© Edizioni Centro Studi Erickson, Trento, 2022 — Counseling

Vol. 15, n. 3, novembre 2022 — pp. 87-90

RECENSIONE/REVIEW

a cura di (edited by) Annamaria Di Fabio

Wall, T., Cooper, C.L., & Brough, P. (2021).

The SAGE Handbook of Organizational Wellbeing

Sage, pp. 696, Hardcover $185.00

The SAGE Handbook of Organizational Wellbeing represents a reference volume for facing the challenges of the current scenario of the 21st century, constituting a multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary work that deals with theories and empirical contributions from different fields, including psychology, business and management, economics, and science. The handbook offers the most current perspectives regarding global well-being issues and also introduces new contexts. Delineating current knowledge and in addition emerging issues and directions on well-being in organizations, the handbook constitutes a worthy resource for students, researchers and professionals from various disciplines.

The book is divided into four parts: the first one on theoretical perspectives, the second one on international issues and contexts, the third one on developing organizational well-being and the fourth one on emerging issues and directions. The handbook starts with an introduction (Chapter 1) by the editors, tracing an overview of the volume, including future directions for organizational well-being. The first part of the handbook is focused on theoretical perspectives and contains nine chapters: the first chapter (Chapter 2) by Juliet Hassard, Kevin Teoh, Louise Thomson and Holly Blake proposes an integrative framework for better understanding the cost of mental health at work. The following contribution (Chapter 3) by Jack Evans, Helen Brewis and Ivan Robertson focuses on personality and well-being, introducing perspectives for well-being interventions. The chapter by Hannes Zacher (Chapter 4) deals with the issue of well-being and age in organizational life. In the following contribution (Chapter 5) by Ashlea C. Troth, Alannah Rafferty and Peter J. Jordan, a multilevel perspective about emotions and well-being at work is proposed. The chapter by Thomas D. McIlroy, Stacey L. Parker and Blake M. McKimmie (Chapter 6) addresses the issue of requesting and receiving supervisor support with implications for organizational well-being. The following contribution (Chapter 7) by James Campbell Quick deals with the theme of well-being and work-life boundaries/interfaces. In the subsequent contribution (Chapter 8) by José Atilano Pena-López, Paolo Rungo and José Manuel Sánchez-Santos, the theme of social capital and well-being is presented, underlining the role of work and family relations across cultures. The chapter by Mustafa F. Özbilgin and Cihat Erbil (Chapter 9) deals with social movements and well-being in organizations from multilevel and intersectional perspectives, presenting the case of the Black Lives Matter movement. The last chapter of this section by Michael Ungar (Chapter 10) regards organizational resilience, considering complex and multisystemic processes during periods of stress.

The second part of the handbook presents international issues and contexts and comprises eleven chapters. The first chapter (Chapter 11) by Monideepa Tarafdar and Jean-François Stich is about virtual work, technology and well-being. The following contribution (Chapter 12) by Haziq Mehmood and Oi-ling Siu offers an in-depth reflection on intentions behind the use of social network sites and its association with workers’ job performance and well-being. The following chapter (Chapter 13) by Elliroma Gardiner and Jonas Debrulle deals with intrapreneurship and well-being in organizations. In the subsequent contribution (Chapter 14) by Ann-Kathrin Kleine and Antje Schmitt, the issue of entrepreneurs’ psychological well-being is presented. The chapter by Teresa A. Daniel (Chapter 15) underlines the critical role of Human Resources for organizational well-being during mergers and acquisitions. The following contribution (Chapter 16) by Maria Karanika-Murray, Caroline Biron, Valerie Hervieux, Zara Whysall and Huijun Chen deals with presenteeism, health, and performance. The chapter by Alys Bethan Einion-Waller (Chapter 17) regards LGBTQI identities and organisational well-being. The following contribution (Chapter 18) by Victoria Ross, Sharna L. Mathieu, Katrina Witt, and Kairi Kõlves deals with the prevention of suicide in the workplace. The subsequent chapter (Chapter 19) by Stephanie L. Gilbert and E. Kevin Kelloway offers perspectives on grief in the workplace. The contribution (Chapter 20) by Sanna Malinen, Katharina Näswall and Tracy Hatton is relative to employee well-being in post-disaster settings. The last contribution of this second part by Cheryl Y.S. Foo, Helen Verdeli and Alvin Kuowei Tay (Chapter 21) proposes humanizing work, considering the occupational mental health of humanitarian aid workers.

The third part of the handbook deals with emerging issues and new directions for organizational well-being and contains seven chapters. The first chapter of this part by Ian Hesketh (Chapter 22) offers workplace interventions to promote well-being at individual, team and organizational levels. The following chapter (Chapter 23) by Rachael Jones-Chick and E. Kevin Kelloway delineates the 3 pillars of mental health in the workplace (prevention, intervention and accommodation). The contribution by Karina Nielsen, Carolyn Axtell and Siobhan Taylor (Chapter 24) offers national approaches to well-being interventions and in particular the example of UK management standards. In the subsequent contribution by Simon Ellis Poole and Alison Clare Scott (Chapter 25), national arts and well-being policies and implications for well-being in organizational life are presented. In the following chapter by Marco Tagliabue (Chapter 26), nudge theory applied to well-being at work is delineated. The chapter by Justin James Kennedy and Lisa Leit (Chapter 27) introduces the possible applications of neuroscience to improve well-being in organizational life. The last contribution of this second part by Yi-Ling Lai and Stephen Palmer (Chapter 28) describes psychologically informed coaching interventions to enhance workplace well-being.

The fourth part of the handbook about emerging issues and directions for organizational well-being contains twelve chapters. The first chapter of this part, by Victoria Field and Anne Taylor, (Chapter 29) deals with creative-reflective inquiries and well-being in organizations. The following contribution (Chapter 30) by Katharina Näswall, Jennifer Wong and Sanna Malinen regards the issue of measuring well-being in organisational contexts. In the subsequent chapter (Chapter 31) by Jana Patey, Emike Nasamu, Sara Connolly, Kevin Daniels, Rachel Nayani and David Watson, theoretical and methodological insights for evaluating multicomponent well-being strategies are proposed. The contribution by Jarrod Haar and Aksa Ghafoor (Chapter 32) offers a focus on the perspectives of indigenous peoples and well-being in organizational contexts. In the following chapter (Chapter 33) by Kevin Moore, new directions regarding play and well-being at work are presented. The contribution by Tony Wall and Richard Axtel (Chapter 34) presents an emerging scholarship of practice framework in relation to creative practices for well-being in organizations. In the subsequent chapter by the Kintsugi Collective (Chapter 35), issues and directions regarding micro-activism and well-being are introduced. The contribution by Florence Palpacuer (Chapter 36) deals with the issue of resistance of workers in defence of well-being in contemporary organizations. In the following chapter (Chapter 37) by Scott Foster, Tony Wall and Anna Foster, the issue of spiritual well-being in organizations is presented. The subsequent contribution by Raya A. Jones (Chapter 38) introduces another new issue, posthumanism and well-being in the workplace. The chapter by Jarrod Haar and David Brougham (Chapter 39) presents a current issue on the topic of artificial Intelligence, big data, robots and well-being in organizations. The last chapter of this section (Chapter 40), by Wilson Wong, deals with international and national standards in health, safety and well-being in organizations.

The handbook constitutes a valuable contribution for academics and professionals who are interested in promoting well-being in organizations. It also forms a valuable source of current reading for students and postgraduate students interested in these areas of research and intervention. With the richness of its international and transdisciplinary approach, the volume represents an appealing resource capable of taking stock and indicating the trajectories needed to navigate the current complexity in organizations, orienting research and intervention with reference points both for best practices and for the innovation continually required by the liquidity of the contemporary scenario. Covering the most important areas of research and practices in well-being at individual, organizational and social levels, this book constitutes a pillar for facing the challenges of the current 21st century in fostering healthy organizations and societies.

Annamaria Di Fabio

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