hierarchical levels, but, as a rule, by a pronounced functional division. The second inherent characteristics of the opposite.

From the point of view of management psychology, it is important that all the considered features and parameters of organizations significantly influence the structure and content of the activities of the manager and subordinates, and in many respects determine their psychological characteristics. For example, the requirements for personal and business qualities of managers vary depending on the hierarchical level of management; This or that structure directly determines its corporate spirit; type of organization just as strongly affects the content of interpersonal interactions in it.