Marco Giovanni Mariani

Training opportunities, technology acceptance and job satisfaction

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to study the role of the opportunity to receive job training in enhancing peoples willingness to accept information technologies (IT) and in achieving employee satisfaction. The study aims to consider training opportunities as a predictor of IT self-competence, TAM model constructs and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation models are used with a sample of 497 Italian workers who filled in a questionnaire. Findings – The results show a good fit between hypothesis and empirical data. Moderator roles of individual and contextual variables on training opportunities effects were studied. Practical implications – The practical implications of this study relate to the role played by training opportunities in the IT acceptance process and in creating job satisfaction. Originality/value – The most innovative finding pertains to moderator roles of individual and contextual variables on training opportunities effects.

Normative commitment to the organization, support and self competence

The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and organizational commitment; more precisely, using a sample of 687 employees, we conducted a study to examine the relationship between POS and a) affective commitment and b) normative commitment; the study also aimed to examine the relationship between POS and self competence as its antecedent. Data confirm the hypotheses that: affective and normative commitment were found to be influenced by POS in an equal manner; POS was found to be influenced by self competence.

Leadership Styles and Self-Efficacy in Determining Transfer Intentions of Safety Training.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the factors that can influence the transfer process of training in open skills, i.e. non-technical skills (NTS). Specifically, according to the model of the transfer process, the aim of this paper is to analyse the effects of both personal (e.g. self-efficacy) and work environment (e.g. safety leadership styles) antecedents of intention to transfer. Design/methodology/approach A total of 88 workers belonging to two different plants of the same chemical company filled in a questionnaire at the beginning (T1) and at the end (T2) of the training intervention. The majority of the sample was composed of men (95.5 per cent), with the mean age being 45.19 years old, and they had worked in the same company for an average of 17.2 years. Personal (self-efficacy) and organizational (transformational and passive leadership) factors were measured at T1, while intention to transfer was measured at T2. To investigate the combined effect of both personal and environmental characteristics on the transfer process, a moderation analysis was conducted following the Preacher and Hayes approach. Findings Results showed that all the antecedents investigated (except for passive leadership) impacted on the intention to transfer. Furthermore, high levels of self-efficacy combined with higher levels of transformational leadership resulted in higher levels of intention to transfer. Research limitations/implications The sample size is quite small, and effective transfer of NTS has not been measured. Practical implications Results suggest that organizations should focus on fostering self-efficacy of the trainees and transformational leadership of the supervisors so as to facilitate the transfer process of NTS. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study which has considered both individual and contextual characteristics to analyse the transfer process of NTS.

Safety compliance e cittadinanza organizzativa rispetto alle modalità di supervisione ed alla qualità dei regolamenti e della formazione

This research considers safe behavior as compliance with safety regulations and as active participation to the safety issues. Aim is studying the effect that the quality of safety rules, training and supervision styles have on these two types of safe behavior. 255 employees of an Italian multiutility participated in the research by filling a questionnaire. The results show effects on both the compliance with the safety standards and on active participation.

Psychological ownership in organization: A contribution to the Italian validation of Pierce and colleagues scale

We present a contribution to the Italian validation of the scale of Pierce Van Dyne e Cummings (1992) concerning the organizational ownership. This construct even internationally widely adopted is mostly absent in the scientific Italian debate. Using data from a sample of 598 Italian employees, was studied both the internal and external validity of the version with seven items that of the one with four. The results showed better psychometric properties of the shorter version and good evidence with regard to internal and external validity.

Passaggio d'impresa: uno studio di aspetti psico-sociali

Il passaggio d’impresa risulta un processo multiforme che da luogo a molte discipline di portare i loro contributi. Secondo un’ottica psicosociale risultano di particolare interesse gli aspetti propri delle transizioni di ruolo, le dinamiche stabilita/cambiamento e la negoziare, tra i soggetti, di un significato condiviso all’azione. Tramite focus group e stata compiuta un’indagine con obiettivo quello di iniziare a comprendere percezioni, opinioni, rappresentazioni ed atteggiamenti circa le situazioni ed i momenti in cui gli imprenditori ed i subentranti incominciano a pensare al passaggio d’impresa. Quanto emerso indica che in sostanza la struttura del processo e comune ma il contenuto di tale processo di transizione e diverso per i singoli individui che lo affrontino; un altro aspetto rilevato e la non collocazione nel tempo dell’inizio del passaggio; infine risultano centrali le sovrapposizioni impresa-famiglia.