Caterina Gozzoli

Connecting Personal History and Organizational Context: Suggestions for Developing Educational Programs for Youth Soccer Coaches

Literature underscores the complex role of coaches in sport organizations, especially in youth sectors. Their need for support, not only on the technical level, is emerging. In recent years an interesting international debate has evolved regarding what education is most suitable to support coach development. The article intends to enter this debate by proposing an educational model for youth soccer coaches. This educational proposal is the outcome of reflection that originated from various experiences with about 110 Italian youth soccer coaches over the past six years. The first part is dedicated to a review of the literature on coaching education, and the second to the educational model presented (e.g., theoretical background, characteristics, setting, outcomes, and considerations regarding the management of this educational process). The strength of this model was precisely to have put some recurrent issues in dialogue with the specific organizational contexts in which the educational programs were implemented.

Managing participatory action research in a health-care service experiencing conflicts

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to explore why it was considered useful and how it was possible to conduct a participatory action research (PAR) in a health‐care service experiencing conflictual dynamics (which affected service quality) and on the challenges this entailed. Specific attention is given to the action researchers’ role.Design/methodology/approach – A methodological reflection is developed starting from theoretical considerations and a case study. In response to the committee groups request concerning the need to better understand and manage the criticalities and conflict episodes faced by a service for sufferers of Alzheimers disease, the authors proposed and realized a PAR. The PAR is described considering: the process, some outcomes, the functions and actions performed by the action researchers, and the dilemmas and challenges they faced.Findings – The case study revealed it was fundamental for the action researchers to perform a constant mediating function when conducting a PAR in ...

Living and Working Together in Organizations: Traces and Ways

This article explores the state of the art in relation to the theme of living and working together in organizations and proposes a new theoretical model. A thorough examination of literature highlights that there are almost no works specifically coping with this theme, defining its theoretical perspective and specifying the choice of proposed indicators. Several, instead, are the works indirectly dealing with living and working together in organizations, mostly considered equivalent to the quality of interpersonal relationships, or developed starting from the theme of diversity and conflict. In reference to the social context, an important defining effort was carried out by Renzo Carli, who defines living together [convivenza in Italian] as the symbolic component of a social relationship, generated by three components: belonging systems, strangers and rules of the game. Living together means integrating these three elements of a relationship in order to create innovative products. This article proposes a review of this model, specifically designed for the organizational field. Living and working together in organizations is meant as the result of the cross among Identity, Otherness, and Work Purpose, within specific organizational Cultures of Diversity. Starting from this model, in dialogue with long-lasting research and intervention experience in various organizational contexts, we propose forms of living and working together in organizations that were empirically pointed out: generative-efficient, affiliating, performance-based, and chaotic-paralyzing styles.

The social relevance and social impact of knowledge and knowing

The concept of the relevance of knowledge and the relationship between theory and practice has been widely addressed and discussed, for example, in a number of journal Special Issues including Organization Studies (2009 and 2010), the Journal of Management Studies (2009), and the British Journal of Management (2011). In the search to balance “scientific rigour” with “practical relevance” (Eikeland and Nicolini, 2011), various modes of knowledge have been proposed: Mode 1 scientific, Mode 2 contextual (Gibbons et al., 1994), Mode 3 diverse stakeholders (Huff and Huff, 2001), and Mode 0 patronage (Bresnen and Burrell, 2012). The question lying at the heart of this debate seems to be whether organization studies has anything meaningful and relevant to say (Alvesson, 2012).

‘Ndrangheta in Lombardy: Culture and Organizational Structure

This work aims at thoroughly studying a phenomenon that today is still not really discussed (i.e., the criminal organization called ‘Ndrangheta). We will particularly deal with the culture and organizational structure of this Mafia phenomenon and analyze its new territories of infiltration and domination (the region of Lombardy, in Northern Italy) after its migration from its original territory (the region of Calabria in Southern Italy). From the review of the existing literature on ‘Ndrangheta, we can actually point out that the contributions on the theme deal with the Mafia phenomenon, circumscribing it in its original territory, therefore mostly adopting a sociological and historical viewpoint. Up to today, nobody addressed ‘Ndrangheta outside these territorial boundaries and adopting a psychological viewpoint, which is the one this contribution starts from. In more specific terms, a text is analyzed, which is composed by the reports of the pre-trial detention order called Crimine-Infinito [Endless Crime], promoted by investigators in 2010 and so far one of the most relevant actions to fight against ‘Ndrangheta.

Revealing the Difference: Between Conflict Mediation and Law Enforcement—Living and Working Together as a Conceptual and Methodological Turning Point to Activate Transformation in a Juvenile Criminal Mediation Service

This article aims at proposing the construct of living and working together in organizations as an interpretation and tool proposed in a Juvenile Criminal Mediation Service, in order to highlight how important it was as a turning point in activating the working groups reflexive function as far as their sense of belonging, otherness, culture of diversity, and work subject matter are concerned and start an important transformation process in the very service delivery. Our proposal finds its roots in a follow-up experience regarding the aforementioned service, which has been taking place for almost three years. It was structured in three different phases: a research phase evaluating process and results of the activity that was carried out; a phase of monitoring the mediation practice; a research-action phase in a clinical perspective on the working groups operating mode. The leverage of living and working together in organizations is specifically proposed as far as this last working phase is concerned, lasting approximately ten months.

When training becomes incentive for generative living and working together in organizations

This article has come about from two considerations: on one hand, living together in a work environment is becoming more and more challenging; on the other, training professionals at work represents a used and relevant action incentive in order to support and improve individual, group, and organizational development. In light of the fact that organizations are asking more and more complex questions, this work aims at developing a reflection on how adopting a certain perspective and educational method is particularly suitable to support the organization to achieve substantial outcomes, such as developing generative living and working together in organizations. In this article, we will analyze two illustrative cases, underlining evolution and learning process with a particular focus on the consequences of living and working together in organizations.

Living and Working Together in Organizations: Theme Relevance—An Introduction

Living together has always been a complex challenge. As a matter of fact, people interact, develop relationships, produce, and share spaces and time in organizations, with no chance to choose each ...

Can sport include people? Risks and chances

Resumen en: This paper aims at contributing to the reflection on sport regarded as a potential tool for the development of community bonds and social inclusion. Firs...

DETERMINANTS OF BLOOD DONATION: A STUDY ON ORGANIZATIONAL SATISFACTION

The present research aims at investigating if motivations and social norms can determine satisfaction with organization – understood as an indicator of organizational well-being – in blood donation. Moreover, this study analyses the relations of organizational satisfaction on integration in the organization and identification with it in order to pursue research on prosocial behaviour volunteer retention. 2464 blood donors were contacted. The present work has important applicative implications as it can give guidance to blood donation organizations regarding factors determining attraction and maintenance of donors.