Implementing the European Sports Leadership Programme: A vehicle to help development graduate workplace competencies

This research was part of a large intervention study implementing the European Sports Leadership Programme (ESLP). This paper reports the outcomes of the qualitative study that employed focus groups to assess the students’ perceptions of the 15 competencies determined according to the Framework for qualifications of the European Higher Education Area, before and after the ESLP. Focus groups were carried out at each of the five universities. The ESLP involved university students working as a sports leader for 24 months with the aim to engage more students in university sport, whilst they took part in a graduate employability programme. Each university recruited five sports leaders in their second year at university, to deliver 10 new sport and recreational activities targeting the wider inactive or semi-active student population. Findings highlighted that Organization and planning, Oral and written communication, Development of planning and decision making, and Teamworking, followed closely by Emotional control and Adapting to new situations, were the most commonly reported competencies. They affirmed that this programme had helped to develop these competencies. Use of information, communication and technology, Communication in a foreign language, Research and Emotional control were the most common competencies that students stated they needed to improve further. This research found that implementing the ESLP helped to develop students’ perceptions of their workplace and career competencies. The ESLP is therefore, recommended as one approach to helping universities to develop student’s workplace and career competencies

Individual and contextual covariates of burnout: a cross-sectional nationwide study of French teachers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Limited information on the covariates of burnout syndrome in French teachers is available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative contributions of individual and contextual factors on the three burnout dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The source data come from an epidemiological postal survey on physical and mental health conducted in 2005 among 20,099 education workers (in activity or retired) selected at random from the health plan records of the national education system. The response rate was 52.4%. Teachers in activity currently giving classes to students who participated in the survey (n = 3,940) were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire including the Maslach Burnout Inventory. 2,558 teachers provided complete data (64.9%). Variables associated with high emotional exhaustion (highest quartile of score), high depersonalization (highest quartile), and reduced personal accomplishment (lowest quartile) were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression. Studied variables referred to demographic characteristics, socio-professional environment, job dissatisfaction, experienced difficulties at work, and teaching motivations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Different variables were associated with each burnout dimension. Female teachers were more susceptible to high emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment, whereas male teachers were more susceptible to high depersonalization. Elementary school teachers were more susceptible to high emotional exhaustion, but less susceptible to high depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment than their higher school level counterparts. Experienced difficulties with pupils were associated with all three dimensions. A socio-economically underprivileged school neighbourhood was also related to high emotional exhaustion and high depersonalization.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Programs to enhance teaching environment might be an interesting approach to try to prevent burnout. It would be useful to take the different dimensions into account in planning the intervention.</p

Developing and testing an instrument for identifying performance incentives in the Greek health care sector

BACKGROUND: In the era of cost containment, managers are constantly pursuing increased organizational performance and productivity by aiming at the obvious target, i.e. the workforce. The health care sector, in which production processes are more complicated compared to other industries, is not an exception. In light of recent legislation in Greece in which efficiency improvement and achievement of specific performance targets are identified as undisputable health system goals, the purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid instrument for investigating the attitudes of Greek physicians, nurses and administrative personnel towards job-related aspects, and the extent to which these motivate them to improve performance and increase productivity. METHODS: A methodological exploratory design was employed in three phases: a) content development and assessment, which resulted in a 28-item instrument, b) pilot testing (N = 74) and c) field testing (N = 353). Internal consistency reliability was tested via Cronbach's alpha coefficient and factor analysis was used to identify the underlying constructs. Tests of scaling assumptions, according to the Multitrait-Multimethod Matrix, were used to confirm the hypothesized component structure. RESULTS: Four components, referring to intrinsic individual needs and external job-related aspects, were revealed and explain 59.61% of the variability. They were subsequently labeled: job attributes, remuneration, co-workers and achievement. Nine items not meeting item-scale criteria were removed, resulting in a 19-item instrument. Scale reliability ranged from 0.782 to 0.901 and internal item consistency and discriminant validity criteria were satisfied. CONCLUSION: Overall, the instrument appears to be a promising tool for hospital administrations in their attempt to identify job-related factors, which motivate their employees. The psychometric properties were good and warrant administration to a larger sample of employees in the Greek healthcare system

Personal characteristics and job satisfaction of Greek teachers

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of job satisfaction experienced by a sample of Greek teachers and to examine the relationship between personal characteristics and specific aspects of job satisfaction. The sample consisted of 354 teachers, 28 to 59 years of age, from 40 state schools. The results of the present study suggest that teachers were satisfied with the job itself and supervision, whereas they were dissatisfied with pay and promotional opportunities. The results of standard multiple regression showed that certain personal characteristics (e.g. gender, age, etc.) were significant predictors of different aspects of job satisfaction. Variables other than the personal characteristics, such as organizational variables, should be included in future research in order to explain better the teachers' job satisfaction. © MCB University Press

Organizational factors as predictors of teachers' burnout

The purpose of this study was to examine the burnout experienced by a sample of Greek teachers and to explore the extent to which certain organizational factors predict teachers' scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The sample consisted of 100 teachers, 28 to 59 years of age. Greek teachers' means were lower than those for burnout of U.S. teachers. Stepwise regression analysis identified satisfaction with the job itself was the only significant predictor for Depersonalization and Emotional Exhaustion subscales, while satisfaction with the job itself and satisfaction with promotion were significant predictors for the Personal Accomplishment subscale. These findings showed that stress, e.g., role conflict and role ambiguity, were not highly correlated with teachers' burnout

Relations among measures of job satisfaction, role conflict, and role ambiguity for a sample of Greek teachers

Scores on a measure of job satisfaction and their relation with scores on role conflict and role ambiguity were examined among 100 teachers (60 in primary schools and 40 in secondary schools) in Greece. Correlations for scores on Job Satisfaction with Role Conflict, and Ambiguity were inverse. In particular, scores on Role Conflict were correlated (-.45 with those on Supervision, -.37 with Working Conditions, and -.47 with Organization as a Whole), while scores on Role Ambiguity were correlated -.37 with scores on Work Itself and -.45 with those on Supervision

Development and validation of an instrument measuring core job characteristics

Purpose: Much of prior research focused on the dimensionality of the part of Job Diagnostic Survey that measures the core job characteristics, with mixed findings. The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate an instrument assessing core job characteristics. Design/methodology/approach: Public school teachers (n=685) serving in elementary and secondary schools filled in the Core Job Characteristics Inventory (CJCI). CJCI comprises 29 items to assess job autonomy, task significance, task identification, skill variety and feedback from the job. The development of the CJCI undergone the following stages: development of an initial pool of items, examination of its content validity by ten experts and a pilot study. Findings: Exploratory factor analysis revealed five factors with satisfactory internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis showed mixed results. Application of exploratory structural equation modeling procedures revealed that a correlated five-factor model yielded an adequate fit to the data. Associations among the five work features were significant, positive and yielding moderate values. Correlations among the five-core job characteristics and two affective job responses (job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion) provided evidence of CJCI concurrent validity. Practical implications: Human resources managers can use CJCI to measure core job characteristics or to evaluate interventions in the work places. Originality/value: A new instrument was developed to measure core job characteristics, and to address previous shortcomings reported in the literature. The rigorous methodological procedure, which followed for the development of the CJCI combined with a cross-validation approach best guarantees its applicability. © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

Background characteristics as predictors of Greek teachers’ self-efficacy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between elementary and secondary teachers’ background characteristics and constructs of self-efficacy, using the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale – TSES, during a difficult economic period for Greece and other European countries. Design/methodology/approach – Equation modeling techniques were used to examine the construct validity of Greek version of TSES and second to examine teachers’ self-efficacy profile in primary and secondary schools during a difficult economic period for Greece and other European countries. Findings – The findings of the study, using the equation modeling techniques, revealed that a multidimensional first-order three-factor model fits well to the data using multiple-group analysis, the results of the study indicate that background characteristics, such as teachers’ gender, teaching experience, educational level (elementary and secondary level) and age affect their self-efficacy factors (efficacy in student engagement, efficacy in instructional strategies and efficacy in classroom management). Research limitations/implications – The data of the specific analysis is based on centralized education systems during a difficult economic period. For improvement, future research using longitudinal approaches may give further important factors across different academic years and across the same individuals. Further research is also required in order to investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and students’ achievement. Originality/value – The originality and value of the current manuscript highlights the confirmation and the interpretation of latent factors measuring elementary and secondary school teachers’ self-efficacy (TSES) based on a centralized educational system. © 2016, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Organizational Performance Enhancement via Adult Education Driven Principles in HR Management

Τhe linkage between Human Resource (HR) Management and Organizational Performance is difficult to determine and, in some cases, even to address. There has been an effort to depict the processes through which HR practices ultimately impact organization performance, through a number of conceptual models, but none proved sufficient enough for or wholly applicable to all HRM departments. Thus, the mediating variables and mechanisms through which HRM has an impact on performance are not panacea clear. The principles of Adult Education (AE) could actually aid in seeing the part HRM (HR practices, mediating variables, HR-related outcomes, more distal outcomes etc.) has in overall performance, offer precise insights to scholars and practitioners and show the means through which the HRM and the Adult Education could be integrated in order to enhance individual and collective performance. Adult Education is all about the person him/herself; its main aim is to find ways through which one can better himself/herself individually and self-directedly or with the help of others. If the focus is shifted towards the human aspect of what each individual endeavors, experiences and anticipates, we might be able to understand the barriers, expectations and aspirations one holds. Therefore, if a person reaches his/her full potential with the aid of the AE principles, then subsequently he/she will be equipped with the means and resources necessary to actively participate in the organizational processes and performance, and foster growth in the organization itself directly. In practice, we mostly fail to remember that organizations are entities comprised of other entities, individuals; each unique and exceptional in his/her own way. Accordingly, HRM practices seemingly remain focused in favour of organizational outcomes and try to serve organizational ends, not necessarily individual ones. If we focus as an organization (managers, culture, values) on each person’s uniqueness then every action will have a positive reaction to the organizational performance and the results will prove to be most likely direct. After all, to an action there is always a reaction, that is why employees’ reactions are at the core of organizational change and organizational brilliance. © 2021 Proceedings of the 17th European Conference on Management, Leadership and Governance, ECMLG 2021. All rights reserved