Perceived organizational support and work engagement: the role of psychosocial variables

PurposeThis study aims to test the role that organizational sociopsychological variables may play in influencing job stress and work engagement in an organizational identity change scenario.Design/methodology/approachOn a sample of 118 employees of an Italian company in the personnel training services sector, multivariate statistical analysis tests a pattern where organizational variables such as work support (by supervisors and coworkers, independent variables) – moderated by corporate identification (moderating variable) – and mediated by organizational trust (mediating variable) – boosts employee work engagement and lowers psychosocial risks (dependent variables).FindingsThe mediating effect of "organizational trust" is significant in the relationships of "supervisor social support" and "coworker social support" with the "absence of psychosocial risks." Moreover, an increase in supervisor social support can lead to a statistically significant increase in work engagement. This occurs only for employees with low or medium identification and not in highly identified individuals.Originality/valueThe findings from the analysis on moderation are of primary importance because they show us a new perspective that can play the role of a guiding and practical principle on how to act on an organization's human resources, specifically targeting those with lower or medium corporate identification

Food reputation and food preferences:Application of the Food Reputation Map (FRM) in Italy, USA, and China

Given the food challenges that society is facing, we draw upon recent developments in the study of how food reputation affects food preferences and food choices, providing here a starting standard point for measuring every aspect of food reputation in different cultural contexts across the world. Specifically, while previous attempts focused either on specific aspects of food or on measures of food features validated in one language only, the present research validates the Food Reputation Map (FRM) in Italian, English and Chinese over 2,250 participants worldwide. Here we successfully measure food reputation across 23 specific indicators, further grouped into six synthetic indicators of food reputation. Critically, results show that: (a) the specific measurement tool of food reputation can vary across cultural contexts, and that (b) people's reputation of food products or categories changes significantly across different cultural contexts. Therefore, in order to understand people's food preferences and consumption, it is important to take into account the repertoire of cultural differences that underlies the contexts of analysis: the three context-specific versions of the FRM presented here effectively deal with this issue and provide reliable context-specific insights on stakeholders' interests, perspectives, attitudes and behaviors related to food perceptions, assessment, and consumption, which can be effectively leveraged to foster food sustainability

Measuring career adaptability in a sample of Italian university students: psychometric properties and relations with the age, gender, and STEM/no STEM courses

The continuous transformation of the labor market, characterized by great instability and uncertainty, and by rapid technological changes, has strongly influenced the construction and management of career paths. Nowadays, individuals are faced with careers that are fluid and boundaryless, characterized by discontinuity and a variety of organizations to deal with. In this scenario, the ability to adapt and react to continuous changes in the labor market and in organizations is now a priority for workers. This study presents the psychometric properties of the construct of Career Ability measured through Proactive Personality and Boundaryless Mindset as proxy variables in a sample of 579 adults enrolled at the University of Cagliari (Italy), or recently graduated therein. We aim to rate the factorial structure of the items and to evaluate their multi-group invariance regarding the gender variable. Moreover, the criterion and concurrent validity were assessed. The instrument shows good psychometric characteristics; factorial structure, factorial invariance in relation to the gender variable, concurrent, and criterion validities were confirmed

Group psychological counseling to contrast academic burnout: a research protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Academic burnout is a condition characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, a distant attitude toward studying, and diminished self-efficacy in academic activities. Preliminary scientific findings indicate that interventions designed to alleviate work burnout also hold promise for mitigating academic burnout, however clear evidence based on randomized controlled trials is still missing. This research protocol describes a randomized controlled trial aimed at evaluating the efficacy of an online group psychological intervention to contrast academic burnout. Participants with high levels of burnout will be assigned to a psychological counseling group or a waiting list control group. The research comprises several phases: (T0) Screening, Recruitment, and Randomization; (T1) Baseline assessment (pre-intervention); (T2) Outcome Assessment (post-intervention); and (T3) Follow-up Assessment (3 months post-intervention). The primary outcomes include burnout symptoms, general wellbeing, and academic achievement. Additionally, secondary variables such as effort-reward imbalances, satisfaction/frustration of basic psychological needs, intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation, coping strategies, and social support will be examined. The psychological intervention strategies will encompass psychoeducation, self-awareness enhancement, cognitive restructuring, and promotion of social support. This research protocol is an initial step toward evidence-based psychological interventions to treat academic burnout

Computer-Assisted Concept Analysis of Customer Centricity: A Review of the Literature on Employee Engagement, Culture, Leadership, and Identity Co-Creation

Customer centricity requires having customers at the core of the corporate organizational process. Yet, relationship marketing scholarships have not developed a clear understanding of how corporate culture, leadership, and identity may allow the establishment of customer centricity within the organization. To this aim, we have developed a computer-assisted concept analysis of the term customer centricity in two disciplines that are at the core of relationship marketing: business and psychology. Specifically, we have conducted our review of a sample of abstracts in the over 1200 peer-reviewed journals of Business Source Premier Database and 2500 publications at the Psychology Info database that use the term "customer centricity" together with the terms "organizational identity", "organizational leadership", "organizational culture", and "employee engagement". Our computer-assisted analysis allowed us to identify four main open debates scholars and practitioners are working on that contribute to advance literature on relationship marketing: employee training and balanced centricity; industries that are either best or worst practices; reinvention of marketing practices; social aspects of consumer centricity. These areas are presented considering how they might inspire future studies on customer centricity in the customer relationship marketing field.4openopenColleoni, E; Bonaiuto, F; Illia, L; Bonaiuto, MColleoni, E; Bonaiuto, F; Illia, L; Bonaiuto,

Remote working and E-learning spatial setting impacts on well-being

Research or practical problem and objectives The Covid-19 pandemic period has been characterized by massive uses of online modes for both workers and students worldwide. Regarding Italy, it was estimated that over 6.6 million Italian active workers remotely worked at March 2020 (i.e., 41% of the active national workforce). Approximately 94% of students of all levels carried out their activity remotely in the same period. This contribution aims to analyze how and which characteristics of the physical-spatial setting characterizing the remote work/study activity may have impacted individuals' psychological well-being. Methods and process (for empirical research) To test such hypotheses, in Study 1 participants (N = 490 students from various Italian universities engaged in distance learning activities) were asked to fill in an online questionnaire divided into two sections: a scale for the psychological perception of the environmental qualiteis and scales for perceived stress. Through an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) conducted a 5-factor composition emerged on the scale of psychological perception of the physical-spatial elements: safety, visual well-being, acoustic well- being, usability and control, aesthetics. In Study 2, participants (N = 551 italian workers engaged in remote working) filled out a questionnaire divided into four parts: the scale for psychological perception of the environmental qualities, environmental satisfaction, job satisfaction in remote working and finally stress and engagement scales. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the 5 factors that emerged in study 1. Main results preview and importance (or main arguments in the case of critical reviews) The preliminary results for study 2, show how the relationship between psychological perception of spatial qualities, stress and engagement is sequentially mediated by environmental satisfaction and job satisfaction. The study represents one of the first approaches to systematically analyze the importance of the perception of environmental qualities with regard to the setting where the remote work/study activity is carried out

Exercise Apps Automaticity of E-health for exercise and physical activity and this effects on behaviour

International audienc

The Physical Environment in Remote Working: Development and Validation of Perceived Remote Workplace Environment Quality Indicators (PRWEQIs)

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more organizations have implemented remote working, resulting in a partial overlap between home and work environments. This study aimed to develop a tool named Perceived Remote Workplace Environment Quality Indicators (PRWEQIs) to study the impact of the remote work environment on worker well-being. A preliminary 20-item version was developed. In Study 1, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted on a sample of remote students (N = 521); the results were confirmed in Study 2 through a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) on a sample of remote workers (N = 463). The final 15-item PRWEQIs include five indicators, Acoustic comfort, Visual comfort, Quality of the furnishings, Safety, and Space usability, and a second-order factor referring to General perceived comfort. The scale constitutes an initial instrument for assessing the perception of the physical-spatial qualities of the remote working environment

Promoting pro-environmental behaviors in the workplace: the role of injunctive and descriptive CER norms

Corporate environmental responsibility (CER) is becoming a topic of increasing interest in organizations. Attention to environmental issues and proper communication within and outside the organizational context can be one of the leading solutions for transmitting organizational values to the entire corporate community to create a "green organizational culture." Corporate environmental responsibility can be interpreted as a social norm internal to the organization that can influence members' attitudes toward pro-environmental behaviors, both individual (e.g., recycling, sustainable mobility, etc.) and collective (e.g., acceptance of new energy technologies proposed by the organization). The present research aims to analyze how perceptions of these injunctive and descriptive environmental norms may contribute to a greater sense of collective efficacy in adequately addressing environmental issues by adopting pro-environmental behaviors. It is hypothesized that the personal biospheric values of the workers moderate this relationship. It is further hypothesized that the relationship between collective efficacy and attitude toward pro-environmental behaviors in the workplace is mediated by the employee's commitment to the organization. Finally, it is hypothesized that the perception of behavioral control moderates the relationship between organizational commitment and pro-environmental attitude. The currently underway research will involve workers from different public and private work settings. Preliminarily, piloting will be conducted to distinguish between easy and difficult pro-environmental behaviors to assess how CER norms can influence behaviors that require different personal commitments. The spillover between behavioral intention in the organization and that in the private context will also be analyzed

The Physical Environment in Remote Working: Development and Validation of Perceived Remote Workplace Environment Quality Indicators (PRWEQIs)

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more organizations have implemented remote working, resulting in a partial overlap between home and work environments. This study aimed to develop a tool named Perceived Remote Workplace Environment Quality Indicators (PRWEQIs) to study the impact of the remote work environment on worker well-being. A preliminary 20-item version was developed. In Study 1, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted on a sample of remote students (N = 521); the results were confirmed in Study 2 through a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) on a sample of remote workers (N = 463). The final 15-item PRWEQIs include five indicators, Acoustic comfort, Visual comfort, Quality of the furnishings, Safety, and Space usability, and a second-order factor referring to General perceived comfort. The scale constitutes an initial instrument for assessing the perception of the physical-spatial qualities of the remote working environment