Francesco joined the Department of Management in the University of Exeter Business School in 2020. Prior to this, he worked at Bond University and the University of Western Australia, where he received his PhD in 2017. Francesco’s primary areas of research include proactive behaviour, employee well-being, and work motivation. His work was published in outlets such as the Journal of Organizational Behavior and the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
Francesco also holds a Master’s in Social and Organisational Psychology from the University of Exeter and a BSc from the University of Padua.
Nationality: Italian / Australian
Qualifications
Links
Research interests
- Proactive behaviour
- Feedback-seeking
- Occupational stress
- Work motivation
Francesco’s research has largely been focused on understanding the consequences of employee proactivity using diary methods and experience sampling. His research shows that proactivity has mostly positive consequences for employee well-being, but that under certain circumstances being proactive can cause strain and expose employees to risks. Francesco’s research explores the mechanisms and factors that shape such processes, with the goal of understanding not only how to create a proactive workforce, but also how to sustain it in the long-term.
Research projects
Francesco is currently working on a project aimed at understanding how work characteristics and leadership behaviour influence the extent to which employees proactively seek feedback about their performance.
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year
Publications by category
Journal articles
Cangiano F, Parker SK, Ouyang K (2021). Too proactive to switch off: When taking charge drains resources and impairs detachment.
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology,
26(2), 142-154.
DOI.
Cangiano F, Parker SK, Yeo GB (2019). Does daily proactivity affect well-being? the moderating role of punitive supervision.
Journal of Organizational Behavior,
40(1), 59-72.
Abstract:
Does daily proactivity affect well-being? the moderating role of punitive supervision
Proactive behavior (self-initiated and future-oriented actions to bring about change) has largely positive consequences for organizationally oriented outcomes such as job performance. Yet the outcomes of proactivity from a well-being perspective have not been clearly considered. Drawing on self-determination theory and the stressor-detachment model, we propose two distinct paths by which proactivity affects individuals' daily well-being. The first path is an energy-generating pathway in which daily proactive behavior enhances end-of-work-day vitality via perceived competence. The second is a strain pathway in which daily proactive behavior generates anxiety at work, which undermines the process of detachment from work. We argue that these pathways are shaped by the extent to which supervisors are prone to blaming employees for their mistakes (punitive supervision). We tested this model using a sample of 94 employees who completed surveys three times a day for between 5 and 7 days. Our multilevel analyses provide support for the proposed dual-pathway model and suggest differential well-being outcomes of daily proactive work behavior. Overall, when an individual behaves proactively at work, they are more likely to experience higher levels of daily perceived competence and vitality. However, these positive effects can exist in parallel with daily negative effects on end-of-workday anxiety, and hence bedtime detachment, but only when the supervisor is perceived to be punitive about mistakes.
Abstract.
DOI.
Cangiano F, Ouyang K (2017). Too Proactive to Switch Off: When Taking Charge Creates Work-Life Conflict and Impairs Detachment.
Academy of Management Proceedings,
2017(1), 14823-14823.
DOI.
Cangiano F, Parker SK (2015). Proactivity for Mental Health and Well‐Being.
, 228-250.
DOI.
Maeran R, Cangiano F (2013). Flow experience and job characteristics: Analyzing the role of flow in job satisfaction.
TPM - Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology,
20(1), 13-26.
Abstract:
Flow experience and job characteristics: Analyzing the role of flow in job satisfaction
The construct called "flow," proposed by Csikszentmihalyi (1975, 1990), represents a milestone in the field of positive psychology. The present study aimed to analyze the role of flow as a critical psychological state in work redesign interventions in order to enhance job satisfaction. Specifically, two hypotheses were tested: (1) to investigate the relationships between the core job characteristics identified by Hackman and Oldham (1975) as motivational potential and the notion of flow in the workplace; (2) to examine the impact of flow toward job satisfaction. A survey-based study was conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings revealed a relationship between flow and some of the core job characteristics; moreover, consistent with predictions, results suggested that flow is a strong predictor of job satisfaction. Overall, these findings have potential implications for broad strategies of work redesign; they also increase our understanding of job satisfaction's determinants. © 2013 Cises.
Abstract.
DOI.
Chapters
Cangiano F, Bindl UK, Parker SK (2016). The "hot" side of proactivity: Exploring an affect-based perspective on proactivity in organizations. In (Ed)
Proactivity at Work: Making Things Happen in Organizations, 355-384.
DOI.
Publications by year
2021
Cangiano F, Parker SK, Ouyang K (2021). Too proactive to switch off: When taking charge drains resources and impairs detachment.
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology,
26(2), 142-154.
DOI.
2019
Cangiano F, Parker SK, Yeo GB (2019). Does daily proactivity affect well-being? the moderating role of punitive supervision.
Journal of Organizational Behavior,
40(1), 59-72.
Abstract:
Does daily proactivity affect well-being? the moderating role of punitive supervision
Proactive behavior (self-initiated and future-oriented actions to bring about change) has largely positive consequences for organizationally oriented outcomes such as job performance. Yet the outcomes of proactivity from a well-being perspective have not been clearly considered. Drawing on self-determination theory and the stressor-detachment model, we propose two distinct paths by which proactivity affects individuals' daily well-being. The first path is an energy-generating pathway in which daily proactive behavior enhances end-of-work-day vitality via perceived competence. The second is a strain pathway in which daily proactive behavior generates anxiety at work, which undermines the process of detachment from work. We argue that these pathways are shaped by the extent to which supervisors are prone to blaming employees for their mistakes (punitive supervision). We tested this model using a sample of 94 employees who completed surveys three times a day for between 5 and 7 days. Our multilevel analyses provide support for the proposed dual-pathway model and suggest differential well-being outcomes of daily proactive work behavior. Overall, when an individual behaves proactively at work, they are more likely to experience higher levels of daily perceived competence and vitality. However, these positive effects can exist in parallel with daily negative effects on end-of-workday anxiety, and hence bedtime detachment, but only when the supervisor is perceived to be punitive about mistakes.
Abstract.
DOI.
2017
Cangiano F, Ouyang K (2017). Too Proactive to Switch Off: When Taking Charge Creates Work-Life Conflict and Impairs Detachment.
Academy of Management Proceedings,
2017(1), 14823-14823.
DOI.
2016
Cangiano F, Bindl UK, Parker SK (2016). The "hot" side of proactivity: Exploring an affect-based perspective on proactivity in organizations. In (Ed)
Proactivity at Work: Making Things Happen in Organizations, 355-384.
DOI.
2015
Cangiano F, Parker SK (2015). Proactivity for Mental Health and Well‐Being.
, 228-250.
DOI.
2013
Maeran R, Cangiano F (2013). Flow experience and job characteristics: Analyzing the role of flow in job satisfaction.
TPM - Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology,
20(1), 13-26.
Abstract:
Flow experience and job characteristics: Analyzing the role of flow in job satisfaction
The construct called "flow," proposed by Csikszentmihalyi (1975, 1990), represents a milestone in the field of positive psychology. The present study aimed to analyze the role of flow as a critical psychological state in work redesign interventions in order to enhance job satisfaction. Specifically, two hypotheses were tested: (1) to investigate the relationships between the core job characteristics identified by Hackman and Oldham (1975) as motivational potential and the notion of flow in the workplace; (2) to examine the impact of flow toward job satisfaction. A survey-based study was conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings revealed a relationship between flow and some of the core job characteristics; moreover, consistent with predictions, results suggested that flow is a strong predictor of job satisfaction. Overall, these findings have potential implications for broad strategies of work redesign; they also increase our understanding of job satisfaction's determinants. © 2013 Cises.
Abstract.
DOI.
Awards and Honours
- Second Runner-Up Paper Award, Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2019
- Excellence in Teaching Award, The University of Western Australia, 2016
- Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarships (APA), 2013
External positions
- Honorary Adjunct Assistant Professor – Bond University
Francesco has extensive teaching experience at the undergraduate and postgraduate level across various subjects, ranging from Leadership and Organisational Behaviour to HR management and Business Statistics.
Modules
2022/23
