Developing a New Instrument for Assessing Acceptance of Change

Exploring the mediating influence of acceptance of change: A study on gerontechnology acceptance, mental well-being, and urban-rural disparities among older adults

BACKGROUND

The global aging population necessitates leveraging technology for older adults' independence and mental well-being. Gerontechnology, tailored for older users, thrives when accessible and accepted, with the pivotal role of acceptance of change shaping its adoption.

AIMS

This study investigates the mediating role of acceptance of change in the relationship between gerontechnology acceptance and mental well-being among older adults and explores disparities in urban and rural settings DESIGN & METHODS: A cross-sectional, correlational design adhering to STROBE guidelines collected data through an interview survey from 802 older adults. Instruments included the Older Adult Structured Survey, Short Version of Senior Technology Acceptance, Acceptance of Change Scale, and the World Health Organization Well-Being Index.

RESULTS

The results underscore a significant correlation between technology adoption, adaptability, and mental well-being among 60-year-olds and older. Notably, an individual's openness to change significantly influences the technology-mental well-being relationship, emphasizing its impact on overall health. Urban areas exhibit a stronger positive correlation between technology acceptance and mental well-being, whereas rural regions demonstrate a more pronounced negative correlation.

CONCLUSION

This research contributes valuable knowledge for addressing the unique challenges older adults face in diverse geographic settings, paving the way for targeted and effective initiatives.

IMPLICATIONS

Nurses should prioritize understanding the nexus between gerontechnology acceptance, change adaptability, and mental wellness, integrating technology education and culturally sensitive interventions to enhance care strategies for older adults in diverse geographic settings. This study lays the groundwork for developing person-centered geriatric nursing care plans, underscoring the importance of harnessing technology for improved mental well-being.

Hedonic and eudaimonic well-being for sustainable development in university students: personality traits or acceptance of change?

Introduction

The psychology of sustainability and sustainable development aims to contribute to the establishment of a culture of sustainability regarding the 2030 Agenda and its 17 sustainable development goals.

Methods

In this framework, this study examined the associations between acceptance of change and well-being (hedonic and eudaimonic sides), controlling for the effects of personality traits, in 284 Italian university students.

Results

Acceptance of change explained additional variance over personality traits regarding hedonic and eudaimonic well-being.

Discussion

Acceptance of change could thus represent a promising well-being resource from the perspective of strength-based prevention, opening future perspectives to face the challenges of sustainable development, particularly concerning Goal 3 of the 2030 Agenda: "Good health and well-being."

Latent profiles of psychological status among populations cumulatively exposed to a flood and the recurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic in China

Henan Province in Central China was hit by unprecedented, rain-triggered floods in July 2021 and experienced a recurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study aims to identify the latent profiles of psychological status and acceptance of change among Henan residents who have been cumulatively exposed to these floods and the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 977 participants were recruited. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to explore underlying patterns of psychological status (i.e., perceived risk of the COVID-19 pandemic, post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety and rumination) and acceptance of change. The predictors were evaluated with multinomial logistic regression. LPA identified four patterns of psychological status and acceptance of change: high distress/high acceptance (5.1%), moderate distress/moderate acceptance (20.1%), mild distress/mild acceptance (45.5%), and resilience (29.3%). The additive impact of the floods and COVID-19 pandemic and negative emotion during the floods were the risk factors, while flood coping efficacy, trust, and a closer psychological distance change were the protective factors. The present study therefore provides novel evidence on psychological status after both a natural disaster and a major public health event. The cumulative effects of the floods and the COVID-19 pandemic may have heightened the risk of post-disaster maladaptation. A complex relationship between psychological outcomes and acceptance of change was also found. The findings of this study thus provide a foundation for both disaster management and psychological assistance for particular groups.

Human capital sustainability leadership: From personality traits to positive relational management

Introduction

Constructing positive and supportive relationships is fundamental for healthy workers and healthy organizations and to cope with the current challenging work scenario. Organizations need to acknowledge the relevance of the relationships for workers and organizational well-being and adopt managing practices that enhance healthy relationships for sustainability and sustainable development.

Methods

The current research sought to investigate the associations between positive relational management (PRM) and human capital sustainability leadership (HCSL), taking into account personality traits. The big five questionnaire (BFQ), the PRM Scale (PRMS), and the HCSL Scale (HCSLS) were administered to 191 Italian workers.

Results

Findings displayed that PRM was able to add incremental variance over personality traits referring to HCSL.

Discussion

In terms of strength-based prevention perspectives for healthy organizations, PRM may be a favorable construct linked to HCSL.

Assessment of professional self-efficacy in psychological interventions and psychotherapy sessions: Development of the Therapist Self-Efficacy Scale (T-SES) and its application for eTherapy

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to develop the Therapist Self-Efficacy Scale (T-SES), and test its validity in a sample of Italian mental health therapists, to assess their professional self-efficacy concerning their practice of eTherapy in a synchronous video-based setting.

METHODS

A sample of 322 Italian mental health professionals (37.6% psychologists, 62.4% psychotherapists; M_age  = 38.48, SD = 8.509) completed an online survey.

RESULTS

The T-SES showed a clear, one-factor structure with good psychometric properties. Significant associations were found with insight orientation, general self-efficacy, self-esteem, and personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. The results showed no differences between psychologists and psychotherapists, or differences based on years of experience.

CONCLUSION

The T-SES is an agile and versatile self-report measure for mental health professionals to assess their self-efficacy concerning their therapeutic activity, which can provide information for tailoring training for eTherapy.

Satisfaction with life in workers: A chained mediation model investigating the roles of resilience, career adaptability, self-efficacy, and years of education

Satisfaction with life is a core dimension of well-being that can be of great importance in the workplace, in light of the close link between worker health and organizational success highlighted by the perspective of healthy organizations. This study aimed at analyzing the factors associated with satisfaction with life, focusing on the role of resilience, career adaptability, self-efficacy, and years of education. A sample of 315 workers (67% women; Mage = 34.84 years, SD = 12.39) filled out the Satisfaction with Life Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Career Adapt-Abilities Scale, the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed by implementing a chained mediation model. Results showed a significant and positive relationship between resilience and satisfaction with life, partially moderated by the chained effect of career adaptability and self-efficacy, controlling for education. When inserted as a covariate, education showed a significant and negative association with satisfaction with life. Such findings contribute to enriching the field of research on the factors that contribute to the well-being of workers and may have important practical implications for interventions in organizations.

Towards Meaning in Life: A Path Analysis Exploring the Mediation of Career Adaptability in the Associations of Self-Esteem with Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning

In the contemporary world of work, workers are engaged more frequently in career choices to cope with changing work and working conditions. In this scenario, the well-being of workers is under threat. This study aims to examine the effect of career adaptability as a preventive resource on the relationship between self-esteem and meaning in life. Three-hundred Italian workers (67.3% females, mean age = 41.90; SD = 12.54) completed an online survey enclosing the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale, the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Data were analyzed through a path analysis by implementing a mediation model to test the hypothesized relationship. The results show that career adaptability partially mediated the relationship between self-esteem and meaning in life, both considering the presence of meaning and the search for meaning dimensions. The findings expand current knowledge on the relationship between self-esteem, career adaptability and meaning in life in workers with implications for research and intervention.

Gratitude in Organizations: Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Gratitude Resentment and Appreciation Test-Revised Short (GRAT-RS) in Workers

In a healthy organization's framework and strength-based prevention perspectives, gratitude represents an important resource. Gratitude is a worthy construct able to promote the well-being of both workers and organizations. Gratitude is also an interesting variable in relation to success, efficiency and productivity in organizations that can be increased through specific training. Gratitude is, therefore, considered a promising resource for both individuals and organizations. This study aims at analyzing the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Gratitude Resentment and Appreciation Test-Revised Short (GRAT-RS). Participants were 359 Italian workers from different public and private organizations. Factor structure, internal consistency, and concurrent validity were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a multidimensional bifactor structure. Good internal consistency and concurrent validity were established. Results indicated that the Italian version of the Gratitude Resentment and Appreciation Test-Revised Short (GRAT-RS) is a valid instrument to detect gratitude in the Italian context with workers.

Insight orientation scale: A promising tool for organizational outcomes-A psychometric analysis using item response theory

Insight is a construct carried out into different theoretical orientations with increasing application out of the boundaries of clinical psychology. Recent studies have investigated insight also as a promising variable for organizational outcomes. Given the relevance of Insight in promoting change, this paper aimed at describing the psychometric analysis of one of the shortest, most agile, and most versatile tool for measuring some of the characteristics of insight, the Insight Orientation Scale (IOS), using Item Response Theory. To achieve this goal, we applied a Mixed Rash Model to the IOS. Data from 1,445 individuals were analyzed by the means of WIN-MIRA and Multilog. Based on the likelihood statistics (CAIC) we assumed a three-class solution for the IOS. Results also indicated that the greater part of items had good discrimination and threshold parameters. These findings confirmed psychometric stability of the IOS highlighting its measurement precision, supporting its utility in both research and practice.

The Sustainable Development Goals Psychological Inventory: A Network Analysis in Italian University Students

The Sustainable Development Goals Psychological Inventory (SDGPI) is a recently developed self-report questionnaire that assesses interest, motivation, and self-efficacy associated with each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advanced by the United Nations. This study aims to investigate, via network analysis, (a) the relationships between interest, motivation, and self-efficacy for each SDG and (b) the most central SDGs. To this end, 417 Italian university students (73.9% females and 26.1% males; mean age: 22.20; DS = 3.02) were assessed through the SDGPI, and two network structures were estimated. The first network structure investigates links (edges) between interest, motivation, and self-efficacy in relation to each specific SDG. The second network structure investigates most central SDGs as the sum of interest, motivation, and self-efficacy for each specific SDG. Regarding results, the first network structure showed that five SDGs had strong and statistically significant edges between interest, motivation, and self-efficacy; seven SDGs had strong and statistically significant edges between interest and motivation but not self-efficacy; five SDGs had no statistically significant edges linking the other dimensions. The second network structure revealed that SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 7 (Affordable and clean energy) were the most central nodes. Implications for research, tailor-made interventions, and prevention were discussed.

EntreComp Questionnaire: A Self-Assessment Tool for Entrepreneurship Competencies

The European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp) offers a comprehensive description of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that people need to develop for an entrepreneurial mindset. The use of the framework as a self-assessment tool has garnered attention, but there is scarce presence of instruments that address the whole set of competencies proposed by Entrecomp. In view of the lack of specific tools, the objective of this research was to assess the evidence of validity and reliability of a new questionnaire. The sample was composed of 742 college students from several Spanish universities between 17- and 64-years-old, with 34.6% being men and 65.4% being women. To evaluate the validity based on relationships with other measures, the Entrepreneurial Intention and Entrepreneurial Self-Capital scales were also administered. Confirmatory factor analysis showed an internal structure made up of four dimensions: Ideas and Opportunities, Personal Resources, Specific Knowledge, and Into Action. The results showed satisfactory evidence of validity based on relationships with Entrepreneurial Intention and Entrepreneurial Self-Capital and good reliability. The questionnaire has good psychometric properties and can be an easy and useful tool for the self-assessment of entrepreneurial competencies within the EntreComp framework.

The Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development: Advancing Decent Work, Inclusivity, and Positive Strength-Based Primary Preventive Interventions for Vulnerable Workers

This study discusses the contribution of the psychology of sustainability and sustainable development to the wellbeing of vulnerable workers. The psychology of sustainability and sustainable development is a current area of the research study in the field of sustainability science. It deals with sustainability as a framework to recognize and integrate the value of the psychological approach in the construction of processes linked to sustainable development. Accordingly, the psychology of sustainability and sustainable development could provide sustainable development processes for the employment of vulnerable workers. The contribution starts with the definition of the coordinates of a sustainable development process for vulnerable workers, anchoring it to the principles of decent work and inclusivity. Subsequently, positive variables involved in the sustainable development processes and their relationship with decent work and inclusivity are discussed. Moreover, positive healthy organizations are introduced as work environments capable to take care of the wellbeing, also, of vulnerable workers. Lastly, the applications of positive strength-based primary preventive interventions for vulnerable workers are analyzed. Perspectives for further research studies and interventions are also examined.

Constructing Well-Being in Organizations: First Empirical Results on Job Crafting, Personality Traits, and Insight

The construct of job crafting is gaining increasing attention in the research and practice of work psychology in light of the positive effects it has on workers and the organizational context. On this basis, the present study aimed to explore the associations between the Big Five personality traits and job crafting (and its subdimensions, individual job crafting and collaborative job crafting), as well as investigating the role of insight in mediating these relationships. A sample of 159 Italian workers took part in the study and completed the self-report measures. Results showed a positive association between extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness and job crafting (total), individual job crafting, and collaborative job crafting, with significant mediations of insight orientation. Openness was positively associated with job crafting (total) and individual job crafting, but not with the collaborative subdimension, with insight orientation that mediated existing relationships. Emotional stability and job crafting (total) or its subdimensions were found to have no significant relationships. These findings suggest that insight orientation could represent a promising resource for job crafting, both in terms of primary prevention, strength-based prevention, and healthy organizations.

To be or not to be: paradoxes and dilemmas faced by middle managers in Malaysian public service during organizational change

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the antecedents of acceptance of change on Administrative Diplomatic Officers (ADO) from the Management and Professional Group in the Malaysian public service organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 400 respondents were selected from 6904 ADO who served in Malaysian public service organizations. Data for this study were collected using self-administered questionnaires to study the direct relationship of individual and environmental factors toward acceptance of change; and the impact of organizational support as mediator on the relationship of environmental factors on professionals' acceptance behavior on organizational change. The paper uses quantitative research design, and the hypotheses formulated for this study were tested using SEM AMOS.

Findings

The study revealed that organizational support, attitude toward change, subjective norms and social influences all have significantly direct effect on acceptance to change. In contrast, results showed that locus of control has no direct influence on dependent variable. The results of mediation model analysis suggested that organizational support partially mediates the relationship of subjective norms on acceptance of change.

Research limitations/implications

The population of this study was only involved ADO as middle managers in Malaysia public service organizations. The author's choice of sample limits the generalizability of the results. However, the choice made was instrumental, convinced in reaching a good and rich set of data. It is thus enabled to obtain an ample understanding of the dynamics in the case.

Practical implications

Perceived organizational support should be crucial element taken by human resource development practitioners in Malaysian public service in ensuring that Management and Professional Groups smoothly adapted to organizational changes through subjective norms and social influence.

Social implications

Present study is essential to provide empirical mapping of a hitherto unexplored acceptance of change within the predictor variables examined in this research. By providing a better understanding of public servants' acceptance of change through research variables, this may then improve their service to deliver government work plans and achieving goals.

Originality/value

The findings of this study extend the knowledge of acceptance of change behavior in the context of Management and Professional Group in Malaysia public service. The integration between selected individual and environmental variables toward acceptance of change behavior with mediating variable of perceived organizational support adds values to the body of knowledge toward understanding the process of acceptance of change behavior. The scientific contribution of this paper created an empirical evidence of unexplored area of acceptance of organizational change within the Management and Professional Group, highlighting that the middle managers in public sector organizations veritably believe they are responsible for their own success.

How Can Organizational Justice Contribute to Job Satisfaction? A Chained Mediation Model

The maintenance of workers’ job satisfaction plays a central role among strategies supporting human capital, as it seems to be an important protective variable determining employees’ well-being and individual and organizational performances. Thus, the aim of the present research was to analyze the contribution of different dispositional and organizational variables that could affect individual job satisfaction, particularly focusing on the direct and indirect effects of acceptance of change with the mediation of organizational justice and its subdimensions. A total of 179 Italian workers (41% men, 59% women; mean age = 47 years old; SD = 10.87) completed the Acceptance of Change Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale and Organizational Justice Scale. Results showed a significant influence of acceptance of change on job satisfaction, also highlighting a partial mediation effect of organizational justice. Furthermore, when the latter was explored in depth by considering its subdimensions (procedural, distributive, informational, interpersonal justice) as mediators, a significant chained total-mediation model emerged. Such findings can provide useful indications for research and intervention to favor workers’ job satisfaction in several job contexts.

Design of a Training Model for Remote Management of Patients Hospitalized at Home

Purpose

Hospitalization at Home (HaH) has proven to be more efficient and effective than conventional one, but it also requires a higher number of resources and specialised personnel. Information technologies can make this process scalable and allow physicians and nurses to deliver remote healthcare services for patients hospitalized at home. However, a correct and satisfactory usage of technology requires an adequate training of professionals and patients. This paper describes a new model for training healthcare professionals on managing remote ICT-based services for Hospitalization at Home.

Methods

The model was defined based on mix-method that combined the PICO model and a User Centred Design methodology, oriented to identify and discover the healthcare professionals needs and the training instruments in the literature that directly involved these professionals. These aspects were used in the definition and development of the assessment framework of the proposed training model.

Results

A training model for healthcare professionals focused on achieving an effective uptake of complex digital interventions such as Hospitalization at Home was defined. The selected mix-method led to the identification of four different blocks, that were considered as the main areas to include in a training programme. The model identifies measurable elements for assessing acceptability, workability increment and integration into daily clinical practice outcomes, as well as for evaluating the proposed training content and its outcomes.

Conclusions

The proposed training model highlights the key aspects of training health professionals to favour an effective and successful implementation of complex technological healthcare interventions in the context of ICT-based HaH ICT.

Value Created by Culture in the Context of Sustainable Development: a Case Study of the Baltic States

Culture is playing an increasingly important role in achieving sustainable development goals in countries. The value created by culture is important and an integral part of each country’s economy. The article is designed to establish the relationship between the value created by culture and the implementation of countries’ sustainable development goals through a detailed conceptualization of culture as an integral part of sustainable development. Conceptualization seeks to integrate culture into the concept of sustainable development by giving it three distinct roles in the process of evaluating sustainable development. The paper examines in detail the goals of sustainable development and their links with culture, highlighting the indicators that have been further used in the research. To assess the contribution of culture to the national economy, the number of cultural enterprises, value added in the cultural sector and turnover were estimated in order to compare employment in the cultural sector in different EU28 countries, and Min / Max indices were calculated. The study identified the relationship between the goals of sustainable development and the value created by culture, using a measure of connection strength. Statistical analysis of the data undoubtedly confirms that cultural contribution to the achievement of the SDGs is significant as there is a very strong positive relationship between the cultural value index and the SDGs achieved in all three case studies.

Predisposition to Change Is Linked to Job Satisfaction: Assessing the Mediation Roles of Workplace Relation Civility and Insight

The globalization processes typical of liquid modern society require organizations to have high levels of flexibility, dynamism, and rapidity of change, testing the adaptability of workers with possible repercussions on well-being and productivity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of several psychological factors in favoring job satisfaction in a group of organizational workers (mean age = 46.24; SD = 9.99; 40.9% males and 59.1% females). Firstly, the impact of predisposition to change on job satisfaction through workplace relational civility (others with me) or insight orientation as independent mediating variables was analyzed. After that, this relationship was also studied by testing the effect that the simultaneous interaction of both mediators could have. Results show that workplace relational civility (others with me) significantly mediated the relationship between predisposition to change and job satisfaction, while no significance was found in the effect of insight when considered individually. However, the latter acquires greater relevance if placed in interaction with the other mediator, that is found to be the most proximal factor linking job satisfaction to the other more distal variables. Such findings might have a relevant role in strengthening preventive intervening, favoring positive results for greater well-being of both subjects and organizations.

The Impact of Value Created by Culture on Approaching the Sustainable Development Goals: Case of the Baltic States

Culture plays an important role in implementing sustainability principles and approaching sustainable development goals across different countries. This paper aims to analyse the relationship between the value created by culture and the implementation of sustainable development goals of countries. The majority of attention in this research is devoted to composing and calculating the integrated cultural value index, which provides clear linkages between value created by culture and sustainable development goals. An expert survey was conducted, during which experts had to assess indicators by ranking them according to importance. There have been 14 indicators included in total to calculate the integrated cultural value index. The values created by culture in the selected Baltic States have been determined by calculating the weight coefficient of each indicator and providing a composite cultural value index. Statistical data analysis unquestionably confirms that cultural input when implementing sustainable development goals is significant, because there exists a very strong positive relationship between the cultural value index and achieved sustainable development goals in all three case studies.

Intrapreneurial Self-Capital: A Primary Preventive Resource for Twenty-First Century Entrepreneurial Contexts

This article discusses the role of intrapreneurial self-capital (ISC) as a possible primary preventive resource to effectively deal with the complexity of the current entrepreneurial environment. The article deepens both the similarities and differences between ISC and psychological capital and thus proceeds to present the most recent empirical evidence that connects ISC to (1) employability and career decision making, (2) innovative behavior, and (3) well-being. The possibilities for further research and interventions are additionally discussed.

The Unbearable Lightness of the Academic Work: The Positive and Negative Sides of Heavy Work Investment in a Sample of Italian University Professors and Researchers

Universities perform very demanding tasks within a workplace characterized by a critical psychosocial environment. Against this backdrop, the aim of this study is to extend the current literature on the job sustainability of faculty professors, examine the associations of certain job resources (meaningfulness of work, reward) and job demands (work overload, conflict among colleagues) with workaholism, burnout, engagement. A self-report questionnaire was administered within a public higher education institution in Italy to a sample constituted by 291 professors. The results of path analysis show that meaningfulness of work and reward positively correlate with work engagement, work satisfaction, and psychological wellbeing and ward off emotional exhaustion and intention to leave. Work overload correlates positively with workaholism, work-family conflict and intention to leave and negatively with job satisfaction. Finally, workaholism correlates with work engagement and mediates the relationship between work overload and work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and psychological discomfort. The study highlights that to support the work of academic workers and build healthy and sustainable universities, it is necessary to promote job resources and control job demands. Moreover, the study highlights that work engagement and workaholism can be respectively considered as the positive and negative sides of heavy work investment.

The Psychology of Harmony and Harmonization: Advancing the Perspectives for the Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development

After delineating the roots of harmony in the literature from both the Eastern and the Western perspectives, the paper introduces the new Psychology of harmony in terms of harmonization that widens the perspective calling for psychological contributions regarding components, processes and building strengths in a preventive perspective. The complex construction of Harmony from a psychological perspective underlines the concept of relationality. Harmony results at three main points, with oneself, with others, and with nature/the natural world, also taking into account the spatial and temporal perspectives. The Psychology of harmony as harmonization represents a pillar for a new research area in the psychology of sustainability and sustainable development, considering harmonization in geographical and temporal perspectives, including meaningful construction processes from the past, to the present, and into the future using reflexivity processes at the individual, group, community, social, and national levels. Introducing the innovative psychology of harmony as harmonization the present article offers promising perspectives for research and intervention with the aim to individuate and foster new strengths from a preventive perspective.

High Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Professionalism (HELP): A New Resource for Workers in the 21st Century

World of work in the 21st century is characterized by instability, insecurity, and continuous change. To face these challenges of the post-modern era, workers are required to use their personal resources. A new construct called high entrepreneurship, leadership, and professionalism (HELP) is a preventive resource that helps maintain, improve, and find work in uncertain or dynamic conditions. This study aims to examine the personality correlates of HELP in Italian workers and identify different clusters based on HELP and other variables, such as workplace relational civility and flourishing. To this end, the following instruments were administered to 204 Italian workers: the HELP questionnaire, the Big Five Questionnaire, the Workplace Relational Civility Scale, and the Flourishing Scale. The personality correlates of HELP underscored the role of conscientiousness (and its subdimension perseverance) and extraversion (and its subdimension dominance). The cluster analysis identified three clusters characterized by high, average, and low HELP scores. Participants in the first cluster with high HELP scores appeared to possess higher perseverance, dominance, workplace relational civility, especially readiness, and higher flourishing than those in the other two groups. The present results can open new opportunities for future research and interventions in a primary prevention perspective to foster resources for workers and healthy organizations in the 21st century.

Re-thinking Innovation in Organizations in the Industry 4.0 Scenario: New Challenges in a Primary Prevention Perspective

In organizations, innovation is considered a relevant aspect of success and long-term survival. Organizations recognize that innovation contributes to creating competitive advantages in a more competitive, challenging and changing labor market. The present contribution addresses innovation in organizations in the scenario of Industry 4.0, including technological innovation and psychological innovation. Innovation is a core concept in this framework to face the challenge of globalized and fluid labor market in the 21st century. Reviewing the definition of innovation, the article focuses on innovative work behaviors and the relative measures. This perspective article also suggests new directions in a primary prevention perspective for future research and intervention relative to innovation and innovative work behaviors in the organizational context.

Gratitude in Organizations: A Contribution for Healthy Organizational Contexts

This article reviews the construct of gratitude. Gratitude has been shown to be a fundamental resource for strengthening individual well-being. From a positive psychology perspective, gratitude is recognized as a promising opportunity for individuals because it can be enhanced through specific training according to a primary prevention framework. In organizations, gratitude is now thought to be crucial to employees' efficiency, success, and productivity while also improving organizational citizenship behaviors, prosocial organizational behavior, and the organizational climate. Thus, gratitude is noteworthy because it increases positive relationships, social support, and workers' well-being, reduces negative emotions at the workplace, and enhances organizational health and success. This perspective article concludes by suggesting new directions for gratitude research and intervention in the organizational context.

In an Unpredictable and Changing Environment: Intrapreneurial Self-Capital As a Key Resource for Life Satisfaction and Flourishing

The twenty-first century is characterized by an unpredictable and challenging work environment, and the Intrapreneurial Self-Capital (ISC) career and life construct can be seen as a core of individual intrapreneurial resources that enables people to cope with ongoing challenges, changes, and transitions founding innovative solutions when confronted with the constraints imposed by such an environment. The ISC is a challenging construct since it can enhance behavior and attitudes through specific training, unlike personality traits, which are considered substantially stable in the literature. Against this background, the present study examined the relationship between ISC and well-being (hedonic well-being and eudaimonic well-being) controlling for the effects of personality traits. The Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ), the Intrapreneurial Self-Capital Scale (ISCS), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and the Flourishing Scale (FS) were administered to 258 Italian workers. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that ISC explained a percentage of incremental variance beyond that explained by personality traits in relation to both life satisfaction and flourishing. These results indicate that ISC is a key resource for hedonic well-being and eudaimonic well-being and that it offers new research and intervention opportunities.

The Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development for Well-Being in Organizations

This article discusses the contribution of the psychology of sustainability and sustainable development to well-being in organizations from a primary prevention perspective. It deals with sustainability not only in terms of the ecological, economic, and social environment but also in terms of improving the quality of life of every human being. The psychology of sustainability and sustainable development is seen as a primary prevention perspective that can foster well-being in organizations at all the different levels going from the worker, to the group, to the organization, and also to inter-organizational processes. The possibilities for further research and interventions are also discussed.

High Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Professionalism (HELP): Toward an Integrated, Empirically Based Perspective

This article evaluates the psychometric properties of a new measure for assessing the constructs of entrepreneurship, leadership, and professionalism, from an integrated point of view, the High Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Professionalism Questionnaire (HELP-Q). Exploratory factor analysis indicated a factor structure with three principal dimensions, and confirmatory factor analysis and goodness of fit indices indicated a good fit of the model to the data. All the dimensions showed good values of internal consistency. The results of the study thus indicate that the HELP-Q is a short and easily administered instrument with good psychometric properties that can promote entrepreneurship, leadership, and professionalism in workers as well as in those who are preparing to enter the turbulent 21st century labor market.

The Challenge of Fostering Healthy Organizations: An Empirical Study on the Role of Workplace Relational Civility in Acceptance of Change and Well-Being

The world of work in the twenty-first century is characterized by globalization, instability, and unavoidable change. Organizations need to develop a positive relational environment in the workplace thereby enabling workers to enhance their personal resources in order to face with on-going changes in the sphere of work for promoting their well-being. Against this background, the aim of this research was to examine the relationship between workplace relational civility and both acceptance of change and well-being (hedonic well-being as well as eudaimonic well-being) beyond the effect of personality traits. The following instruments were administered to 261 Italian workers: the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI), the Acceptance of Change Scale (ACS), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and the Meaningful Life Measure (MLM). The results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that workplace relational civility explained a percentage of incremental variance beyond personality traits in relation to acceptance of change, life satisfaction, and meaning in life. These results underscore the positive relationship between workplace relational civility and acceptance of change, hedonic well-being, and eudaimonic well-being, offering new research and intervention opportunities to meet the challenge of fostering healthy organizations.

Positive Relational Management for Healthy Organizations: Psychometric Properties of a New Scale for Prevention for Workers

This contribution aims at evaluating the psychometric properties of the Positive Relational Management Scale (PRMS) in a sample of 251 Italian workers. The dimensionality, reliability, and concurrent validity of the scale were investigated. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a correlated three-dimensional version of the scale, comprising Respect, Caring, and Connectedness. Latent correlations among the dimensions were moderate-to-strong (0.44-0.57), but suggestive of the multidimensionality of the scores. In addition, good internal consistency was confirmed. The concurrent validity is good as the Pearson's correlations between PRMS and measure for social support, life satisfaction, life meaningfulness, and flourishing range from 0.39 to 0.52. The results indicate that the PRMS is a valid instrument for measuring positive relational management at work in the Italian context within a positive preventive perspective.

Assessing Workplace Relational Civility (WRC) with a New Multidimensional "Mirror" Measure

This article first introduces a new psychological construct and then presents the psychometric properties of a new multidimensional measure for assessing workplace relational civility (WRC). This new self-report mirror measure has two specular sections (Part A-Me with others; Part B-Others with me) that can assess individuals' relational patterns regarding civility and that can help reduce the bias in the assessment process. The results of exploratory factor analysis revealed a factor structure with three robust dimensions [relational decency (RD), relational culture (RCu), and relational readiness (RR)] exhibiting good values of internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis showed, in turn, a good fit of the model to the data. The correlations between the sections of the measure and the 11 instruments used were significant and in the expected directions. These results suggest that this new, brief mirror measure for assessing WRC can be easily employed in different organizational contexts to open different typologies of actions on the basis of the three dimensions, thereby facilitating the construction of a safer and more decent relational work environment.