Summer School and International Conference "Healthier societies fostering healthy organizations: A cross-cultural perspective"

INVITATION AND CALL FOR PAPER

We invite you to send proposals papers, posters, and symposia for the upcoming  "Second International Conference: Healthier societies fostering healthy organizations: A cross-cultural perspective" University of Florence, August 30-31, September 1, 2018

IMPORTANT DATES :

Submission deadline: 30 March 2018
Notification of acceptance: 20 April 2018
Registration to the conference: until 30 May 2018

Registration is free of charge. It is necessary, however, for participants to the Conference to complete the registration form and to send it to Annamaria Di Fabio (adifabio(AT)psico.unifi.it) by May 30, 2018. Abstracts will be accepted with the registration forms.                          

OVERVIEW. The cross-cultural Conference Healthier societies fostering healthy organizations: A cross-cultural perspective is a three-day interdisciplinary event organized by the University of Florence (Italy). The founding conference, held in 2017 and this expanded conference in 2018 will be followed by further meetings every two years, the next to be held in 2020. The main aim is to share contributions focusing on research, assessment, and interventions that will offer new or innovative perspectives to foster healthy organizations within the public and private sectors. Crosscultural studies and perspectives will further show-case the applications and implications of current efforts to create positive human ecosystems.

Psychology studies the influence of individuals’, groups’ and societal cultural beliefs, norms and values on illness, health, well-being and health care (Kazarian & Evans, 2001). Because of the many cultural and country differences so readily apparent in our world, it is important to understand cross-cultural differences in the early identification and prevention of those factors that undermine the psychological and physical health of individuals and larger society and concurrently engage in health promotion initiatives that will enhance the quality of life (Kazarian & Evans, 2001). Crosscultural studies further contribute to the understanding of personality traits in health and positive psychology (Bowden, Saklofske, van de Vijver, Sudarshan, & Eysenck, 2016), as well as career readiness, choice and engagement (Cheung, Wan, Leong, & Mok, 2013; Fan, Cheung, Leong, & Cheung, 2014; Guichard, 2013; Savickas, 2011; Di Fabio & Blustein, 2016). Different themes typical of occupational health psychology will be examined in a cross cultural perspective including: health and well-being (Burke, 2010) both for workers and for the organizations (Boyatzis, 2012, 2015; Di Fabio, 2016, 2017; Di Fabio et al., 2016, 2017), occupational stress focusing on stressor-strain relationships (Chang & Baard, 2011), the role of stressors as harmful and threatening (distress) and/or as opportunities and challenges (eustress) in causing negative (burnout) and positive (engagement) effects (Kozusznik,  Rodríguez, Peiró, 2012). Organizational health psychology (Chang & Spector, 2011) calls for a cross-cultural perspective that will contribute to both a preventive and positive framework (Kenny & Hage, 2009; Di Fabio & Kenny, 2016) across cultural contexts and ranging from developed to emerging economies (Raya & Panneerselvam, 2013).

TOPICS. This Second International Conference on Healthier societies fostering healthy organizations: A cross-cultural perspective continues this productive forum started in 2017 in Florence for discussing the fostering of healthy organizations that will in turn lead to healthier individuals and societies based on scientific evidence. Cultural factors will also be emphasized. These contributions will reflect three thematic areas: new ways of conceptualizing how individuals interact with the environment in the context of healthy organizations and organizational relations (e.g., prosocial organizational behavior, organizational citizenship behavior, workplace civility, organizational justice, organizational emotional intelligence; acceptance of change; positive self and relational management model; positive relational management); the relation between ethical, sustainable, benevolent, health-promoting leadership and healthy organizations, resulting in in the best leadership for healthy organizations in the 21st century; 3) evaluation of specific interventions to foster healthy organizations.

The Conference enriches the framework for the promotion of psychosocial and healthy well-being drawing on evidence-based descriptions of interpersonal relationships and positive enhancing infrastructures in the larger organizational context.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS. The program committee invites you to submit proposals for symposia, paper sessions, and posters. We welcome international contributions from scholars and professionals involving research and practice oriented approaches and perspectives.

PRESIDENT OF THE CONFERENCE

Annamaria Di Fabio – University of Florence (Italy)

CO- PRESIDENTS OF THE CONFERENCE

Fanny Cheung – The Chinese University of Hong Kong (China)
Maureen E. Kenny – Boston College (USA)
Jose-Maria Peiró – University of Valencia (Spain)
Donald H. Saklofske – University of Western Ontario (Canada)
Akira Tsuda – Kurume University (Japan)
Fons Van de Vijver – Tilburg University (The Netherlands)

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Annamaria Di Fabio – University of Florence (Italy)
Maureen E. Kenny – Boston College (USA)
José-Maria Peiró, University of Valencia (Spain)
Donald H. Saklofske – University of Western Ontario (Canada)
Akira Tsuda – Kurume University (Japan)
Fons Van de Vijver – Tilburg University (The Netherlands)
Saths Cooper – University of Pretoria (South Africa)

MORE INFORMATION. 

The Conference will be 1st Edition of the International Summer School in Healthy organizations: From research to application that will be held in Florence, August 27-30, 2018.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE SUMMER SCHOOL