Dina Guglielmi, Lorenzo Gallì, Silvia Simbula and Greta Mazzetti
The association between resources and work engagement has been well-established among different occupational groups. The purpose of this paper is to go one step further through…
Abstract
Purpose
The association between resources and work engagement has been well-established among different occupational groups. The purpose of this paper is to go one step further through the investigation of the relationship between personal (i.e. hardy personality) and job-related (i.e. opportunity for learning and development) resources and work engagement in the long run.
Design/methodology/approach
A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted on a sample of healthcare professionals working in a spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation hospital located in northern Italy.
Findings
The results of cross-lagged structural equation modeling indicated the occurrence of reciprocal causal relationships between the study variables. In particular, personal and job-related resources were related to an increase in work engagement over the course of the study. The level of engagement displayed by participants, in turn, was positively related to their personal and job-related resources over time, thus revealing the occurrence of positive cycles in the workplace.
Originality/value
On the whole, these findings provide a deeper understanding of the role played by hardy personality as a personal resource able to promote employees’ motivation and, at the same time, they advance the scientific knowledge concerning the construct of positive cycle.
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Luca Pietrantoni, Greta Mazzetti, Mabel San Román Niaves, Rudolf Kubik, Davide Giusino and Marco De Angelis
Although the literature on the effectiveness of team interventions is constantly expanding, there has been a strong focus on the process mechanisms that could explain their…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the literature on the effectiveness of team interventions is constantly expanding, there has been a strong focus on the process mechanisms that could explain their success, often overlooking the contextual aspects in which these interventions are carried out. Based on the Context-Mechanism-Outcome framework, this study aims to investigate the influence of contextual factors on the effectiveness of digital team coaching interventions that use social network visualisation to enhance team coordination and reduce interpersonal conflicts.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a multi-wave, longitudinal design, this research analysed 38 work teams from three organisations over three-time points. Data collection focused on manager and peer support, the mechanisms of training transfer and action plan implementation and the outcomes of these interventions. Surveys were administered in three organisations, involving 317 respondents across different phases. The intervention spanned six to eight months, incorporating three to four structured online group sessions. Each session involved a multi-stage process, concluding with a result-oriented action plan about work-related goals. The intervention included social network visualisation, discussions, coaching and continuous refinement of action plans.
Findings
The analysis highlights how manager support significantly correlates with team coordination and performance, mainly when teams are less engaged in implementing action plans. Peer support did not show a mediating effect on training transfer or outcomes but had direct positive impacts on team coordination and performance.
Practical implications
Teams actively implementing action plans may require less immediate managerial support for effective coordination and high performance. The manager’s role becomes crucial, particularly in the early stages of the intervention or in those teams where online coordination alone may not be adequate for action plan implementation. Peer support for training transfer could enhance the effectiveness of the intervention in achieving desired team outcomes; therefore, cultivating a supportive peer environment is crucial for the success of such interventions. Monitoring and assessing team dynamics are vital to maximise the benefits of digital team coaching interventions.
Originality/value
This study stands out for its innovative exploration of the interplay between managerial and peer support in the context of digital team coaching, using social network visualisation as a novel approach to enhancing team dynamics.
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Angelo Paletta, Genc Alimehmeti, Greta Mazzetti and Dina Guglielmi
This study explores the factors that explain the adoption of innovative teaching practices within schools and how this is determined by the different perceptions of principals and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the factors that explain the adoption of innovative teaching practices within schools and how this is determined by the different perceptions of principals and teachers.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use the self-other agreement to measure the difference between the principal and teachers' rating based on the responses of 255 principals and 10,415 teachers, applying polynomial regression with surface analysis to examine the in-agreement/disagreement of self- and other-ratings.
Findings
Results indicate that schools where principals and teachers agree on the level of collaborative culture, learning climate, professional development and instructional leadership are associated with higher innovative teaching practices, creating opportunities for stimulating learning environments. In addition, the adoption of innovative professional practices is more likely to result when there is disagreement with teacher over-rating the factors.
Practical implications
It has practical implications for developing strategies aimed at encouraging the implementation of innovative teaching practices among teachers and it extends the research on teachers' professional practices by using self-other agreement data collection method and surface analysis.
Originality/value
The vast collection of data provide a unique investigation opportunity of the effects of collaborative culture, learning climate, professional development and instructional leadership on innovative teaching in Italy.
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Greta Mazzetti, Dina Guglielmi, Rita Chiesa and Marco Giovanni Mariani
The purpose of this paper is to explore the positive association between job resources, i.e. autonomy and co-workers support, and psychological capital (PsyCap). In addition, it…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the positive association between job resources, i.e. autonomy and co-workers support, and psychological capital (PsyCap). In addition, it is aimed to assess the mediational role of PsyCap in the relationship between job resources, on the one hand, and work engagement and psychological distress on the other hand.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 235 employees working in a large-scale retail company completed a structured questionnaire. To test the hypotheses, the collected data were analyzed with structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results fully supported the hypotheses and showed that autonomy and co-workers’ support were positively associated with PsyCap. In addition, PsyCap fully mediated the effect of job resources on work engagement and psychological distress.
Research limitations/implications
The results indicate that a greater degree of autonomy allowed to employees in performing their work, and social support from co-workers may significantly contribute to building employees’ personal resources such as PsyCap. This positive association between job resources and PsyCap, in turn, leads employees to feel more engaged in their work and prevents them from harmful outcomes such as symptoms of psychological distress.
Originality/value
This study extends prior research on the motivational process of the job demands-resources model. Furthermore, it develops the notion of resources caravans postulated by the conservation of resources theory in its attempt to examine PsyCap as a mediator in the association between job resources and different individual outcomes.
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Greta Mazzetti, Wilmar B. Schaufeli, Dina Guglielmi and Marco Depolo
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether employees’ tendency to work excessive hours is motivated by the perception of a work environment that encourages overwork…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether employees’ tendency to work excessive hours is motivated by the perception of a work environment that encourages overwork (overwork climate). Thus, this study introduces a self-report questionnaire aimed at assessing the perception of a psychological climate for overwork in the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
In Study 1, the overwork climate scale (OWCS) was developed and evaluated using principal component analysis (n=395) and confirmatory factor analysis (n=396). In Study 2, the total sample (n=791) was used to explore the association of the overwork climate with opposite types of working hard (work engagement and workaholism).
Findings
Two overwork climate dimensions were distinguished, namely, overwork endorsement and lacking overwork rewards. The lack of overwork rewards was negatively associated with engagement, whereas workaholism showed a strong positive association with overwork endorsement. These relationships remained significant after controlling for the impact of psychological job demands.
Research limitations/implications
The findings rely on self-report data and a cross-sectional design.
Practical implications
The perception of a work environment that encourages overwork but does not allocate additional compensation seems to foster workaholism. Moreover, the inadequacy of overwork rewards constitutes a lack of resources that negatively affect employees’ engagement.
Originality/value
This study represents one of the first attempts to develop a questionnaire aimed at assessing a psychological climate for overwork and to explore whether the perception of this type of climate may be significantly related to workaholism and work engagement.
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Dina Guglielmi, Rita Chiesa and Greta Mazzetti
The purpose of this paper is to compare how the dimension of attitudes toward future that consists in perception of dynamic future may be affected by desirable goals (desired job…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare how the dimension of attitudes toward future that consists in perception of dynamic future may be affected by desirable goals (desired job flexibility) and probable events (probable job flexibility) in a group of permanent vs temporary employees. Moreover the aim is to explore the gender differences in respect to variables studied.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected using self-report questionnaires on a sample of 710 employees, of which 63 percent women, 57.2 percent permanent employees, and 42.8 percent fixed-term employees.
Findings
The results showed that probable job flexibility mediated the relationship between desired job flexibility and the perception of a dynamic professional future. In addition, the type of contract moderated the interaction effect of job mastery on the relationship between desired and probable flexibility. Job mastery, however, has a direct effect on probable flexibility only on women in fixed-term employment.
Research limitations/implications
The study presented some limitations: the data derived from the self-report questionnaires, respondents participated on a voluntary basis, and the research design was cross-sectional.
Practical implications
The results of this study could be used to influence guidance practitioners’ decisions on the role of antecedents of future orientation (desired flexibility, probable flexibility, and job mastery) in designing programs and interventions for career management that also take gender into account.
Originality/value
Overall, these results provided some insight into the relationship between specific guidance actions and goal-oriented career planning.
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Greta Ontrup and Justine Patrzek
Research on workaholism distinguishes between enthusiastic and non-enthusiastic workaholics, a typology used in many studies. Yet, the methodical foundation on which the…
Abstract
Purpose
Research on workaholism distinguishes between enthusiastic and non-enthusiastic workaholics, a typology used in many studies. Yet, the methodical foundation on which the derivation of the types is based lacks robust statistical evidence. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to replicate the often-cited typology of enthusiastic and non-enthusiastic workaholics (and non-workaholic subtypes), based on model-based clustering as a robust statistical technique; and second, to validate the class solution based on affective, cognitive and behavioral measures.
Design/methodology/approach
The study followed a cross-sectional design, targeting a sample of people from various fields of industries. An online questionnaire was distributed; workaholism was assessed with McMillan et al.’s (2002) Work-BAT-R scales. A total of 537 respondents’ data were analyzed.
Findings
Latent profile analysis extracted four classes, namely, enthusiastic and non-enthusiastic workaholics and relaxed and uninvolved non-workaholics. As expected, workers characterized by high enjoyment (enthusiasts and relaxed) showed higher job satisfaction and occupational self-efficacy than workers with low enjoyment (non-enthusiasts and uninvolved). Relaxed workers reported higher life satisfaction than all other classes.
Originality/value
The robust methodology applied establishes a good starting point for future studies investigating workers subtypes: the replication suggests that the workaholic subtypes might be core profiles that occur in different populations with regularity. As a next step, the replication of the typology based on alternative operationalizations of workaholism is proposed for future studies.
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This chapter delves into the controversy over detention and interrogation in the war on terror carried out by American operatives. While attending to political, legal, and ethical…
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter delves into the controversy over detention and interrogation in the war on terror carried out by American operatives. While attending to political, legal, and ethical concerns, critical attention is directed at the manner by which certain interrogation techniques have been framed as being “scientific” and therefore effective in extracting truthful disclosures from terror suspects.
Methodology/approach
Drawing on extensive legal and medical literature, the critique offers a postmodern analysis by raising serious questions over the effectiveness and legitimacy of enhanced interrogation espoused by the Bush administration. By doing so, the conceits of the war on terror are exposed and confronted.
Findings
In 2014, the report of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (Study of the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program) was unclassified and released to the public. Among other revelations, the document clearly shows that interrogators and their psychological consultants committed torture. In doing so, they often relied on medical knowledge for harming, rather than healing. Ethical and legal remedies aimed at correcting those problems are recommended.
Originality/value
The chapter delivers a sophisticated critique that blends recently revealed evidence of torture with postmodern interpretation. While casting doubt on the effectiveness and legitimacy of enhanced interrogation, discussion throws critical light on incidents of human rights abuses committed by health professionals. Paradoxically, those physicians and psychologists opted to use their medical skills and expertise to inflict suffering rather than alleviating it. Those acts constitute egregious ethical and legal violations that warrant prosecution.