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1 – 10 of 17Riccardo Sartori, Arianna Costantini and Andrea Ceschi
Psychological assessment refers to the process whereby different methods and techniques are used to test hypotheses about people and their psychological characteristics…
Abstract
Purpose
Psychological assessment refers to the process whereby different methods and techniques are used to test hypotheses about people and their psychological characteristics. Understanding employees' psychological makeup is key to allow effective human resource management, from hiring to retirement. However, the gap between scientific evidence and organizational practices dealing with psychological assessment is still great.
Design/methodology/approach
General review along with case study
Findings
This paper shows the differences between research and practice, i.e. between what scientific evidence suggests to assess people from a psychological point of view reliably and what practitioners do when they want to reach the same goal.
Originality/value
At the end of the article, two examples of integration between research and practice are presented. We discuss how methods and techniques of psychological assessment can be developed to both respect scientific criteria and meet specific organizational needs.
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Keywords
Francesco Tommasi, Marco Perini and Riccardo Sartori
Given the exponential and massive technological disruption in work that Industry 4.0 will lead to, nowadays, authors and practitioners within the field of education and…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the exponential and massive technological disruption in work that Industry 4.0 will lead to, nowadays, authors and practitioners within the field of education and training are witnessing increased attention on the features of and threats to employability and integration in current labor transformations. The purpose of this paper is to address current education and training challenges as related to the fourth industrial revolution by investigating which skills and competences will be crucial for the 4.0 era.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative field study with semi-structured interviews has been conducted. Qualitative data on a sample of N = 16 vocational training experts has been analyzed via the grounded theory approach for a bottom-up perspective on Industry 4.0 competences.
Findings
Data analysis revealed a partial consensus between current scientific literature and practitioners' views on skills and competences for Industry 4.0. Indeed, practioners support the need for a mix of competences comprising the broad group of disciplines of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), technical skills and transversal competences. Moreover, the perspective of practitioners supports a multilevel comprehension of the needs of Industry 4.0 for education and training. Drawing on these findings, an evaluation tool for an applied field intervention for inclusion in the labor market is proposed.
Originality/value
The paper advances current knowledge within the field of education and training by proposing a novel perspective to address market integration as a means to tackle the risk of technological disruption.
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Riccardo Sartori and Arianna Costantini
This study aims to test the effectiveness of a training intervention based on the psychology of perception, delivered to young Italian workers and employees, with low…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to test the effectiveness of a training intervention based on the psychology of perception, delivered to young Italian workers and employees, with low education, hired with an apprenticeship contract and involved in a compulsory training course (duration 32 h; the training intervention reported in the paper covers the first 8 h) whose aim was to let them develop such relational competencies as communication and cooperation with others.
Design/methodology/approach
By making use of optical-geometric illusions and ambiguous figures, participants were accompanied through a training intervention with the dual purpose of undermining their naive certainties about why they see what they see and increasing their awareness of how the perceptual processes work. At the beginning of the intervention, at the end of the 32 h (that is, after about a month) and after about one year from the end of the course, participants were administered a questionnaire to monitor the results of the training course by measuring their “perception awareness”.
Findings
“Perception awareness” increased from the beginning to the end of the course and still scored higher after one year. “Perception awareness” was positively related to communication and cooperation.
Originality/value
Although the literature is full of training courses delivered to improve communication and cooperation with others, little research has been carried out on perception-based training interventions delivered to young adults with low education hired with an apprenticeship contract for which this kind of training is compulsory.
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Federica Bocciardi, Andrea Caputo, Chiara Fregonese, Viviana Langher and Riccardo Sartori
In the current labour market, the competence to adapt is becoming significantly relevant for career development and career success. The construct of career adaptability…
Abstract
Purpose
In the current labour market, the competence to adapt is becoming significantly relevant for career development and career success. The construct of career adaptability, i.e. the capability to adapt to changing career-related circumstances and predict advancement in career development, seems to provide a fruitful scientific base for successful career intervention. The purpose of the study is exploratory, with the aim of providing new findings about the key predictors of this meta-competence that are relevant for career development.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a web-based survey, a convenience sample of 230 working participants completed an online questionnaire, including socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, education), professional status (role seniority, sector of employment, professional role), professional development-related features (training, new professional assignments, financial incentives) and psychological factors (work self-efficacy, search for work self-efficacy and job satisfaction). Four-step hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to understand which of these factors account for the most career adaptability variance.
Findings
Results highlight that work self-efficacy, search for work self-efficacy and education play a significant role in predicting career adaptability. Surprisingly, professional development-related features and professional status do not seem to have a relevant influence.
Practical implications
Training and career-development professionals can improve their understanding of which career-related skills and attitudes can increase one’s capability to cope with sudden changes and instability of the current labour market.
Originality/value
This study supports previous research, addressing the importance of career adaptability in times of dramatic change. It also provides some insight into the factors that could predict it.
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Riccardo Sartori, Arianna Costantini and Giuseppe Tacconi
Francesco Tommasi, Andrea Ceschi, Riccardo Sartori, Marija Gostimir, Giulia Passaia, Silvia Genero and Silvia Belotto
The alignment between the labour market and initial vocational education and training (IVET) is placing always more importance on technical knowledge and skills, whilst…
Abstract
Purpose
The alignment between the labour market and initial vocational education and training (IVET) is placing always more importance on technical knowledge and skills, whilst metacognitive competences such as critical thinking and media literacy are increasingly neglected. In the context of IVET, this results in authors and practitioners paying always more attention to how to devise possible training interventions, with the double aim of implementing their educational pathways and enhancing students’ critical thinking and media literacy. This paper aims to report the state of the art concerning such processes of enhancement in IVET students.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted the method of systematic scoping review to address the research questions on how to enhance critical thinking and media literacy in the context of IVET.
Findings
The paper presents the analyses of the n = 19 contributions collected. Then, it proposes an initial conceptualization of the dimensions of critical thinking and media literacy. Moreover, by combining evidence from various contributions, the review proposes implications for educational practices and strategies. Around these pieces of knowledge, further avenues of research and practice are proposed.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the literature on critical thinking and media literacy in the context of IVET by advancing initial comprehensive conceptualizations of the two dimensions. Moreover, the study advances initial practical implications for teachers and trainers for the development of training interventions.
Originality/value
The originality of the present review rests in its proposal of definitions of critical thinking and media literacy; moreover, it widens the discussion of practices on how to enhance such metacognitive competences. Indeed, the study identifies the teaching and training practices meant to enhance critical thinking and media literacy and proposes applied implications in the context of IVET.
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Andrea Ceschi, Arianna Costantini, Susan D. Phillips and Riccardo Sartori
This paper aims to link findings from laboratory-based decision-making research and decision-making competence (DMC) aspects that may be central for career-related…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to link findings from laboratory-based decision-making research and decision-making competence (DMC) aspects that may be central for career-related decision-making processes. Past research has identified individual differences in rational responses in decision situations, which the authors refer to as DMC. Although there is a robust literature on departures from rational responses focused on heuristics and biases (H&B) in decision-making, such evidence is largely confined to group-level differences observed in psychology laboratories and has not been extended to the realm of career development and workforce behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
By first introducing the concept of DMC and contextualizing it within organizations and the work environment, the paper outlines a review on recent development concerning debiasing interventions in organizations and provides insights on how these may be effective with regard to organizational performance and individual career development.
Findings
The contribution presents a perspective to improve knowledge about career decision-making competence (C-DMC) by presenting an approach linking decision-making research to interventions aiming at managing H&B and systematic misperceptions in career processes.
Originality/value
This contribution is one of the few linking decision-making research to the applied context of organizations and of career competences. Moreover, while some research has treated decision-making skills as traits, this contribution provides support to consider them developable as competencies.
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Arianna Costantini, Andrea Ceschi, Anna Viragos, Francesco De Paola and Riccardo Sartori
This study aims to investigate the relationship between organisation-based self-esteem (OBSE) and work engagement during a new strength-based intervention over nine months.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the relationship between organisation-based self-esteem (OBSE) and work engagement during a new strength-based intervention over nine months.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 82 workers composed of 70 sales consultants and 12 area-managers working in an Italian pharmaceutical company received a one-day training based on the FAMILY approach, three times for nine months, with a three-month lag between each workshop. Self-reported measures of OBSE and work engagement were collected before and after each workshop.
Findings
Results showed that final levels of both OBSE and work engagement were significantly higher compared to baseline. Moreover, results from a multiple mediation analysis showed that the direct and indirect relationships between OBSE and work engagement changed at different time points, which may have been related to the different contents of the workshops.
Originality/value
This study provides initial evidence suggesting that organisations could leverage on medium-term interventions to provide employees active guidance on how to use their strengths at work, likely to boost higher employees’ positive perceptions of themselves as organisational members and work engagement.
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Francesco Tommasi, Andrea Ceschi, Joshua Weller, Arianna Costantini, Giulia Passaia, Marija Gostimir and Riccardo Sartori
This paper aims to empirically compare the degree to which two technological interventions, based on the computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to empirically compare the degree to which two technological interventions, based on the computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and the technology acceptance model (TAM), were associated with a different incidence of financial biases.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design. The authors randomly assigned the participants (N = 507) to one of two training conditions or a control group, and in turn, we assessed the incidence of financial biases after the training interventions.
Findings
Participants who took part in the TAM-based group reported lower financial biases than those in the CSCL-based training group and the control group.
Research limitations/implications
Literature suggests that two educational approaches, i.e. the CSCL and the TAM, can implement individuals’ financial decision-making. These educational approaches involve technology to support individuals in reducing the incidence of cognitive biases. This study contributes by advancing empirical evidence on technological supports for interventions to improve financial decision-making.
Practical implications
Suboptimal decision-making may lead to adverse consequences both at the individual and social levels. This paper contributes to the literature on debiasing interventions by offering initial evidence on technological-based interventions in the domain of financial decision-making. The authors discuss the application of this evidence in lifelong training.
Originality/value
This study provides evidence on how different technological interventions are associate with a lower incidence of financial biases.
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