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Learning gains from work placements: Innovative behavior and the role of emotional competencies

Marco Furlotti & Helen Shipton

European Management Review2026https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.70066article
AJG 3ABDC B
Weight
0.50

Abstract

The importance of innovative behavior (IB) has been well documented, and the engagement of employees in IB has become a tacit norm in many organizations. It has also been understood that IB is emotionally charged. However, little research has concentrated on whether higher education (HE) providers can foster IB in university students, and whether the competences to deal with one's own and others' emotions play a role in that development. Building on experiential learning theory and the job demands‐resources (JD‐R) model, we investigate the impact of sandwich work placements and of emotional and social competencies (ESCs) on the IB of undergraduate students. A pre‐post quasi‐experimental design was employed. Data from undergraduate students of a UK‐based business school were collected in two stages using the ESCI‐U inventory and validated scales, and analyzed with partial least squares modeling. Work placements and ESCs were found to positively predict IB, and changes in ESCs to partially mediate the effect of work placements. Theoretical implications and opportunities for future research were discussed, including implications for debates concerning HE providers and their surrounding institutional environment. Our study empowers people who face the school‐to‐work transition to improve their IB by working on the development of ESCs. It also supports the idea that HE providers can assist by offering work placements and by designing them for ESCs development. Furthermore, it reveals to HE providers previously unsuspected benefits of one of their pedagogies, at a time when those providers are under pressure to articulate their students' “learning gains” in greater detail, also including personal development gains.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.70066

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@article{marco2026,
  title        = {{Learning gains from work placements: Innovative behavior and the role of emotional competencies}},
  author       = {Marco Furlotti & Helen Shipton},
  journal      = {European Management Review},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.70066},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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