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Empowerment is central in gerontological social work. Operationalizing empowerment from the perspective of the target population is important to align with context specific interpretations of what empowerment means. This study aims at operationalizing psychological empowerment from the perspective of older people. A design was chosen that is based on the concept mapping method, though tailored to accommodate the specific principles we assume in empowerment research and to align with target specific conditions that come to play with older persons. The results show an empowerment with 58 statements divided over four components of empowerment; emotional, cognitive, relational and behavioural component.

This paper is the result of the collective work undertaken by a group of Psychological Contract (PC) and Sustainability scholars from around the world, following the 2023 Bi-Annual PC Small Group Conference (Kedge Business School, Bordeaux, France). As part of the conference, scholars engaged in a workshop designed to generate expert guidance on how to aid the PC field to be better aligned with the needs of practice, and thus, impact the creation and maintenance of high-quality and sustainable exchange processes at work. In accordance with accreditation bodies for higher education, research impact is not limited to academic papers alone but also includes practitioners, policymakers, and students in its scope. This paper therefore incorporates elements from an impact measurement tool for higher education in management so as to explore how PC scholars can bolster the beneficial influence of PC knowledge on employment relationships through different stakeholders and means. Accordingly, our proposals for the pursuit of PC impact are organized in three parts: (1) research, (2) practice and society, and (3) students. Further, this paper contributes to the emerging debate on sustainable PCs by developing a construct definition and integrating PCs with an ‘ethics of care’ perspective.

Research impact is high on the agendas of governments and funders all over the world. As participatory action-oriented research (PAR) intends to have an impact - positive changes in policy and practice - interest in PAR is rising. But although impact may sound clear, it is susceptible to various interpretations. Hence assessing the impact of PAR is a challenge.In this article we describe a PAR project with multi-stakeholder participation at its core, and focus on the effectiveness (co-impact) of this project. We elaborate on two interpretations of impact: findings-based and process-based impact. Although interest in research impact tends to prioritise findings-based impact which focuses on substantive results and shows little or no attention for the effects of the participation process (process-based impact), we acknowledge both types of impact. We equally value the process-based impact, as it does justice to the potential richness of participation.In presenting our research approach and findings, we provide insight in how both findings-based (substantive results) and process-based (less tangible effects) impact can be generated and assessed.We experienced that strict vigilance was crucial for detecting process related effects, without comprising the findings-based ones. Our research approach, with its consciously chosen sequence of actions, a variety of data gathering methods, and informed selection of stakeholder groups, appears to pay off in generating co-impact. Additionally, the operationalisation of a conceptual impact framework in an applicable impact assessment tool, proved to be useful for discovering less tangible and even hidden effects at the individual and group levels of stakeholders both within and outside the PAR setting. We believe that focusing on substantive results only undervalues the richness of the process of participation and its related effects.

The value of empowerment as a central concept for social work implies the potential benefits of measurement to understand how this value is materialised in social work. The way in which instruments are developed and constructed impact their quality. With regard to the complexity of measuring empowerment, this article aims to provide insights in experts' views on the theoretical requirements to measuring empowerment in social work. A Delphi study of 3 rounds was conducted to achieve consensus into the appropriate method of instrument development for empowerment. By retrieving, organising, exchanging and combining opinions and arguments from different experts, this study provides insights into their views on requirements when developing measuring instruments for empowerment. The results show elaborations on substantive requirements and considerations that should be taken into account when developing empowerment measures in social work and that have led to the development of new guidelines. These provide social work and its researchers the opportunity to construct instruments that align with methodological standards, theoretical requirements, and ethical principles.

Background: Advanced statistical modeling techniques may help predict health outcomes. However, it is not the case that these modeling techniques always outperform traditional techniques such as regression techniques. In this study, external validation was carried out for five modeling strategies for the prediction of the disability of community-dwelling older people in the Netherlands. Methods: We analyzed data from five studies consisting of community-dwelling older people in the Netherlands. For the prediction of the total disability score as measured with the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale (GARS), we used fourteen predictors as measured with the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI). Both the TFI and the GARS are self-report questionnaires. For the modeling, five statistical modeling techniques were evaluated: general linear model (GLM), support vector machine (SVM), neural net (NN), recursive partitioning (RP), and random forest (RF). Each model was developed on one of the five data sets and then applied to each of the four remaining data sets. We assessed the performance of the models with calibration characteristics, the correlation coefficient, and the root of the mean squared error. Results: The models GLM, SVM, RP, and RF showed satisfactory performance characteristics when validated on the validation data sets. All models showed poor performance characteristics for the deviating data set both for development and validation due to the deviating baseline characteristics compared to those of the other data sets. Conclusion: The performance of four models (GLM, SVM, RP, RF) on the development data sets was satisfactory. This was also the case for the validation data sets, except when these models were developed on the deviating data set. The NN models showed a much worse performance on the validation data sets than on the development data sets.

Despite social policies’ aim to realize an inclusive society, social exclusion of vulnerable groups happens. We analyse the experiences of vulnerable persons with practices of implementation of social policies. The analysis of data of in-depth interviews brings to the fore critical notes of vulnerable persons’ interactions with social policy practitioners. This insider’s perspective provides insight in how they experience access to social rights. Respondents report feelings of intensified vulnerability, a confrontation with too much bureaucracy, and a range of insufficiencies in practitioners’ approaches. The bureaucratic contexts often fail to meet persons needs due to protocols and budget restrictions. In order to implement a more individualized approach practitioners need discretionary space in which they can apply moral-ethical considerations, and are responsive to personal requests. Based on the acknowledgment of the insider’s perspective and addressing the shortcomings of the social policy practice, practitioners can pave the way for more social justice.

This study examines the motivating effects of goal congruence on outcomes in teams. Building on psychological contract theory and theories of person–environment fit, we proposed at the team level of analysis a mediating role of psychological contract fulfilment (PCF) and moderating effects of task interdependence and team identification. The results indicate partial mediation of shared PCF in the goal congruence – team performance relationships and a significant moderation effect of team identification with team alignment in learning goal orientations.

In this conceptual chapter, we consider the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected what employees value in their employment relationship. Drawing from the psychological contract framework, we consider potential shifts in the types of obligations employees find important in the post-pandemic era. We propose that the main dimensions of the psychological contract—transactional, relational, and ideological—are upheld in post-COVID-19 psychological contracts. However, we expect that ideological obligations will generally become more important across industries and job types. Moreover, we posit that the type of obligations underlying the three dimensions will likely change and more importance is expected to be placed on dimensions such as safe working environments, inclusion, and diversity. We discuss the important role of (responsible) inclusive leadership in fulfilling psychological contracts and we present key challenges managers may face in employing (responsible) inclusive leadership in managing psychological contracts remotely beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. We specifically focus on challenges brought on by distrust, micromanaging, and generational differences. We conclude with the limitations of our conceptual endeavour and offer recommendations for future research and implications for practice.

21 januari 2022, Contains fulltext : 284989.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

21 januari 2022, Contains fulltext : 293421.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

Purpose: This study aims to examine whether the internal locus of control, self-esteem and leadership self-efficacy can predict differences in self–other rating agreement on leader effectiveness. First, the authors predicted that the greater the internal locus of a leader the more their self-rating will be in agreement with others' rating of them (1a). Second, the authors proposed that the greater the self-esteem of a leader the more their self-rating will be in discrepancy with others' rating (1b). Third, the authors hypothesized that the greater the self-efficacy of a leader the more their self-rating will be in agreement with others' rating (1c). Design/methodology/approach: To test the hypotheses, multisource data were collected from 128 banking leaders (who responded about different aspects of leadership self-efficacy, internal locus of control, self-esteem and leadership effectiveness) and 344 subordinates (who rated their leaders' effectiveness in performing leadership tasks).Multivariate regression was performed by jointly regressing both leaders' self-ratings and subordinates' ratings as a dependent variable on internal locus of control, self-esteem and leadership self-efficacy as predictor variables. Findings: Self-esteem of a leader the more their self-rating will be in discrepancy with others' ratings. Originality/value: The study tried to investigate the leader-subordinate dis(agreement) on leaders’ effectiveness taking banking leaders in the Ethiopian Context. The finding of the results is crucial and important for leadership development programs.

This article focuses on how length of participation in professional youth work is associated with five outcome variables: prosocial skills, self-mastery, social network, civic participation (volunteering and organizing activities) and finding support from social care services. The study was designed as a longitudinal cohort study of four waves during a 16-month period, gathering the data of 1597 youngsters aged 10–24 who participated in Dutch professional youth work. The results show that, on average, youngsters who participated longer in youth work scored significantly higher on the outcome variables. Respondents did not show individual improvements on outcome variables over the period, but the results demonstrate a cautious positive trend over time in volunteering. Referring youngsters (33%) by youth workers to care services could prevent an exacerbation of existing problems. The results provide knowledge that legitimizes the role of professional youth workers and which can be used by them to improve the support of socially vulnerable youngsters in their personal development and social participation.

Contains fulltext : 232265.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

Social isolation is a widespread problem with which community oriented social workers are increasingly confronted. Mutual support groups can be used by social workers to support socially isolated people. This paper reports on a participatory action research into the method Support-nets. In this method, a mutual support group is set up specifically for people that share the problem of social isolation. The aim of the study was to gain insight in how participants and social workers give substance to mutual support to overcome structural social isolation. Results show that in a Support-net, every participant is enabled to actively contribute. This makes participants feel that they are valued members of a social group. Based on this shared identity, people offer each other different types of social support, thus alleviating their isolation.

One of the standard objections against guilds in the premodern world has been their exclusiveness. Guilds have been portrayed as providing unfair advantages to the children of established masters and locals, over immigrants and other outsiders. Privileged access to certain professions and industries is seen as a source of inequality and a disincentive for technological progress. In this paper, we examine this assumption by studying the composition of guild masters and apprentices from a large sample of European towns and cities from 1600 to 1800, focusing on the share who were children of masters or locals. These data offer an indirect measurement of the strength of guild barriers and, by implication, of their monopolies. We find very wide variation between guilds in practice, but most guild masters and apprentices were immigrants or unrelated locals: openness was much more common than closure, especially in larger centers. Our understanding of guild “monopolies” and exclusivity is in need of serious revision.

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