Vincent Cassar

• BA MSc PhD CPsychol CSci AFBPsS
• Professor (Associate) at University of Malta

Purpose This study investigates the role of transformational and shared leadership in relation to employee performance and intention to leave. Moreover, the indirect effects of communication quality and organizational commitment on these relationships were examined. Design/methodology/approach This cross-sectional study adopted a quantitative appr...

Purpose In this study, we explored factors driving evidence-based management (EBM) decision-making in Poland which has experienced changes from state-controlled market environments to more competitive ones. Evidence-based management requires the critical use and adaptability to information to deal with complex problems. Design/methodology/approach...

In the era of higher education institutions' internationalisation, international student mobility is viewed as a crucial educational tool for enhancing the cross‐cultural competence of learners. This paper aims to present research findings on the development of cross‐cultural competence (skills, knowledge, and attitudes) among students participatin...

Purpose The European Innovation Scoreboard is an important indicator of innovation performance across European Member States. Despite its wide application, the indicator fails to highlight the interlinkages that exist among innovation measures and focuses primarily on the linear relationship between the individual measures and the predicted outcome...

The strategic relevance of Human Resource Management data analytics (HRMDAs) has been consistently acknowledged among scholars. There is less of an understanding how HRM practitioners make sense of HRMDAs and to what extent they perceive them as useful and impactful. We conducted in-depth interviews among 48 HRM practitioners from three European co...

Presenteeism has often been considered as the correlate of absenteeism and associated to productivity loss. This study sought to re-examine the psychometric properties of the 6-item Stanford Presenteeism Scale (SPS-6), a popular measure which has been translated in a number of languages. The study adopted a cross-sectional design with 268 participa...

This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The objectives are as follows: The main aim of this systematic review is to identify whether hospital leadership styles predict patient safety as measured through several indicators over time. The second aim is to assess the extent to which the prediction of hospital leadership styles on patien...

The purpose of this paper is to explore gender differences in learning experiences among students participating in international study mobility programs. It was undertaken by university students from several institutions of higher learning around Europe in the context of internationalization and intercultural education, which has become a central t...

Arguably burnout and engagement of employees play an important role in driving sustainable organisational change. Surprisingly little is known about how organisational change affects employee burnout and engagement. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources model and the Conservation of Resources perspective, we utilise an integrative theoretical model...

This study employs fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to re-examine the more traditional correlational and regression models used to understand work stress and outcome relationships. Indeed, theoretical frameworks have been constructed underlying this premise and so have interventions assumed such principles. This study argues that the rela...

Objective: The objective of this paper is to present the preliminary research findings concerning the expectations towards international study visits undertaken by university students hailing from different higher education institutions around Europe on the canvas of internationalization as a concept. Methodology: The research was carried out on a...

This study examines how human resources in the Maltese Public Service adopt new work practices in response to COVID-19 public health measures during the first wave of the pandemic. We analyze the data we collected through seven focus group discussions and ten in-depth interviews with Public Service employees and managers in a diversity of ministrie...

This study investigates the relationship between knowledge management (KM) enablers (aspects of organizational structure, learning, strategy, transformational leadership, and information technology) and organizational effectiveness. It also examines the mediating role of KM processes (knowledge creation, knowledge organization, knowledge applicatio...

Work stress is one of the most researched areas in industrial-organizational psychology. Given its vastness and pervasive impact on individuals and organizations, researchers have tackled the concept by focusing on a number of themes, using a variety of methodologies and developing a number of theoretical frameworks. The current investigation takes...

This publication seeks to not only analyse the impact of COVID-19 but more importantly to present a number of research-based recommendations and perspectives of this new normal. We intentionally stayed away from quantifying the impact as there are too many unknowns for any plausible assumption to be made. Instead, we focused on a multi-disciplinary...

Medical errors in obstetric departments are commonly reported and may involve both mother and neonate. The complexity of obstetric care, the interactions between various disciplines, and the inherent limitations of human performance make it critically important for these departments to provide patient-safe and friendly working environments that are...

Arguably burnout and engagement of employees play an important role in driving sustainable organizational change. Surprisingly little is known about how organizational change affects employee burnout and engagement. Extending the refined version of the job demands-resources model to the domain of organizational change, we argue that people appraise...

Policies on psychosocial hazards at work are gaining importance. Subsequently, a number of indicators have been proposed to assess the phenomenon such as the Management Standards Indicator Tool (MSIT). This study focuses on the short-version of the MSIT and aims to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validities of the measures, explore whether...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of social identity and the psychological contract as plausible frameworks of transformational leadership (TL)-attitudes relationship. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 134 employees. All variables were measured using self-report measures and multiple m...

Career development for university research managers and administrators (RMAs) is inherently challenging in small island states. In this article, we argue that by acquiring career adaptability resources, university RMAs can address their career development needs even in contexts with a restricted labor market. We do this by first identifying the fac...

Good management practice is assumed to be the product of a good knowledge base and its application, not least in Human Resource Management (HRM). The aim of this study is to assess the extent to which managers adhere to practices of HRM that are more likely to be upheld by research evidence as opposed to beliefs for which research evidence is highl...

The past fifty years have witnessed a widespread increase in the study of small states, including island studies; and the rise of the research management profession and its associated literature. Within a small island state context, the profession cannot be taken for granted, owing to smallness and other inherent characteristics of small island sta...

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to both understand the motives for volunteering in local government (a strong/structured context) and determine how such motivation and other demographics interact with organisational contexts to influence volunteering outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a functional approach to volunteer...

With the increase in smart mobile devices usage, many medical applications are being developed using various behavioural intervention technologies to support a patient-centred approach when using medical systems. Every newly created medical application prompts shifts in the product’s strategic development and use with priceless advantages. Mainly t...

While the literature has suggested the possibility of breach being composed of multiple facets, no previous study has investigated this possibility empirically. This study examined the factor structure of typical component forms in order to develop a multiple component form measure of breach. Two studies were conducted. In study 1 (N=420) multi-ite...

Purpose – Psychological contract breach, which represents instances when organizations fail to fulfil their side of the employment bargain, has been associated with salient concepts in strategic human resources management. The purpose of this study is to investigate moderated mediated relationships involving breach, organizational (procedural and i...

The following case study aims to explore management's, health professionals' and patients' experiences on the extent to which there is visibility of management support in achieving effective interdisciplinary team working, which is explicitly declared in the mission statement of a 60-bed acute rehabilitative geriatric hospital in Malta. A total of...

Cassar and Briner (2005) indicated that psychological contract breach is characterized by at least five characteristics, namely delay, magnitude, type-form, inequity, and reciprocal imbalance. This study investigated the extent to which explanations differed across different characteristics of breach, as well as the relationships of explanations to...

Previous studies have examined the relationship between charismatic-types of leadership and well-being but not specifically authentic leadership which gives importance to how leaders are intrinsically composed rather than mere behaviours. This study explored whether authentic leadership and well-being are related and whether meaningfulness of work...

This study tested the mediating role of violation in the relationship between breach and both affective and continuance commitment and the extent to which this mediating role is moderated by exchange imbalance amongst a sample of 103 sales personnel. Results suggest that violation mediated the relationship between breach and commitment. Also, resul...

Purpose – The psychological contract is defined as a perceived exchange agreement of promissory obligations between employee and organization. Most approaches to this concept ignore the role of context in shaping its features. However, others have pointed out the need to evaluate the features of the construct within the context in which it is studi...

Work values help to shape cognitions and motivations and are therefore essential in one’s process of searching for employment and remaining employable. The present study explored the typical work values preferred by university students in Malta. Gender and faculty differences as well as gender differences within faculties were explored. Twenty‐four...

This study focuses on entrepreneurs in the small island state of Malta and investigates whether starting up and running an enterprise is facilitated or hindered by being in a small island environment. Specifically it asks (1) whether being on a small island, on the periphery of a major market facilitates or hinders entrepreneurship and start-up suc...

The Maltese public service is currently undergoing major organisational changes to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness in its service delivery. The great majority of these changes have focussed on re-organising the macro-level, namely strategy, processes and structures. This is not an easy feat as local external power forces leave their impact...

Purpose To investigate specific barriers that might be hindering Maltese women from achieving a managerial position. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on research by Cromie. Barriers are classified into two main categories; internal and external barriers. Job‐involvement and work‐based self‐esteem are considered to be internal barrie...

The majority of studies investigating psychological contract breach ask participants to indicate the degree of unfulfillment of an organization's commitment to its employer obligations. However, very little systematic evidence exists about what participants understand by 'unfulfillment'. This study sought to investigate this aspect. Using a series...

The psychological contract is the construct through which one attempts to explain the quality of the employment relationship from the point of view of each of the contract party with regards to obligations and inducements and can be employed to explain organizational change dynamics. Failing to provide promised obligations is termed as violation. T...

Examined the influence of four empowerment dimensions (decision latitude, job responsibility, job involvement, and enabling environment) on work-related outcome behaviors (e.g., intrinsic motivation, job satisfaction, intention to turnover, commitment, and job frustration) among Maltese teachers. Job involvement contributed significantly to nearly...

Employee participation is an important construct in contemporary organisations. Recently, the argument has concentrated on whether leader direction and participation can co-exist. It is argued that leader direction is perceptually acceptable by employees at the strategic level of the decision process but is interpreted as intrusive at the tactical...

Whereas some researchers conclude that negative affectivity is merely a nuisance variable and should be controlled for in future stress investigations, there is evidence that negative affectivity may occupy diverse roles, including a moderating role in which the level of NA may alter the nature of the relationship between stressors and strain. This...

Keith Mercieca B.Psy (Hons), MBA (Maastricht) has occupied various posts in the Maltese Public Service. His primary area of research interest is the field of entrepreneurship. Dr Vincent Cassar PhD(Lond)., CPsychol(UK) is a lecturer in Organizational Psychology at the University of Malta. His research interests are the psychological contract and em...