Ricerc@Sapienza

Job insecurity (JI) is currently considered one of the most powerful work stressor. Empirical research converges indicating how perceived JI has negative consequences for individual well being and organizational functioning. The focus on the moderating factors that could mitigate the JI-strain relationship represents one of the most important development of this line of research. In the present project, we aim to contribute to this knowledge investigating how individual resources might moderate the negative outcomes of JI. We will focus on two variables, namely Positivity (POS) and Moral Disengagement (MD). In the first study, we aim will study how the negative influence of JI on psychological well-being of employees might be moderated by positivity. We hypothesize that higher JI would be negatively related to well-being while POS would be positively related to well-being. More interestingly, it is expected that the strength of the negative relationship between high JI and well-being will be attenuated in those individuals with higher level of positivity. In the second study, the moderating role of (low) MD in the relationship between JI and Counter-Productive Work Behaviors (CPWB) will be investigated. We expect that both JI and MD would be positively related to CPWB and that the strength of the relationship between high JI and CPWB will be lessen in those individuals with lower level of MD. These studies will contribute to the theoretical understanding of the mechanisms and processes through which JI exerts its influence in an original and innovative way, as POS and MD were never investigated in this domain. Moreover, findings will have also relevant practical implication. In fact, both POS and MD represent individual variables that are subjected to possible change. Therefore, evidence may be useful to design focused interventions aimed to enhance POS and buffer MD in order to improve both individual and organizational well being.