We focus on individuals’ cognition, attitudes, and behaviors to examine several work-related and nonwork-related processes and outcomes, including the individual learning process, the propensity to innovate, the analysis of factors shaping daily motivation at work, the development of professional identity, and the factors that favor organizational changes and the development of sustainable careers.
The group works closely with firms in the Emilia Romagna region, operating in different fields including health, tourism, digital technologies, manufacturing, and HRM (Human Resources Management) services to offer relevant and empirically validated knowledge that can help those companies to achieve their strategic goals. In our research, we integrate theoretical frameworks from various disciplines including management, occupational and social psychology, social networks, sociology, and positive organizational psychology; we use a variety of research methods, including field studies, qualitative interviews, social network analysis, quantitative approaches, longitudinal research, experimental design, and agent-based simulation. The group is divided in two main research themes: organizational behavior and human resource management.
Organizational behavior
The team working in this area develops new knowledge about (i) individuals’ professional identity and organizational identification with a focus on the development of the future professional identity, (ii) team dynamics with a particular focus on team diversity, interpersonal relations, and learning processes, (iii) how organizational culture and supervisor behaviors can favor the achievement of individuals’ work–life balance and the enhancement of well-being, (iv) proactive behaviors that can promote organizational safety, (v) individual and organizational decision-making under uncertainty conditions, and (vi) individuals’ social network relationships within and across organizations.
Human resource management
The team working in this area develops new knowledge about (i) the organizational socialization process with a particular interest in examining contextual factors and individuals’ strategies and behaviors that promote a successful newcomer adjustment; (ii) the interplay of group size and group communication structure; and (iii) the effectiveness of work–family and diversity programmes that can help create a climate of inclusion and a culture of well-being at work.