PERSONAL PROFILE:
Maria Vakola is a full professor of organizational psychology and change management at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), where she also serves as the Director of the MSc in Human Resource Management. Recognized by Stanford's list as being in the top 2% of scientists worldwide, she has an impressive academic background and extensive practical experience.
Dr. Vakola earned her Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Salford, UK in business process re-engineering and organizational change. Her academic career spans over two decades. She has also held visiting appointments at universities in the UK, Cyprus and Rome Business School Belgrade. Her research focuses on organizational change, job crafting, and work psychology, with numerous publications in prestigious journals like the Journal of Applied Psychology and Human Relations. She has also authored or co-authored several books on these topics. Her dedication to her field has brought her multiple research and teaching excellence awards.
Beyond her academic work, Prof. Vakola has made significant contributions through executive education, training over 4,000 executives, and consulting for major corporations in banking, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and retail.
EXPERTISE:
Change management, personal development, job crafting, work psychology.
AFFILIATION:
- Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) VISITING STAFF
- University of Cyprus, Faculty of Economics and Business
- Rome Business School Belgrade
SELECTED BOOKS & PUBLICATION
Vakola, M., & Bouradas, D. (2005). Antecedents and consequences of organisational silence. Employee Relations, 27(5), 441-458.
Oreg, S., Bayazit, M., Vakola, M., Arciniega, L., Armenakis, A., Barkauskiene, R., ... & Van Dam, K. (2008). Dispositional resistance to change: Measurement equivalence and the link to personal values across 17 nations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(4), 935.
Oreg, S., Vakola, M., & Armenakis, A. (2011). Change recipients’ reactions to organizational change: A 60-year review of quantitative studies. The Journal of applied behavioral science, 47(4), 461-524.
Vakola, M. (2016). The reasons behind change recipients’ behavioral reactions: A longitudinal investigation. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 31(1), 202-215.
Kaltiainen, J., Lipponen, J., Fugate, M., & Vakola, M. (2020). Spiraling work engagement and change appraisals: A three-wave longitudinal study during organizational change. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 25(4), 244.
Tomprou, M., Xanthopoulou, D., & Vakola, M. (2020). Socio-emotional and monetary employee-organization exchanges. Work & Stress, 34(2), 189-214.
Demerouti, E., Soyer, L. M., Vakola, M., & Xanthopoulou, D. (2021). The effects of a job crafting intervention on the success of an organizational change effort in a blue‐collar work environment. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 94(2), 374-399.
Schwarz, G. M., Bouckenooghe, D., & Vakola, M. (2021). Organizational change failure: Framing the process of failing. Human Relations, 74(2), 159-179.
Vakola, M., Petrou, P., & Katsaros, K. (2021). Work engagement and job crafting as conditions of ambivalent employees’ adaptation to organizational change. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 57(1), 57-79.
Vakola, M., & Katsaros, K. (2020). Managing Change in Organizations. Benou Publishers (in Greek).
Vakola, M., & Nikolaou, I. (2019, 2nd ed.). Organizational Psychology and Behavior. Rosili (in Greek).
Vakola, M., & Petrou, P. (Eds.) (2018). The Impact of Organizational Change: Coping Resources and Strategies. Routledge.
Vakola, M., & Aspospori, E. (2007). Women in Management: Myths, Barriers, and Expectations. Sideris (in Greek).
