Work and organisational psychology

Consultant and Temporary Manager for companies and public bodies. Formerly a lecturer in “Work and Organisational Psychology” at the University of Calabria, she works to train people within organisations, carrying out change management, training and assessment projects. She contributes to the implementation of personnel policies and organisational adjustments and to the management of large projects aimed at innovation. For several years she has been collaborating with INDIRE on research in the field of Education and Training.

TABLE AND DEFINITION OF CONTENTS

The course consists of 6 modules:

• Module 1 – Psychology for work and organisations

It introduces the basic concepts of the subject, highlighting connections with other disciplines. It addresses the concept of work and related psychological experiences. Presents the development of the discipline over time and the emergence of key constructs.

• Module 2 – People and work

It examines the aspects of work performance, skills and personality that characterise the person at work, the role of motivation and professional competence.

• Module 3 – Roles and relationships

It introduces the basic elements of interpersonal relations and roles in organisations, and then deals with working groups and mood analysis as a barometer of living together in organisations.

• Module 4 – The organisation

It introduces the concept of organisation, presenting some basic models. Organisational cultures help to clarify some aspects of the functioning of organisations and the module concludes with a reference to change processes.

• Module 5 – Communicating in the organisation

It proposes the salient aspects, starting with interpersonal communication and moving on to organisational communication, including content and process management.

• Module 6 – Leadership in Organisations

It addresses the problem of leadership which must be able to implement complex actions – motivating, guiding, delegating, negotiating, deciding, learning, training – for the success of the organisation.

The course introduces students to the study of organisations and work environments, focusing on the individual and the relationships that develop in these contexts. The course starts from the Origins and development of work psychology, in order to identify the antecedents and the problems that have not yet been resolved, and develops through the variables that influence work behaviour in organisations, in order to help develop the ability to combine theories and professional practice.

The course introduces students to the study of organisations and work environments, focusing on the individual and the relationships that develop in these contexts. The course starts from the Origins and development of work psychology, in order to identify the antecedents and the problems that have not yet been resolved, and develops through the variables that influence work behaviour in organisations, in order to help develop the ability to combine theories and professional practice.

The course aims to be an introduction to the significant elements that characterise work in organisations and to provide the conceptual framework of reference. In particular, students are expected to acquire:
A. Knowledge and understanding
To achieve a basic competence in organisational systems and the main psychological variables operating in social and organisational contexts.

B. Applied knowledge and understanding
To be able to recognise and examine organisational phenomena also with reference to concrete cases.

C. Autonomy of judgement
To be able to propose solutions to specific application problems, giving reasons for their choices.

D. Communication skills
To be able to communicate ideas, problems and information in an appropriate form, also using the specialist language of the subject.

E. Learning capacity
To be able to assess one’s own needs for further study of topics related to the dynamics of organisations.

DIDACTICS PROVISION

• 12 hours of recorded video lessons available on the platform.
• 4 synchronous meetings on the platform.
• Podcasts of all the above-mentioned video lessons.

INTERACTIVE DIDACTICS

• 1 course orientation forum;
• 6 thematic in-depth forums (1 per module);
• possibility to carry out work in groups.

• 4 structured e-activities (as described in the section “in itinere assessment methods”).

SELF-LEARNING

Teaching materials are provided for each module: in-depth thematic studies, articles and slides by the lecturer, open access readings, online resources, reference bibliography, etc.

Avallone F., Psicologia del lavoro e delle organizzazioni, Carocci ed., 2021. Chapters 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 26, 29

Access to the final examination is subject to the following 4 e-activities:

• Etivity 1 – “The back office operator” – paper.
• Etivity 2 – A new service in the municipality – paper.
• Etivity 3 – The bank renews itself – paper.
• Etivity 4 – The Walter Manicastri case – paper.
• Etivity 5 – Acme and Omega Electronics – paper.

The assessment of learning will take the form of an oral interview on the course contents and on the final report submitted, if any. The grade (min 18, max 30 with possible honours) is determined by the level of performance for each of the following dimensions of the oral interview: mastery of contents, appropriateness of definitions and theoretical references, clarity of argument, command of specialist language.

Italian