Personnel, Work and Organizational Psychology

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide an introduction to the theories and concepts of the sociology of the Organization by developing the following themes: Sociological theories for the study of organizations-the development of mass production and the Taylor-Fordist model- The shift from economy to scale to the economy of flexibility-the organizational architecture and microstructures-the organizational environment and technologies-organizational change and analysis of the role and the profession. The course will be integrated with the analysis of some business cases.
At the end of the course students must have acquired the basics for organizational analysis with reference to: roles, professions, elements of the organization, structures, organizational typologies and their evolution. They will also have to connect the acquired notions to the reference theories.
Knowledge and understanding: The course aims to introduce the theories and concepts of sociology of organization by developing the following themes: Sociological theories for the study of organizations-the development of mass production and the establishment of the Taylor-Fordist model -the shift from economy to scale to the economy of flexibility-organizational architecture and microstructures-organizational environment and technologies-organizational change. The course will be integrated with the analysis of some business cases.
Applying knowledge and understanding: At the end of the course students must have acquired the basics for organizational analysis with reference to: roles, professions, elements of the organization, structures, organizational typologies and their evolution. They will also have to connect the acquired notions to the reference theories.
Making judgements: Through the discussion in the classroom of business cases and scientific articles on emerging topics, students will learn to critically analyze the theoretical models comparing with their concrete application in organizational practices and in the mechanisms of business development.
Communication skills: The students, besides being stimulated to a constant exchange during the frontal lessons, will learn through the group or individual discussion of the company cases to use the technical-scientific language and to express and to express different concepts clearly.
Learning skills: The aim of the course is above all to provide the key concepts for a first approach to the study of complex organizational systems. In This sense the slides used during the course will provide the student with a schematic grid and then deepen on the textbooks and the supplementary papers.

Educational objectives

A) Knowledge and ability to understand
The course aims at providing students with the acquisition of knowledge and comprehension skills in the field of labour law, in particular with reference to the various institutes of trade union law and labour law, also by consulting legislative texts.
B) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
The course enables the student to be able to apply the knowledge acquired in a competent and reflective manner; to possess adequate skills both to devise and support arguments and to solve problems and apply techniques and methods in the field of trade union and labour law.
C) Autonomy of judgement
The course enables the student to gather and interpret data useful for making autonomous judgements, including reflection on social, scientific or ethical issues related to trade union and labour law.
D) Communication skills
The course provides the student with the language to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialists and non-specialists in trade union and labour law.
E) Learning skills
The course aims to develop in the student the skills necessary to undertake subsequent studies in the field of trade union and labour law with a high degree of autonomy.

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide a systematic presentation of the main and most recent theoretical approaches to the study of leadership and interpersonal and social power, with specific reference to the state of the art within social and organizational psychology. Particular attention will also be paid to the various applicative areas of power and interpersonal influence strategies.
Specifically, class lectures will allow students to develop knowledge about the basic components involved in the persuasive processes and the theoretical approaches to the study of leadership and power dyna-mics.
Subsequently, group work, organized for attending students, will aim to promote a deeper understanding of each theoretical model linked to the study of leadership and power, with reference to the various applica-tion areas.
Knowledge and understanding.
The course aims to develop knowledge and skills that will enable students to discriminate between relevant theoretical models. Students who attend lessons will also acquire a specific competence on techniques linked to the different reference models.
Applying knowledge and understanding.
At the end of the course students will be able to understand the phenomena related to power dynamics and interpersonal influence, to interpret and explain them according to the different theoretical reference mo-dels. In addition, they will be able to propose solutions to specific problems in the various areas of applica-tion (work organization, politics, etc.) of psychosocial theories on leadership and power.
Making judgements.
The systematic review of the main theoretical perspectives will provide the basis for a greater awareness of the processes underlying power dynamics and interpersonal influence. Through group work, students will have the opportunity to develop and formulate independent judgments about the phenomena involved in power dynamics and interpersonal influence, as well as to reflect on the social and ethical responsibilities related to the application of the acquired knowledge
Communication skills.
After an initial phase of class lectures, group work is planned in order to deepen and connect with specific themes related to leadership and social power. Such group work consists in the study of materials, provi-ded primarily by the instructor and relevant for the deepening of the relevant topics. The students, from one side, have to integrate individually-studied materials with the other members of their work group, and from the other, they have to clearly and coherently present this material in the classroom in a way that is useful to their classmates . In this way, we will try to stimulate not only critical thinking about the topics and the ability to work in a group, but also the communication skills and abilities necessary to manage a presenta-tion in front of an audience.
Learning skills.
Through the group activity (illustrated in point 2.2.4), students will be able to improve their ability to manage, autonomously and within a group, the different stages of knowledge about the topics under study. In addi-tion to the mere study of the material provided by the instructor to carry out the group work, students will be stimulated to integrate this material with additional material (movies, videos, commercials, etc), autono-mously found and deemed useful to stimulate debate and reflection on the phenomena.

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide students with advanced knowledge of the main theoretical and methodological approaches in Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, with particular emphasis on their application to the study of organizational processes. It adopts an integrated bio-psychological perspective for the analysis of individual and collective behavior in workplace settings, fostering a critical understanding of current scientific evidence and its implications for both research and organizational practice. Topics covered include group cooperation, leadership, decision-making, and emotion regulation. The course also introduces the principal neuroscientific methods used in research—including non-invasive brain stimulation, electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), motion capture systems, and bio/neurofeedback—and discusses their application in organizational and professional contexts.
Knowledge and understanding.
Students will acquire advanced knowledge of the structure and functioning of the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as of the principal techniques for recording and modulating neural activity. These competencies will enable them to critically understand the application of neuroscience to the study of mental processes, human behavior, and organizational dynamics. The acquired knowledge will be applied to the analysis of topics relevant to workplace settings, including leadership, emotions, emotional contagion, moral behavior, motivation, and stress from a neuroscientific perspective. Students will also develop the ability to read, interpret, and critically evaluate current scientific literature, linking empirical evidence to its theoretical and practical implications for organizational contexts.
Applying knowledge and understanding.
Students will be able to apply neuroscientific knowledge to critically analyze organizational processes such as leadership, cooperation, decision-making, and stress management, including in novel or complex contexts. They will be able to critically evaluate the application of major neuroscientific methods in real-world settings by integrating perspectives from different disciplines and reflecting on how research findings can inform interventions aimed at improving well-being, health, and performance in the workplace.
Making judgements.
he course promotes the development of critical thinking through active participation in class discussions and the analysis of scientific literature. Students will learn to integrate evidence from different theoretical and methodological perspectives and to formulate independent judgments, even when available findings are incomplete or conflicting. They will also be encouraged to critically reflect on the scientific, social, and ethical implications of applying neuroscience to organizational contexts.
Communication skills.
The course includes active student participation in the discussion of scientific articles as well as an oral presentation on a topic introduced during the course and subsequently explored independently. These activities are designed to develop effective communication skills and enable students to present and discuss scientific content in a clear and well-structured manner, explaining both the available evidence and the theoretical and methodological processes leading to scientific conclusions, to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Learning skills.
Students will develop the ability to pursue independent learning through the consultation of national and international scientific literature in Cognitive and Social Neuroscience. They will be able to critically evaluate emerging developments in the field and reflect on their implications for organizational contexts by integrating knowledge from different disciplines. Furthermore, they will be able to apply these competencies to independently explore new topics and develop research or applied projects within organizational settings while meeting predefined objectives and time constraints.

Educational objectives

In an increasingly changing economic, technological, environmental and social context, organizations must be able to act with a new awareness, that is to face the challenges of current changes by reorienting the planning of the organization and work towards the inclusion of new emerging practices who consider new technologies and digital tools to be fundamental.
Therefore, in the lectures the course intends to provide on the one hand the basic elements to understand the functioning of organizations, to analyze the main organizational problems and to identify the solutions through appropriate tools, methodologies and techniques, while on the other hand, focusing on the function Human Resources of an organization, the course aims to address the impacts of some technological trends on the digital transformation, which runs at exponential speed, of the professions of organization and human resource management whose different knowledge and know-how are increasingly mediated by digital knowledge, digital tools and digital platforms. Lectures are interspersed with practical exercises on real and realistic business cases to apply knowledge and theoretical methods. In addition, to develop greater awareness of the challenges that today's organizations face in digital transformation, corporate managers are invited to give a lecture.The main objective of the course is to understand from a theoretical, methodological and practical point of view the company and its working context and is divided into specific learning objectives articulated according to the dimensions listed below.
Knowledge and understanding
Students at the end of the course will be able to:
1. Know how to recognize the structural elements of an organization
2. Understand the basics of organizational design
3. Know the basics of planning and organization of work
4. Understand the organization and functioning of a human resources department
5. Know the megatrends and specifically the technological trends
6. Understand the impacts of technology trends on organizations
7. Understand the digital transformation of jobs
8. Know technologies, tools and digital platforms of the processes of organization and human resources management
Applying knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, students will have acquired skills to:
1. Interpret the design criteria of an organization represented by an organization chart
2. Recognize the type of strategy adopted by analyzing company information
3. Analyzing the coherence of an organization as a function of complexity and dynamism
4. Identify key labor cost metrics and impact on employee management
5. Analyze the dynamics of company staff sizing
6. Process the person-organization and person-role fit
7. Articulate the typical organization of the Human Resources department into functions, processes and roles
8. Identify the impacts of digital transfromation on today's organization (Industry 4.0, Open Innovation, Design Thinking, Organizational Agility, Social Network Analysis, Big Data Analytics)
9. Identify the consequences of digital transformation in work (Digital Mindset, Digital Leadership, Digital Skills, Digital Readiness, Digital Upskilling, Digital Reskilling)
Making judgements
Through interactive exercises and the discussion of organizational cases, students are led to develop critical thinking and independent judgment. Furthermore, the intervention of company managers enriches students to critically reflect on the complexity of real organizational contexts.
Communication skills.
The teaching materials used to support the lectures, the various reference texts, the scientific and popular articles, the sources on the web, the company maangers offer students a differentiated communicative register. Furthermore, for the entire duration of the course, students are constantly encouraged to actively participate in lectures and exercises. The diversification of these approaches guarantees a good exercise in the development of communication skills.