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Organizations are composed of individuals working together for achieving specific goals, and interpersonal dynamics do exert a strong influence on workplace behaviour. Nevertheless, the dual and multiple perspective of interactions has... more
Organizations are composed of individuals working together for achieving specific goals, and interpersonal dynamics do exert a strong influence on workplace behaviour. Nevertheless, the dual and multiple perspective of interactions has been scarcely considered by Organizational Neuroscience (ON), the emerging field of study that aims at incorporating findings from cognitive and brain sciences into the investigation of organizational behaviour. This perspective article aims to highlight the potential benefits of adopting experimental settings involving two or more participants (the so-called “second person” approach) for studying the neural bases of organizational behaviour. Specifically, we stress the idea that moving beyond the individual perspective and capturing the dynamical relationships occurring within dyads or groups (e.g., leaders and followers, salespersons and clients, teams) might bring novel insights into the rising field of ON. In addition, designing research paradigms...
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The Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) has shown satisfactory validity evidence in several countries, with the 23-item version of the instrument reporting adequate psychometric properties also in the Italian context. This paper is aimed to... more
The Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) has shown satisfactory validity evidence in several countries, with the 23-item version of the instrument reporting adequate psychometric properties also in the Italian context. This paper is aimed to present results from the Italian validation of the 12-item version of the BAT. Based on a sample of 2277 workers, our results supported the factorial validity of a higher-order model represented by 4 first-order factors corresponding to the core dimensions of burnout, namely exhaustion, mental distance, and emotional and cognitive impairment. The measure invariance of the BAT-12 between data collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was supported. However, ANCOVA results suggest a higher score on the second-order burnout factor on data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison with earlier data. In line with the JD-R model, the BAT-12 total score reported a positive association with job demands (i.e., workload, time pressure, and rol...
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La teoria social-cognitiva enfatizza il ruolo proattivo che l’individuo esercita nella relazione con il proprio ambiente, sul quale agisce intenzionalmente ed in modo trasformativo (Bandura, 1986). Numerosi contributi empirici hanno... more
La teoria social-cognitiva enfatizza il ruolo proattivo che l’individuo esercita nella relazione con il proprio ambiente, sul quale agisce intenzionalmente ed in modo trasformativo (Bandura, 1986). Numerosi contributi empirici hanno dimostrato la relazione positiva tra le convinzioni di efficacia personale, considerate il meccanismo centrale della teoria social-cognitiva, ed il successo lavorativo (Stajkovic & Luthans, 1998), mentre le capacità individuali che ne sono alla base, dette capacità agentiche (anticipazione, autoriflessione, apprendimento vicario e autoregolazione: Bandura, 2000), non sono mai state misurate né indagate in relazione ad altre variabili organizzative. Il primo studio, condotto su 321 soggetti, esamina le proprietà psicometriche di una nuova scala per la misurazione delle capacità agentiche. Il secondo studio, condotto su 179 soggetti, ne esplora la rete nomologica di relazioni con l’autoefficacia e con altre variabili legate alla proattività, e ne approfond...
Although the use of agency contracts has become the norm in all public and private organizations, existing studies are mostly cross-sectional in nature, generally comparing behavioral differences between permanent full time workers with... more
Although the use of agency contracts has become the norm in all public and private organizations, existing studies are mostly cross-sectional in nature, generally comparing behavioral differences between permanent full time workers with the plethora of all contingent workers, making difficult to generalize results. Few empirical investigations have so far studied attitudes and behaviors of agency workers and how the peculiar type of contract influences their work-related attitudes. In particular, there is no consensus about how agency contract affects individual behavioral and psychological variables as affective dual commitment, job insecurity, satisfaction, turnover intention. In order to fill this gap, the main goal of the study we present in this paper is to analyze well-being of Italian temporary and permanent agency workers, according to a perspective that emphasize positive aspects. We aim to understand how workers experience to be agencies, enhancing also critical implications against well-being.
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L’analisi delle caratteristiche degli Assessment Center (AC) implementati nelle aziende e il confronto cross-culturale delle pratiche rivestono un ruolo di primaria importanza per le organizzazioni e per la comunità scientifica. Infatti,... more
L’analisi delle caratteristiche degli Assessment Center (AC) implementati nelle aziende e il confronto cross-culturale delle pratiche rivestono un ruolo di primaria importanza per le organizzazioni e per la comunità scientifica. Infatti, offrendo una panoramica degli aspetti degli AC più frequentemente utilizzati e soffermandosi sulle differenze fra Paesi, consentono non solo di chiarire quali caratteristiche dell’AC sono specifiche di un contesto culturale e quali sono adottate in maniera più globale, ma anche di individuare eventuali aree di miglioramento. Eppure, gli studi empirici in questo ambito sono un numero davvero esiguo. La presente ricerca, rifacendosi al recente studio cross-culturale di Krause e Thornton (2009), indaga le modalità di progettazione e implementazione di 29 processi di AC utilizzati in un campione di 23 aziende italiane di diversi settori,ponendo l’attenzione sulle maggiori differenze tra i processi di AC diffusi nel nostro Paese e quelli implementati in Nord America e nel resto d’Europa. All’interno del campione italiano vengono inoltre esplorate alcune differenze tra AC finalizzati alla selezione di candidati esterni e AC destinati alla valutazione o allo sviluppo di risorse interne. Complessivamente i risultati, discussi alla luce di quanto emerso dalla recente ricerca cross-culturale e alle indicazioni sulle linee guida internazionalisugli AC (International Task Force on Assessment Center Guidelines, 2009), dimostrano che, indipendentemente dalla finalità del processo, le pratiche di AC italiane sono più simili a quanto riscontrato in Europa che nel Nord America, e rispetto a questi due contesti culturali gli AC italiani coinvolti nel campione presentanoalcune aree di miglioramento su cui è possibile intervenire per incrementare la validità della metodologia
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Purpose: It is well established the importance of self-efficacy in predicting academic performance. Another possible antecedent of academic performance is goal orientation representing the students’ reasons for engaging in academic... more
Purpose: It is well established the importance of self-efficacy in predicting academic performance. Another possible antecedent of academic performance is goal orientation representing the students’ reasons for engaging in academic behavior. The aim of the study is to investigate the joined contribution of study self-efficacy and three (namely learning, proving and avoiding) goal orientations to explain academic performance among Italian and Spanish University students. Design/Methodology: Two samples, respectively of 409 Italian students (76% females) and 389 Spanish students (79% females), completed a questionnaire measuring self-efficacy and goal orientations. Subsequently grade point average was collected as objective indicator of performance. Multigroup structural equation approach was used to test our hypotheses. Results: Preliminary analysis attested configural and metric invariance across the two samples. Results revealed that study self-efficacy was positively associated wi...
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L’insicurezza lavorativa percepita è considerata attualmente uno dei più potenti stressor. Gli ultimi due decenni di ricerche empiriche hanno evidenziato come i suoi effetti siano deleteri per il benessere degli individui e delle... more
L’insicurezza lavorativa percepita è considerata attualmente uno dei più potenti stressor. Gli ultimi due decenni di ricerche empiriche hanno evidenziato come i suoi effetti siano deleteri per il benessere degli individui e delle organizzazioni. L’insicurezza lavorativa risulta in particolar modo correlata negativamente alla salute psicologica e fisica delle persone. Nell’ambito della teoria dello stress è possibile evidenziare alcuni fattori moderatori degli agenti stressogeni, pertinenti a risorse interne (p.es. differenze individuali) o presenti nel contesto (p.es. lavoro, famiglia). In questo contributo ci focalizziamo sul ruolo moderatore dell’autoefficacia personale nella relazione tra insicurezza lavorativa e burnout. I partecipanti allo studio sono 7225 lavoratori interinali equamente distribuiti per genere (50.7% di uomini) a cui sono state somministrate le scale di insicurezza lavorativa, burnout (esaurimento e strain interpersonale) e autoefficacia. I risultati hanno evid...
Research Interests: Marketing, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Personality, Personality Assessment, and 15 morePolitics, Social Perception, Comparative Study, Affect, Social Desirability, Humans, Impression formation, Female, Male, Aged, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Middle Aged, Questionnaires, Adult, and Reproducibility of Results
1, La complessità dello scenario attuale e la psicologia L'attuale contesto di mercato espone sempre di più le persone a scenari complessi, a cambiamenti repentini e imprevedibili, a ritmi veloci cui si fa fatica stare dietro. E'... more
1, La complessità dello scenario attuale e la psicologia L'attuale contesto di mercato espone sempre di più le persone a scenari complessi, a cambiamenti repentini e imprevedibili, a ritmi veloci cui si fa fatica stare dietro. E' il mondo che cambia e con esso gli ambienti di lavoro, le risorse, la vita delle persone. I grandi stravolgimenti sono come è noto riconducibili a quell'insieme di fenomeni legati alla globalizzazione che, oltre ad aprire nuove opportunità, ha reso più precari gli equilibri della collettività e quelli individuali. Insieme alla globalizzazione dei mercati, alla quale è connesso l'impatto delle economie dei paesi asiatici in forte crescita, altri grandi mutamenti sono stati provocati dallo sviluppo esponenziale delle nuove tecnologie che hanno reso sempre più immateriale ed intangibile qualsiasi forma di scambio, di transazione economica e in generale di lavoro. Cosi le nuove tecnologie impattano e modificano significativamentei processi di co...
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BACKGROUND Shift work is often considered to be a factor that can negatively affect health and sleep quality. However, it is usually considered as a structural factor of the job and not as a perception of a work demand. OBJECTIVES The... more
BACKGROUND Shift work is often considered to be a factor that can negatively affect health and sleep quality. However, it is usually considered as a structural factor of the job and not as a perception of a work demand. OBJECTIVES The study aimed at analyzing the relationship between perception of shift work, burnout and sleep disturbances in a potentially stressful context, namely the call centre setting. METHODS Call centre operators (N=510) completed a questionnaire encompassing the following scales: perceptions of shift work, monotony, time pressure, exhaustion, cynicism and sleep disturbances. We conducted two hierarchical regressions in order to analyze the contribution of the perception of shift work on burnout dimensions (exhaustion and cynicism), beyond the contribution of socio-demographical variables, and of two specific job stressors for call centre operators, namely monotony and time pressure. The mediating role of exhaustion and cynicism between the perception of shift...
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Introduction: Healthcare workers are particularly vulnerable to third-party workplace violence. The experience of work-related stress, by threatening the psychological balance of healthcare workers, making them less effective in managing... more
Introduction: Healthcare workers are particularly vulnerable to third-party workplace violence. The experience of work-related stress, by threatening the psychological balance of healthcare workers, making them less effective in managing the relationship with patients and their family members, may significantly contribute to third-party violence. Objective: To investigate whether stress-related psychosocial situations at work as defined by the widely known Demand-Control model, and the level of work-related social support, act as risk factors for third-party violence among healthcare workers. Specifically, we explored whether the risk of violence is higher in situations associated with higher levels of work-related stress (i.e., active or passive situations, and especially the high strain situation) when compared to a work situation related to lower levels of stress (i.e., low strain situation). We also explored whether the risk of violence is lower at higher levels of social suppor...
Research Interests: Psychology and Medicine
Background: Shift work is often considered to be a factor that can negatively affect health and sleep quality. However, it is usually considered as a structural factor of the job and not as a perception of a work demand. Objectives: The... more
Background: Shift work is often considered to be a factor that can negatively affect health and sleep quality. However, it is usually considered as a structural factor of the job and not as a perception of a work demand. Objectives: The study aimed at analyzing the relationship between perception of shift work, burnout and sleep disturbances in a potentially stressful context, namely the call centre setting. Methods: Call centre operators (N=510) completed a questionnaire encompassing the following scales: perceptions of shift work, monotony, time pressure, exhaustion, cynicism and sleep disturbances. We conducted two hierarchical regressions in order to analyze the contribution of the perception of shift work on burnout dimensions (exhaustion and cynicism), beyond the contribution of socio-demographical variables, and of two specific job stressors for call centre operators, namely monotony and time pressure. The mediating role of exhaustion and cynicism between the perception of s...
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BACKGROUND The role of personal and situational factors in burnout development in the hospital context is well known. The majority of studies used standardized and generic scales and focused exclusively on the individual level of... more
BACKGROUND The role of personal and situational factors in burnout development in the hospital context is well known. The majority of studies used standardized and generic scales and focused exclusively on the individual level of analysis, underestimating the role of teamwork effects. OBJECTIVES This study adopted a contextualized and multilevel approach in order to examine the different roles of individual and unit level nurse efficacy beliefs and hospital perceptions of context in predicting job burnout. METHODS Nurses (N=1020) belonging to 118 units completed two measures specifically tailored for the nursing environment: nurse self-efficacy, perceptions of context (teamwork, supervisor, management, and workload) together with MBI-GS exhaustion and cynicism scales. Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis was performed in order to verify the internal validity of nurse self-efficacy and hospital perceptions of context scales. A multilevel structural equation model was tested at ind...
Research Interests: Nursing, Adolescent, Self Efficacy, Humans, Female, and 5 moreMale, Young Adult, Middle Aged, Adult, and Psychological Models
The current market situation exposes people more and more to complex scenarios, to sudden unpredictable changes, to rhythms that are too fast to keep up with. It is the world that is changing and with it the working environments,... more
The current market situation exposes people more and more to complex scenarios, to sudden unpredictable changes, to rhythms that are too fast to keep up with. It is the world that is changing and with it the working environments, resources, and people’s lives. The great upheavals are due as we know to the whole set of phenomena linked to globalization which, as well as opening new opportunities, has threatened the equilibrium of society and of individuals. Along with market globalization, which is connected with the impact of the fast-growing Asian economies, other great changes have been caused by the exponential growth of new technologies that have made any form of exchange, of economic transaction, and of work in general, increasingly immaterial and intangible. The new technologies thus impact on and significantly modify communication processes, determining new languages, new codes, new modes of human interaction, but also new rules that cannot be compared to those of the past. L...
Using boundary management and conservation of resources theories, we examined how job resources (i.e., job autonomy and goal-oriented leadership) and a work-related personal resource (i.e., personal initiative at work) relate to... more
Using boundary management and conservation of resources theories, we examined how job resources (i.e., job autonomy and goal-oriented leadership) and a work-related personal resource (i.e., personal initiative at work) relate to cross-role interrupting behaviors—i.e., interrupting the work (or non-work) role to attend to competing non-work (or work) demands—and how, in turn, they correlate with work–family conflict. Furthermore, we examined differences in the proposed nomological network between workers adopting traditional and remote ways of working. Using a multigroup structural equation modelling approach on a sample of 968 employees from an Italian telecommunications company, we found that: (a) job autonomy was positively related to both work interrupting non-work behaviors and to non-work interrupting work behaviors, (b) goal-oriented leadership was negatively related to non-work interrupting work behaviors, (c) personal initiative at work was positively related to work interru...
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Youth unemployment is a relevant issue among most European countries; therefore, it is important to understand its individual and situational determinants. This study aimed to investigate a conceptual model that explains the associations... more
Youth unemployment is a relevant issue among most European countries; therefore, it is important to understand its individual and situational determinants. This study aimed to investigate a conceptual model that explains the associations among positivity (POS), perceived support from employment agencies, perceived employability (PE), and employment status in a sample of 317 unemployed Italian youth involved in the Youth Guarantee program. In particular, this study investigated the relationships between POS and PE and between PE and employment. Moreover, we analyzed whether the relationship between POS and employment status was mediated by PE and whether the relationship between POS and PE was moderated by perceived support from employment agencies. Results showed that PE totally mediated the relationship between POS and employment status. Furthermore, the moderating role of perceived support from agencies was confirmed; when high, it boosted the relationship between POS and PE. In s...
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This study presents a new scale to measure work values. The Work Values questionnaire (WVal) consists of 10 sets of 5 value items that respondents rank for importance. Each item expresses 1 of the 10 basic values of the Schwartz theory in... more
This study presents a new scale to measure work values. The Work Values questionnaire (WVal) consists of 10 sets of 5 value items that respondents rank for importance. Each item expresses 1 of the 10 basic values of the Schwartz theory in the work context. Seven hundred fifty-nine employees from 94 organizations responded to the WVal. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) assessment of the 10 work values exhibited adequate factorial distinctiveness as well as high internal reliability. Multidimensional scaling analyses yielded a circular motivational structure of relations among the 10 work values similar to the higher order values in the basic values’ theory. We note and discuss meaningful differences in the importance of work values associated with gender, age, organizational tenure, and professional role. The study supports the applicability of the Schwartz basic value theory to the organizational setting, with some variations traceable to the work context. We discuss research possibilities and practical applications of the WVal.
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The most popular instrument to measure burnout is the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Recently, to overcome some of the limitations of the MBI, a new instrument has been proposed, namely the Burnout Assessment Tool. The purpose of this... more
The most popular instrument to measure burnout is the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Recently, to overcome some of the limitations of the MBI, a new instrument has been proposed, namely the Burnout Assessment Tool. The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the BAT. This tool is comprised of a set of four core dimensions (BAT-C; i.e., exhaustion, mental distance, cognitive and emotional impairment) and two secondary symptom dimensions (BAT-S; i.e., psychological and psychosomatic complaints). Data were collected on a sample of 738 participants from heterogeneous sectors and professional roles. In the sample women were slightly overrepresented (52.9%), the participants had a mean age of 41.57 years (SD = 10.51) and a mean organizational tenure of 9.65 years (SD = 8.50). The reliability and factorial structure of the BAT-C and BAT-S, together with the convergent and discriminant validity of BAT-C and MBI were explored, as well as th...
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Purpose Psychological Capital (PsyCap), consisting of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, is a positive state associated with attitudes, behaviors and performance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a dynamic mediational... more
Purpose Psychological Capital (PsyCap), consisting of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, is a positive state associated with attitudes, behaviors and performance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a dynamic mediational model posing work engagement as the mediator of the longitudinal relation between PsyCap and job performance. Design/methodology/approach Data came from all white collar employees who responded to this study’s variables (n=420) from a comprehensive data set drawn from a large communications service company over two consecutive years. Job performance was rated at the end of each year by the direct supervisor as part of the organizational appraisal system. Findings Structural equation modeling analysis found that both absolute levels and increases in PsyCap predicted subsequent work engagement increases which in turn predicted job performance increases. Moreover, the mediating role of the changes in work engagement between previous PsyCap and performanc...
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The present study investigated the construct validity and reliability of the Big Five Competencies grid (BFC grid), an instrument framed and validated within a well-established conceptual model, the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality.... more
The present study investigated the construct validity and reliability of the Big Five Competencies grid (BFC grid), an instrument framed and validated within a well-established conceptual model, the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality. A first sample of 1,307 employees (65% males) in a variety of job types completed the BFC grid and a list of Big Five prototypical adjectives. Exploratory structural equation modeling attested a six-factor competencies structure corresponding to four broad traits (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Emotional stability, Openness) and two facets of conscientiousness. The six scales showed adequate reliability and dominant associations with the corresponding personality traits. In a second sample of 150 employees (87% males), the six-factor structure was confirmed together with convergent validity between self- and other-ratings of work competencies. Implications and suggestions for future results are discussed.
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Purpose – Work engagement represents an important aspect of employee well-being and performance and has been related to both job and personal resources. The purpose of this paper, based on Social Cognitive Theory, is to emphasize the... more
Purpose – Work engagement represents an important aspect of employee well-being and performance and has been related to both job and personal resources. The purpose of this paper, based on Social Cognitive Theory, is to emphasize the proactive role of self-efficacy which is hypothesized to predict work engagement, not only directly, but also indirectly through positive changes in employee’s perceptions of social context (PoSC); namely, perceptions of one’s immediate supervisor, colleagues and top management. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 741 employees of a communication service company completed two questionnaires, with a time interval of three years. Structural equation modeling was performed in order to test the hypothesized model. Findings – Results revealed that, as expected: first, initial self-efficacy predicts work engagement three years later; and second, positive changes in employee’s perceptions of the social work context across the three year period, mediates ...
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Methods A large sample of 5,426 call centre handlers (61% females), clustered in 189 work teams of a leading CRM company filled an anonymous questionnaire measuring self-efficacy, job demands, job resources and job satisfaction. Two... more
Methods A large sample of 5,426 call centre handlers (61% females), clustered in 189 work teams of a leading CRM company filled an anonymous questionnaire measuring self-efficacy, job demands, job resources and job satisfaction. Two indicators company registered sickness ...
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The role of personal and situational factors in burnout development in the hospital context is well known. The majority of studies used standardized and generic scales and focused exclusively on the individual level of analysis,... more
The role of personal and situational factors in burnout development in the hospital context is well known. The majority of studies used standardized and generic scales and focused exclusively on the individual level of analysis, underestimating the role of teamwork effects. This study adopted a contextualized and multilevel approach in order to examine the different roles of individual and unit level nurse efficacy beliefs and hospital perceptions of context in predicting job burnout. Nurses (N=1020) belonging to 118 units completed two measures specifically tailored for the nursing environment: nurse self-efficacy, perceptions of context (teamwork, supervisor, management, and workload) together with MBI-GS exhaustion and cynicism scales. Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis was performed in order to verify the internal validity of nurse self-efficacy and hospital perceptions of context scales. A multilevel structural equation model was tested at individual and unit levels, using...
Research Interests: Nursing, Adolescent, Self Efficacy, Humans, Female, and 5 moreMale, Young Adult, Middle Aged, Adult, and Psychological Models
New nurse burnout has personal and organizational costs. The combined effect of authentic leadership, person-job fit within areas of worklife, and occupational coping self-efficacy on new... more
New nurse burnout has personal and organizational costs. The combined effect of authentic leadership, person-job fit within areas of worklife, and occupational coping self-efficacy on new nurses' burnout and emotional wellbeing has not been investigated. This study tested a model linking authentic leadership, areas of worklife, occupational coping self-efficacy, burnout, and mental health among new graduate nurses. We also tested the validity of the concept of interpersonal strain at work as a facet of burnout. A cross-sectional national survey of Canadian new graduate nurses was conducted. Registered nurses working in direct patient care in acute care settings with less than 3 years of experience were selected from provincial registry databases of 10 Canadian provinces. A total of 1009 of 3743 surveyed new graduate nurses were included in the final sample (useable response rate 27%). Participants received a mail survey package that included a letter of information, study questionnaire, and a $2 coffee voucher. To optimize response rates non-responders received a reminder letter four weeks after the initial mailing, followed by a second survey package four weeks after that. Ethics approval was obtained from the university ethics board prior to starting the study. Descriptive statistics and scale reliabilities were analyzed. Structural equation modelling with maximum likelihood estimation was used to test the fit between the data and the hypothesized model and to assess the factor structure of the expanded burnout measure. The hypothesized model was an acceptable fit for the data (χ(2) (164)=1221.38; χ(2) ratio=7.447; CFI=.921; IFI=.921; RMSEA=.08). All hypothesized paths were significant. Authentic leadership had a positive effect on areas of worklife, which in turn had a positive effect on occupational coping self-efficacy, resulting in lower burnout, which was associated with poor mental health. Authentic leaders may play an important role in creating positive working conditions and strengthening new nurses' confidence that help them cope with job demands, thereby protecting them from developing burnout and poor mental health. Leadership training to develop supervisors' authentic leadership skills may promote the development of person-job fit, thereby increasing occupational self-efficacy and new nurses' wellbeing.
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L'accezione più recente del costrutto di" job burnout", generalizzabile a tutte le professioni e organizzazioni, riguarda la relazione della persona con il proprio lavoro. Per contribuire allo studio del fenomeno ed... more
L'accezione più recente del costrutto di" job burnout", generalizzabile a tutte le professioni e organizzazioni, riguarda la relazione della persona con il proprio lavoro. Per contribuire allo studio del fenomeno ed enfatizzare la dimensione interpersonale, si è ...