1. Human capital: labour market integration, entrepreneurship, labour flexibility and psychological contract

This research line primarily focuses on the following topics: human capital development, changes in the labour market, flexibility and adaptation of workers (entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial initiative within the organisation, etc.) and the psychological contract. In particular, different segments are studied according to age (young people, older people, etc.) and other relevant demographic and psychosocial variables. The processes of integration, selection, flow and development of people in the organisation are also analysed.
The projects in this research line study the value and use of human capital in today's labour market. This includes issues such as skills development, employability, labour flexibility and its implications for employability, as well as the new working conditions offered by companies, from a psychosocial perspective. The quality of work, its personal background, its influence on well-being and health, as well as the modulating role that other factors may play in this relationship are studied. Several studies included in this research line are developed in collaboration with the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (IVIE), which is a research centre associated with the doctoral programme. Collaboration is also carried out with other centres and applied research units such as UVjob

2. Conflict management, coalitions and pro-social behaviour in organisationalcontexts

This line addresses issues of constructive conflict management, mediation, coalitions and the various ways in which pro-social behaviours are manifested to promote people's health, well-being and dignity. At a macro level, the labour relations system is analysed from a cross-cultural perspective. At a meso level, in the organisational context, coalitions and networks between social actors are analysed as a resource in public health initiatives, community development, health prevention strategies and service quality improvement. At a micro level, the study of pro-social tendencies and citizenship behaviours based on evolutionary theories and personality factors is addressed. In the field of labour relations, the role of workers' representatives as key actors in conflict resolution and in the improvement of social dialogue in Europe is addressed.

This analysis is carried out from a comparative and cross-cultural perspective across 10 EU countries, combining the views of employees' representatives and managers on the process. Also from a cross-cultural perspective, the relational and cultural mechanisms involved in the negotiation processes between Spanish and Latin American negotiators are analysed. In this context, the role of mediators in collective bargaining processes is also analysed through a comparative study of different European and Latin American labour relations systems. Within the framework of social networks, the relationship between public institutions, non-governmental organisations and private initiative in the implementation of social policies and the improvement of the quality of service is analysed. Within the framework of pro-social behaviours and citizenship behaviours, it includes the prevention of modern discriminatory behaviours and the improvement of quality of life.

These projects are also fed by technology transfer actions to different organisations: a) the Andalusian Council of Labour Relations (research centre collaborating with the PhD) and its mediation mechanisms; b) the Andalusian Agency for International Development Cooperation; c) the different systems of social dialogue existing in the countries integrated in the European Consortium New European Industrial Relations (NEIRE); d) the systems of conflict resolution in the Andean Region, with the support of the ILO; and e) the State Federation of LGTB.

3. Virtual collaborative work, digitalisation and innovation

Changes due to digitalisation are encouraging organisations to develop new ways of working, with new characteristics, transforming the competences of professionals, creating new forms of collaboration in which technology becomes a member of the team (collaborative platforms, co-bots, virtual communities). These collaborative tools constitute relevant business strategies as they allow an improved learning and knowledge management and therefore contribute to making organisations more innovative, more visible and more competitive.

In this line of work, research is conducted on organisational and team climate, its composition (diversity), tasks and characteristics, psychosocial processes, leadership, teamwork results, and individual and collective innovation behaviours. Special attention is paid to virtual teams and collaborative work mediated by information and communication technologies. On the one hand, it analyses the functioning of teams working in dynamic environments, with complex tasks, in different technological contexts, with the aim of developing intervention strategies for the improvement of well-being and performance (effectiveness and innovation) based on the management of emotions, feedback and reflexivity.

On the other hand, virtual communities, interest groups in professional social networks or internal company networks, are studied. In this context, the design of virtual communities of practice, defined as groups created by the organisation, with visibility of its members, with common purposes and oriented to share knowledge in collaborative platforms, is of special interest. The factors that favour an effective and appropriate use of virtual communities in organisational contexts are analysed, particularly through communities of practice for social innovation and knowledge management.

In addition, it investigates how digitalisation is transforming the characteristics of work and the competences required for its performance. It also seeks to identify its implications for HR management and development in organisations.

The research conducted addresses basic issues as well as team development models, methodologies and technologies. In addition, transfer activities are carried out through specialised training and advice to public and private organisations.

Part of the research in this line is conducted at IDOCAL’s Working Groups and Ergonomics Laboratory located in the Faculty of Psychology.

4 Occupational health psychology: stress and quality of life at work and analysis and prevention of psychosocial risks

Nowadays, the well-being and quality of working life of employees is considered a fundamental issue in both national (INEM, INSHT) and international (OSHA, ILO, NIOSH) institutions, dedicated to improving working conditions and thus productivity and organisational efficiency. The projects developed in this line aim to promote the advancement of knowledge of the different psychosocial processes and individual and collective behaviour that are related both to the promotion of health, well-being and quality of life and to stress and illness. Thus, health is understood from a broad approach.

On the one hand, the psychobiological mechanisms involved in the response to stressful situations and their effects on the cognitive and affective levels are investigated. This research adopts an integrative approach based on the convergence of multiple study methodologies that allow us to advance in the understanding of the effects of stress on the brain and, as a consequence, on people’s psychological processes, behaviour, health and quality of life. 

On the other hand, the aim is to offer a psychosocial and organisational perspective to the study of stress and quality of working life, contributing to the development of sustainable well-being at work. The research aims to identify, analyse and intervene on different organisational and personal factors, as well as their interaction in the development of stress, risk prevention and well-being and quality of working life. In addition, the relationships between these factors are analysed at both individual and collective levels, adopting a multilevel perspective. This should lead to proposals for redesigning work and human resource practices to enable competitive and satisfying improvements for employees, as well as improvements in sustainable well-being at work. It also addresses the needs of different age groups, allowing for a more complex and integrative view of age-related phenomena and ageing processes and their relationship to well-being and job performance. The aim is to contribute to the design and development of intervention programmes to adapt work to older employees by making work more salutogenic, satisfying and productive. 

This research line emphasises an approach based on positive psychology and multilevel psychology. Analysis of the relationship between quality of working life, well-being and happiness at work and productivity, performance and efficiency (developing methodologies for the evaluation of that performance). 

It is interesting to note the developments and transfers in the professional actions of analysis and prevention of occupational risks and in the prevention and management of absenteeism and other withdrawal behaviours. It is worth mentioning the cooperation in this research line with the Chair of Occupational Health of the UVEG sponsored by the Mutua de Accidentes de Trabajo y Enfermedades Profesionales de la Seguridad Social, UMIVALE (Mutual Insurance Company for Occupational Accidents and Occupational Diseases of the Social Security).

5 Organisational processesin service organisations and high-reliability organisations

Studying organisations in the current socio-economic context, from a psychosocial perspective, is fundamental for anticipating, planning, explaining and intervening in their change and development processes. The projects developed in this research line deal with organisational or work unit phenomena, often studied from a multilevel perspective, in two types of organisations of particular relevance due to the fact that a high level of demands is being placed on them. These are service organisations, which must strive for excellence in service quality in their interaction with users and/or customers, and high-reliability organisations, which must make efficiency and profitability requirements compatible with maximum safety performance.

In this line, psychosocial processes are studied in service organisations, where the user often interacts directly with employees. Certain processes (emotional work, justice, climate and culture, trust) have consequences not only for workers but also for users and other groups in terms of satisfaction, perceived quality and, in some organisations, quality of life. In this line, analyses are carried out on the organisational culture, the safety and service climate, the resources that the organisation and employees put into the provision of services, the psychosocial processes involved and the assessment made from the perspective of managers, workers, users and other groups (e.g. families).  In this context, organisations that support the social inclusion of vulnerable groups become relevant. This includes organisations specifically targeting these groups (e.g. occupational centres) but also inclusive employment where people at risk of exclusion interact with other workers. In fact, one of the focuses of this research line is the study of organisations for people with intellectual disabilities, publishing numerous works in international journals of impact, as well as books and reports of transfer in the sector with methodologies of change related to the “survey feedback” and with tools for the promotion of autonomous and participative teams. To this end, it has been collaborating with Plena Inclusión, the organisation that represents people with intellectual disabilities in Spain.

In a complementary way, the aim is to contribute to the improvement of operational safety in high-reliability organisations by studying the factors of individual, team and organisational behaviour that have the greatest impact on safety. A highly relevant aspect in these organisations is the study of the safety culture and its effects on safety performance and operational safety. In addition, the determination of relevant indicators and the identification of effective strategies to reinforce this culture and thus contribute to the improvement of safety is key. Several studies have been based on the AMIGO Model (Multifaceted Analysis for Intervention and Management in Organisations) to develop and promote the transfer of intervention strategies for change in organisations by acting on facets such as climate, HR practices and policies, management styles, work systems or the training and qualification of people in the organisation. Currently, the starting hypothesis of this research line is that the improvement of operational safety in high-risk environments must be approached from the integrated application in safety management of the principles of Safety-II and the processes characteristic of high-reliability organisations (together known as mindful organising).

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