The need for and meaning of positive organizational behavior

Abstract

SummaryThis essay draws from the emerging positive psychology movement and the author's recent articles on the need for and meaning of a positive approach to organizational behavior. Specifically, the argument is made that at this time, the OB field needs a proactive, positive approach emphasizing strengths, rather than continuing in the downward spiral of negativity trying to fix weaknesses. However, to avoid the surface positivity represented by the nonsustainable best-sellers, the case is made for positive organizational behavior (POB) to take advantage of the OB field's strength of being theory and research driven. Additional criteria for this version of POB are to identify unique, state-like psychological capacities that can not only be validly measured, but also be open to development and performance management. Confidence, hope, and resiliency are offered as meeting such POB inclusion criteria. The overall intent of the essay is to generate some positive thinking and excitement for the OB field and 'hopefully' stimulate some new theory building, research, and effective application.

Psychological ownership: theoretical extensions, measurement and relation to work outcomes

“…Psychological ownership has much in common with more widely recognized POB constructs and approaches such as psychological capital (e.g., Luthans, Youssef, & Avolio, 2007), positive organizational scholarship (e.g., Cameron, Dutton, & Quinn, 2003), character strengths and virtues (e.g., Peterson, 2006;Peterson & Seligman, 2004) and psychological well-being (e.g., Quick & Quick, 2004;Wright & Cropanzano, 2004;Wright, 2005). In particular, not only does psychological ownership share a sense of positivity and striving for accomplishment and success with these related POB constructs, but psychological ownership also fits the specific POB inclusion criteria suggested by colleagues (Luthans, 2002a(Luthans, , 2002bLuthans et al, 2007, i.e., based on theory, research and measurement; state-like and thus open to change and development; and having performance impact in today's organizations).…”

The emerging positive agenda in organizations: greater than a trickle, but not yet a deluge

“…To help address this omission, Maslow entitled the last chapter of Motivation and Personality, ''Toward a Positive Psychology'' and called for research on such positive topics as self-reliance, courage, humility, kindness, and actualization of potential. Unfortunately, Maslow's passionate call fell on mostly deaf ears, and today a number scholars still bemoan the disparity between positively and negatively focused articles in the social sciences (Luthans, 2002a;Myers, 2000;Wright, 2003). This current focus on the negative is even more surprising when one considers the programmatic body of work by Rexford B. Hersey, coupled with positive-based research by a number of his contemporaries from the 1920s and 1930s, such as Robert Hoppock, Arthur Kornhauser, Agnes Sharp, and Edward Thorndike.…”

Es pot desenvolupar el capital psicològic en el dia a dia de les organitzacions?

“…Una de les claus en la definició del comportament organitzacional positiu i, més específicament, del capital psicològic, és la seva capacitat per a ser desen-volupat i usat en favor del rendiment (Luthans, 2002), el que el converteix en un tema especialment interessant per a les persones i les empreses.…”

“…En el cas concret del context organitzacional, es parla de «comportament organitzacional positiu», definint-se com l'estudi de «les fortaleses i capacitats psicològiques positives de les persones, que es poden mesurar, desenvolupar i usar de forma efectiva per millorar l'acompliment en l'àmbit laboral» (Luthans, 2002). Com assenyala Fierro (2013), aquestes fortaleses i capacitats constitueixen un dels temes més estudiats durant els últims anys, i el marc teòric i l'evidència empírica sobre el seu impacte en el rendiment i el benestar en les empreses són ja considerables.…”

“…El capital psicològic és un estat psicològic positiu de l'ésser humà caracteritzat per la presència de quatre característiques o dimensions: l'autoeficàcia, l'esperança, l'optimisme i la resiliència (Luthans, 2002). L'autoeficàcia pot ser definida, breument, com la creença en la pròpia capacitat per obtenir èxit en una determinada situació o tasca (Bandura, 1997); l'esperança, com la percepció de la pròpia capacitat per trobar i dur a terme vies alternatives cap a l'èxit (Snyder, 2002); l'optimisme, com la disposició a esperar resultats positius gràcies a un estil atribucional intern, estable i global per als esdeveniments positius, i extern, inestable i específic per als negatius (Seligman, 1998); i la resiliència, com la capacitat de sobreposar-se a l'adversitat o fins i tot sortir-ne reforçat (Luthans, 2002).…”