Laura Borgogni

The “big five questionnaire”: A new questionnaire to assess the five factor model

Abstract In this paper a new questionnaire for the measurement of the Big Five Factor Model (which includes the factors Extraversion, Agreeableness or Friendliness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability or Neuroticism, and Intellect or Openness to Experience) is presented. The various steps in the development of the questionnaire involved more than 1000 subjects. Internal validity (factorial structure), convergent and discriminant validity, internal consistency and temporal stability, and sex differences in the scale scores are discussed.

Goal Setting and Performance Management in the Public Sector

ABSTRACT The public sector in North America as well as parts of Europe is increasingly adopting a performance management system that includes goal setting, coaching, and the evaluation of an employee on goal attainment. The purpose of this article is three-fold. First, the extant literature on goal setting for individual employees is summarized in terms of its applicability to the public sector. Second, the importance of context to goal setting and performance management in the United States and Italy is discussed. Third, coaching techniques, based on theory and empirical evidence, for increasing the probability of goal attainment by public sector employees are examined.

Does self-efficacy matter for burnout and sickness absenteeism? The mediating role of demands and resources at the individual and team levels

In team-based organizations, team members may share similar experiences, feelings and, consequently, susceptibility to burnout. This study explores the burnout process beyond the individual level of analysis and integrates Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) with the Job Demands-Resources Model (JD-R), emphasizing the role of self-efficacy in shaping the meaning that people ascribe to situations. A multilevel structural equation model was tested in which it was predicted that work self-efficacy beliefs would be associated with burnout both directly and indirectly via job demands and job resources, and at both the individual and the team level. Moreover, it was posited that, at the team level, registered sickness absences are predicted by burnout. A sample of 5406 call centre operators, clustered in 186 teams working in the same large Italian company, filled out a questionnaire, whereas team absence rates were provided by the companys HR department. The findings largely supported the hypothesized model: at both levels, job demands and job resources partially mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and burnout. Moreover, at the team level, burnout predicted subsequent sickness absenteeism. In addition, individual-level burnout was primarily associated with job demands, whereas team-level burnout was primarily associated with a lack of team-level resources.

Teachers’, school staff’s and parents’ efficacy beliefs as determinants of attitudes toward school

Self- and collective efficacy beliefs were examined as correlates of attitudes toward school of teachers, school staff, and parents. 726 teachers, 387 staff members, and 1994 parents from 18 junior high schools in Milan and Rome, Italy, were administered questionnaires assessing self-efficacy beliefs, perceptions about colleagues’ bahavior, collective efficacy beliefs, affective commitment and job satisfaction of teachers and school staff and parents satisfaction with school.Path analyses corroborated a conceptual model in which self- and collective efficacy beliefs represent, respectively, the distal and proximal determinants of affective commitment and job satisfaction for teachers and staff and of satisfaction with school for parents. Perceptions that teachers, staff and parents hold about the behavior of their colleagues largely mediated the links between self- and collective efficacy beliefs. collective efficacy beliefs, in turn, largely mediated the influence that self-efficacy beliefs and perceptions of school constituencies’ behaviors exert on attitudes toward school of teachers, staff and parents.RésuméOn a examiné les convictions de self et collective efficacy comme déterminants de la satisfaction dans le travail des professeurs et du personnel de l’école et la satisfaction des parents à l’égard de l’école. On a administré à 726 professeurs, à 387 membres du personnel de l’école, et à 1994 parents provenants de 18 écoles secondaire du 1er cycle de Milan et Rome (Italie), un questionnaire pour évaluer les convictions de self-efficacy, les perceptions de comportement des collègues, les convictions de collective efficacy et la satisfaction dans le travail à l’égard de l’école.La path analysis a confirmé la validité du modèle conceptuel dans le quel les convictions de self et collective efficacy représentent, respectivement, les déterminants distaux et prochains du affective commitment et de la satisfaction dans le travail pour les professeurs et les membres du personnel, et la satisfaction avec l’école pour les parents.Les perceptions que les professeurs, les membres du personnel et les parents ont envers le comportement de leurs collègues s’interposent largement entre les convictions de self et les convictions de collective efficacy. Les convictions de collective efficacy, à leur tour, s’interposent largement entre l’influence que les convictions de self-efficacy et le perceptions de comportement de qui travaille dans l’école exercent sur l’affective commitment et la satisfaction dans le travail.

“Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!” Interpersonal strain at work and burnout

Interpersonal strain represents the feeling of discomfort and disengagement in the relationships with people at work resulting from exceeding social requests and pressures. This article has three aims: (1) to introduce the Interpersonal Strain at Work scale (ISW), (2) to examine its construct validity and reliability, and its relationship with the Maslach Burnout Inventory exhaustion and cynicism; and (3) to test the generalizability of the ISW across different work settings. Multilevel CFA on two samples of call centre agents (5407) and hospital professionals (753), nested in 191 and 43 units, respectively, confirmed the good psychometric properties of the ISW and its distinctiveness from established burnout dimensions. The generalizability of ISW was also supported. Interpersonal strain at work seems to be a promising construct to recapture the interpersonal nature of the burnout syndrome that was lost when the concept of burnout was extended beyond the human services.

Predicting job satisfaction and job performance in a privatized organization

ABSTRACT The current study focused on job satisfaction and job performance, as well as on their predictors in a privatized organization. We tested a model in which job satisfaction, consistent with social cognitive theory, is related to self-efficacy and perceptions of social context (i.e., colleagues, immediate supervisor, top management); job satisfaction, in turn, predicts job performance along with organizational tenure. White collars (N = 1172) from the staff and line functions of an Italian privatized organization were administered a self-report questionnaire matched with their job performance as rated by supervisors (six months later). Structural equation modelling supported the hypothesized relationships among variables. We found that: (a) self-efficacy was related to the three components of perceptions of social context; (b) perceptions of social context mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and job satisfaction; (c) job performance was positively predicted by job satisfaction; and (d) finally, the relationship between organizational tenure and job performance became progressively negative as organizational tenure increases, indicating a misfit between the person and the organization for employees hired before the privatization. Our findings suggest interventions directed at enhancing employees’ self-efficacy in mastering job tasks under unstable conditions, at supporting supervisors in managing their coworkers, and at improving the fit between higher-tenured employees and the organization.

The Relationship of Employee Perceptions of the Immediate Supervisor and Top Management With Collective Efficacy

Middle-level managers ( N = 1,149) in an Italian service organization were administered a questionnaire that assessed self- and collective efficacy in dealing with job responsibilities and tasks, perceptions of their immediate supervisor regarding support and encouragement, perceptions of top management regarding the coordination of different units and communication, and affective organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Structural equation modeling supported (a) the differential relationship of perceptions of two levels of leadership with group collective efficacy and (b) their mediating role between self- and collective efficacy. Moreover, both perceptions of the immediate supervisor and group collective efficacy displayed a strong relationship with job satisfaction. Perceptions of top management and group collective efficacy were related to organizational commitment. These results suggest ways to enhance group collective efficacy beliefs.

Collective Efficacy and Organizational Commitment in an Italian City Hall

Employees (N = 170) of a City Hall in Italy were administered a questionnaire measuring collective efficacy (CE), perceptions of context (PoC), and organizational commitment (OC). Two facets of collective efficacy were identified, namely group and organizational. Structural equation models revealed that perceptions of top management display a stronger relationship with organizational collective efficacy, whereas employees’ perceptions of their colleagues and their direct superior are related to collective efficacy at the group level. Group collective efficacy had a stronger relationship with affective organizational commitment than did organizational collective efficacy. The theoretical significance of this study is in showing that CE is two-dimensional rather than unidimensional. The practical significance of this finding is that the PoC model provides a framework that public sector managers can use to increase the efficacy of the organization as a whole as well as the individual groups that compose it.

What makes employees engaged with their work? The role of self-efficacy and employee’s perceptions of social context over time

Purpose – Work engagement represents an important aspect of employee well-being and performance and has been related to both job and personal resources. The purpose of this paper, based on Social Cognitive Theory, is to emphasize the proactive role of self-efficacy which is hypothesized to predict work engagement, not only directly, but also indirectly through positive changes in employee’s perceptions of social context (PoSC); namely, perceptions of one’s immediate supervisor, colleagues and top management. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 741 employees of a communication service company completed two questionnaires, with a time interval of three years. Structural equation modeling was performed in order to test the hypothesized model. Findings – Results revealed that, as expected: first, initial self-efficacy predicts work engagement three years later; and second, positive changes in employee’s perceptions of the social work context across the three year period, mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and work engagement. Research limitations/implications – Results relied only upon self-report data. Moreover, each variable was only measured at the time in which it was hypothesized by the conceptual model. Practical implications – The significant role of self-efficacy as a direct and indirect predictor of work engagement suggests the development of training programs centered on the main sources of self-efficacy, specifically focussed on the social work domain. Originality/value – This research provides evidence of the substantial contribution of self-efficacy to work engagement over time. Moreover, the results also support the beneficial effects of self-efficacy through its influence on the improvements in the individuals’ perceptions of their social context.

Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire

Two studies were conducted in order to investigate the psychometric properties of Italian version of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ). Results from Study 1 (N = 401) provided support of the factorial validity of its four facets (self‐efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience), as well as of its composite factor measure. Results from Study 2 (N = 465) attested the measurement invariance of the PCQ across one year. Study 2 also explored the relationship between psychological capital, job satisfaction, work engagement, and job performance. Limitations and practical implications are discussed in the article.