Work and organizational psychology (2017/2018)

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Course code
4S02441
Name of lecturer
Riccardo Sartori
Coordinator
Riccardo Sartori
Number of ECTS credits allocated
12
Academic sector
M-PSI/06 - WORK AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Language of instruction
Italian
Location
VERONA
Period
Sem. IIA, Sem. IIB

Lesson timetable

Go to lesson schedule

Learning outcomes

This is mainly a course of psychology, academic discipline dealing with human behavior and its underlying cognitive and emotional constructs. In particular, Work and Organizational Psychology deals with psychological aspects (of cognitive, emotional and behavioral kind) connected to work and organizational contexts. Among the first ones, we can find intelligence (which is mainly a cognitive construct), motivation (which is mainly an emotional construct) and commitment (which is mainly a behavioral construct). Among the second ones, we can find the sense of belonging to a working group and to an organization (which can affect both positively and negatively on social identity), role dynamics and conflict. Following the typical research and intervention line that comes from individuals to organizations through groups, the course specifically deals with:

Syllabus

1.1. The individual at work and in organizations
- Cognitive characteristics: intelligence and convictions:
o Scale for the IQ determination (Stanford-Binet, Wechsler, ecc.);
o Aptitude tests;
o Opinions and attitudes;
o Gardner (multiple intelligences) and Goleman (emotional intelligence).

- Emotional characteristics: needs and motivations:
o Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, self-centered and other-centered motivations;
o Maslow’s hierarchy of needs;
o Rogers’ self-actualization;
o Herzberg’s two factor theory.

- Behavioral characteristics: abilities and competences:
o Abilities, capacities, skills and competences;
o Job evaluation (job description; job analysis; task analysis);
o Performance evaluation (performance);
o Potential evaluation: from work behaviors to underlying constructs.


1.2. Working group and group work: organizational dynamics
- Cooperation vs. Competition;
- Inclusion vs. Exclusion;
- Cohesion vs. Conflict (functional conflict and pathological conflict, Tajfel);
- Leadership vs. Membership (Lewin, Likert, Fiedler e Bass)
- Dependence vs. Autonomy
- Task orientation (operating effectiveness) vs. relational orientation (interactive effectiveness) – Bass.


1.3. Organization and orgnizational functions
- Organizational Development (Bennis e Schein):
o Assessment and selection (Assessment Center and Development Center);
o Training (knowledge, abilities, attitudes);
o Vocational guidance (mentoring, tutoring and coaching);
- Cultures, sub-cultures and counter-cultures;
- Diversity Management;
- Organizational and safety climate: stress, mobbing, burnout and accidents at work.

Reference books
Author Title Publisher Year ISBN Note
Argentero P. & Fiabane E. (a cura di) Il rientro al lavoro. Integrazione e occupabilità nei contesti professionali (Edizione 1) Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milano 2016 978-88-6030-819-1
Sartori R. Metodi e tecniche di indagine e intervento in psicologia (Edizione 1) LED, Milano 2011
Asleigh M. & Mansi A. (con Di Stefano G.) Psicologia del lavoro e delle organizzazioni (Edizione 1) Pearson Italia, Milano-Torino 2014 9788865183809
Fraccaroli F. & Balducci C. Stress e rischi psicosociali nelle organizzazioni, (Edizione 1) il Mulino, Bologna 2014 978-88-15-15071-4

Assessment methods and criteria

The exam will be written and will be composed of a variable number of open and closed questions drawn by the books to be studied for the exam. I do not use a rigid and structured form of written exam, meaning that the closed questions sometimes are present and sometimes are not. The open questions are always present and generally they are three. Generally speaking, I give 10 points for each question so that the sum is 30, but, I repeat, I do not use a rigid and structured form of written exam. At the end of the lessons, I show examples of my written exams.

STUDENT MODULE EVALUATION - 2017/2018


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