More evidence on the value of Chinese workers' psychological capital: A potentially unlimited competitive resource?
07 May 2008-International Journal of Human Resource Management (Taylor & Francis Group)-Vol. 19, Iss: 5, pp 818-827
TL;DR: In this article, a positive approach to Chinese HRM that recognizes, develops and manages the psychological capital (PsyCap) of workers is proposed, and the results of a follow-up study provide further evidence that the PsyCap of Chinese workers is related to their performance.
Abstract: As China continues its unprecedented economic growth and emergence as a world power, new solutions must be forthcoming to meet the accompanying challenges. We propose a positive approach to Chinese HRM that recognizes, develops and manages the psychological capital (PsyCap) of workers. After providing a brief overview of hope, efficacy, optimism, resilience and overall PsyCap in today's Chinese context, the results of a follow-up study provide further evidence that the PsyCap of Chinese workers is related to their performance. The implications that this evidence-based value of Chinese workers' psychological capital has for China now and into the future concludes this study.
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Dissertation•
01 Jan 2012
9 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: Li et al. as discussed by the authors conducted in-depth case studies on the pay system reforms in six state schools and in one publishing entity, exploring a range of research objectives which draw on the NewEconomics of Personnel (NEP) theory and such motivation theories as expectation theory, goal-setting theory, agency theory, cognitive evaluation and equity theory.
Abstract: The reform of pay systems in China has received growing attention from
scholars over the past two decades. However, despite the great attention given to
the business sector in China, one significant category among the pay studies in
the Chinese public sector has been missing. In recent years, the Chinese
government has started to implement a new wave of reform in the national
payment system: performance related pay in the public service units (PSU,
“shiye danwei”), which form a cluster of public service providers operating
alongside core government and separate from other state-owned or statesponsored
organisations. Compared to the extensive discussion of public sector
pay in Western countries, there has to date been no academic research on pay
systems in the Chinese PSU sector, leaving a significant gap in our
understanding of the key changes in and challenges to its human resource
management in different organizations. This thesis conducted in-depth case
studies on the pay system reforms in six state schools and in one publishing
organization, exploring a range of research objectives which draw on the New
Economics of Personnel (NEP) theory and such motivation theories as
expectancy theory, goal-setting theory, agency theory, cognitive evaluation
theory and equity theory.
The case study results were found to be consistent with the NEP predictions. The
two cases indicate that, although the principle of linking pay to individual
performance has been well accepted by employees across PSUs, performance
related pay was better implemented and more successful in the publishing
organization than the state schools. The introduction of performance related pay
in schools does not appear to have achieved the government’s objective of
encouraging higher performance but did have other positive consequences such
as retaining teachers in rural areas and possibly balancing the teaching resource
in the longer run in addition to some unintended outcomes at the same time.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors tried to identify the contribution that could emerge from the relationship of PsyCap, with constructs like subjective well-being, social capital, and employee engagement, considered through the prism of culture.
Abstract: Psychological capital (PsyCap), which is considered a higher-order construct, is composed of hope, efficacy, optimism, and resilience The importance of PsyCap stems from the fact that it has the propensity to motivate individuals in their accomplishment of organizational tasks and goals The concept is related to many behavioral concepts including: subjective well-being, social capital, employee engagement, and emotional intelligence The majority of the research literature on PsyCap has originated from the West, and limited literature exists about its antecedents and consequences among the Saudi population Studies undertaken in Saudi Arabia must take into account unique cultural aspects The present work attempts to identify the contribution that could emerge from the relationship of PsyCap, with constructs like subjective well-being, social capital, and employee engagement, considered through the prism of culture It also recognizes the influence of, and upon, the external environment Going beyond the replication of earlier studies, the present work considers the constructs to have a yin-yang relationship The study presented a model of comprehensive framework emerging from the relevant literature to bring out the complex connections between PsyCap and other constructs It also emphasized the importance of culture on the identified constructs, and its implication on contribution and performance The proposed framework needs to be further tested by academics, researchers, and practitioners to confirm its practical implications in industry
9 citations
Cites background from "More evidence on the value of Chine..."
...…from the US and Western world (Choi and Lee 2014; Larson et al. 2013; Luthans et al. 2007a, 2007b; Santisi et al. 2020), South Africa (Simons and Buitendach 2013); China (Luthans et al. 2008), India (Soni and Rastogi 2019), Turkey (Çetin and Basim 2011), and South Korea (Choi and Lee 2014)....
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...The majority of the research literature on PsyCap has originated from the US and Western world (Choi and Lee 2014; Larson et al. 2013; Luthans et al. 2007a, 2007b; Santisi et al. 2020), South Africa (Simons and Buitendach 2013); China (Luthans et al. 2008), India (Soni and Rastogi 2019), Turkey (Çetin and Basim 2011), and South Korea (Choi and Lee 2014)....
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...…and Lee 2014; Herdem 2019; Luthans et al. 2007a; Walumbwa et al. 2010), employee efficiency (Avey et al. 2010b; Peterson et al. 2011; Sleator 2020), satisfaction (Larson and Luthans 2006), organizational climate (Luthans et al. 2008; Song et al. 2020), and performance (Carmona-Halty et al. 2019)....
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Dissertation•
16 Apr 2015
TL;DR: In this article, the authors integrated a number of streams of research on the antecedents of innovation and creativity to develop and test a model of innovative behavior and found that positive psychological capital, personal initiative, supportive climate, strategic attention and creative behavior predict innovative behavior which in turn affects satisfaction and engagement.
Abstract: Despite increasing importance of fostering innovation among employees, and the growing interest in Positive Organizational Behavior (POB) constructs, little empirical research has been conducted on the topic of innovation with POB. Moreover, though research proved significant relationship between positive psychological capital (PsyCap) and creative performance, no studies examined PsyCap with innovative behavior along with other antecedents. In addition, potential differential antecedents of innovative behavior have received insufficient attention. The present study integrated a number of streams of research on the antecedents of innovation and creativity to develop and test a model of innovative behavior. Regression analyses reveal that PsyCap, work characteristics, personal initiative, supportive climate, strategic attention and creative behavior predict innovative behavior which in turn affects satisfaction and engagement. 2. Study 1-Innovative Behavior of Employees: A model of Antecedents and Consequences
9 citations
Cites background or methods or result from "More evidence on the value of Chine..."
...Supportive climate was also found to be related to engagement (Rich et al., 2010) and satisfaction (Luthans et al., 2008)....
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...Moreover, hope has been found to be positively related to satisfaction (Luthans & Youssef, 2007; Luthans et al., 2007b; Luthans et al., 2008), work happiness, and commitment (Youssef and Luthans, 2007)....
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...Therefore, if research proved that character plays a major role in the success of companies (Collins, 2001) and if happier employees produce more and perform better (Avey et al., 2008; Luthans et al., 2008; Seligman 2002a; 2002 b; 2006) and are even more creative employees (Sweetman et al....
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...Study 1-Innovative Behavior of Employees: A model of Antecedents and Consequences 31 performance as measured by supervisor ratings (Luthans et al., 2008b)....
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...Resilience was also found to be related to performance in other studies (Youssef & Luthans, 2007; Luthans et al., 2008a)....
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References
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Book•
01 Jan 1997TL;DR: SelfSelf-Efficacy (SE) as discussed by the authors is a well-known concept in human behavior, which is defined as "belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments".
Abstract: Albert Bandura and the Exercise of Self-Efficacy Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control Albert Bandura. New York: W. H. Freeman (www.whfreeman.com). 1997, 604 pp., $46.00 (hardcover). Enter the term "self-efficacy" in the on-line PSYCLIT database and you will find over 2500 articles, all of which stem from the seminal contributions of Albert Bandura. It is difficult to do justice to the immense importance of this research for our theories, our practice, and indeed for human welfare. Self-efficacy (SE) has proven to be a fruitful construct in spheres ranging from phobias (Bandura, Jeffery, & Gajdos, 1975) and depression (Holahan & Holahan, 1987) to career choice behavior (Betz & Hackett, 1986) and managerial functioning (Jenkins, 1994). Bandura's Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control is the best attempt so far at organizing, summarizing, and distilling meaning from this vast and diverse literature. Self-Efficacy may prove to be Bandura's magnum opus. Dr. Bandura has done an impressive job of summarizing over 1800 studies and papers, integrating these results into a coherent framework, and detailing implications for theory and practice. While incorporating prior works such as Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1977) and "Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency" (Bandura, 1982), Self-Efficacy extends these works by describing results of diverse new research, clarifying and extending social cognitive theory, and fleshing out implications of the theory for groups, organizations, political bodies, and societies. Along the way, Dr. Bandura masterfully contrasts social cognitive theory with many other theories of human behavior and helps chart a course for future research. Throughout, B andura' s clear, firm, and self-confident writing serves as the perfect vehicle for the theory he espouses. Self-Efficacy begins with the most detailed and clear explication of social cognitive theory that I have yet seen, and proceeds to delineate the nature and sources of SE, the well-known processes via which SE mediates human behavior, and the development of SE over the life span. After laying this theoretical groundwork, subsequent chapters delineate the relevance of SE to human endeavor in a variety of specific content areas including cognitive and intellectual functioning; health; clinical problems including anxiety, phobias, depression, eating disorders, alcohol problems, and drug abuse; athletics and exercise activity; organizations; politics; and societal change. In Bandura's words, "Perceived self-efficacy refers to beliefs in one's capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments" (p. 3). People's SE beliefs have a greater effect on their motivation, emotions, and actions than what is objectively true (e.g., actual skill level). Therefore, SE beliefs are immensely important in choice of behaviors (including occupations, social relationships, and a host of day-to-day behaviors), effort expenditure, perseverance in pursuit of goals, resilience to setbacks and problems, stress level and affect, and indeed in our ways of thinking about ourselves and others. Bandura affirms many times that humans are proactive and free as well as determined: They are "at least partial architects of their own destinies" (p. 8). Because SE beliefs powerfully affect human behaviors, they are a key factor in human purposive activity or agency; that is, in human freedom. Because humans shape their environment even as they are shaped by it, SE beliefs are also pivotal in the construction of our social and physical environments. Bandura details over two decades of research confirming that SE is modifiable via mastery experiences, vicarious learning, verbal persuasion, and interpretation of physiological states, and that modified SE strongly and consistently predicts outcomes. SE beliefs, then, are central to human self-determination. STRENGTHS One major strength of Self-Efficacy is Bandura's ability to deftly dance from forest to trees and back again to forest, using specific, human examples and concrete situations to highlight his major theoretical premises, to which he then returns. …
46,839 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers background in this paper
...However, there is now considerable evidence, both conceptually (e.g., Bandura 1997; Snyder 2000, 2002; Luthans et al. 2007b) and empirically (Magaletta and Oliver 1999; Carifio and Rhodes 2002; Bryant and Cvengros 2004), that they are independent constructs....
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...Self-efficacy is the positive belief or confidence in one’s ability to perform specific tasks (Bandura 1997)....
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TL;DR: The authors outline a framework for a science of positive psychology, point to gaps in the authors' knowledge, and predict that the next century will see a science and profession that will come to understand and build the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to flourish.
Abstract: A science of positive subjective experience, positive individual traits, and positive institutions promises to improve quality of life and prevent the pathologies that arise when life is barren and meaningless, The exclusive focus on pathology that has dominated so much of our discipline results in a model of the human being lacking the positive features that make life worth living. Hope, wisdom, creativity, future mindedness, courage, spirituality, responsibility, and perseverance are ignored or explained as transformations of more authentic negative impulses. The 15 articles in this millennial issue of the American Psychologist discuss such issues as what enables happiness, the effects of autonomy and self-regulation, how optimism and hope affect health, what constitutes wisdom, and how talent and creativity come to fruition. The authors outline a framework for a science of positive psychology, point to gaps in our knowledge, and predict that the next century will see a science and profession that will come to understand and build the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to flourish.
12,650 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers background in this paper
...Positive psychology (e.g., see Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 2000; Synder and Lopez 2002), positive organizational behaviour (Luthans 2002; Luthans 2003; Wright 2003; Luthans and Youssef 2007; Nelson and Cooper 2007); positive organizational scholarship (Cameron, Dutton and Quinn 2003), and…...
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TL;DR: The authors investigated factors that affect translation quality and how equivalence between source and target versions can be evaluated through an analysis of variance design, and concluded that translation quality can be predicted, and that a functionally equivalent translation can be demonstrated when responses to the original and target translations are studied.
Abstract: Two aspects of translation were investigated: (1) factors that affect translation quality, and (2) how equivalence between source and target versions can be evaluated. The variables of language, content, and difficulty were studied through an analysis of variance design. Ninety-four bilinguals from the University of Guam, representing ten languages, translated or back-translated six essays incorporating three content areas and two levels of difficulty. The five criteria for equivalence were based on comparisons of meaning or predictions of similar responses to original or translated versions. The factors of content, difficulty, language and content-language interaction were significant, and the five equivalence criteria proved workable. Conclusions are that translation quality can be predicted, and that a functionally equivalent translation can be demonstrated when responses to the original and target versions are studied.
9,422 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers methods in this paper
...All scales were translated into Mandarin Chinese using back translation methodology (Brislin 1970, 1980)....
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TL;DR: An examination of converging findings from variable-focused and person-focused investigations of resilience suggests that resilience is common and that it usually arises from the normative functions of human adaptational systems, with the greatest threats to human development being those that compromise these protective systems.
Abstract: The study of resilience in development has overturned many negative assumptions and deficit-focused models about children growing up under the threat of disadvantage and adversity. The most surprising conclusion emerging from studies of these children is the ordinariness of resilience. An examination of converging findings from variable-focused and person-focused investigations of these phenomena suggests that resilience is common and that it usually arises from the normative functions of human adaptational systems, with the greatest threats to human development being those that compromise these protective systems. The conclusion that resilience is made of ordinary rather than extraordinary processes offers a more positive outlook on human development and adaptation, as well as direction for policy and practice aimed at enhancing the development of children at risk for problems and psychopathology.
5,961 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers background in this paper
...Resiliency is the capacity to bounce back from adverse or stressful situations (Masten, Best and Garmezy 1990; Masten 2001; Luthans 2002)....
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...At one time thought to be very rare and even ‘magical’, resiliency is now recognized to be a psychological capacity that all individuals possess (Masten 2001), but it needs to be developed and unleashed....
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TL;DR: A new model is advanced to describe the form and function of a subset of positive emotions, including joy, interest, contentment, and love, that serve to broaden an individual's momentary thought–action repertoire, which in turn has the effect of building that individual's physical, intellectual, and social resources.
Abstract: This article opens by noting that positive emotions do not fit existing models of emotions. Consequently, a new model is advanced to describe the form and function of a subset of positive emotions, including joy, interest, contentment, and love. This new model posits that these positive emotions serve to broaden an individual's momentary thought-action repertoire, which in turn has the effect of building that individual's physical, intellectual, and social resources. Empirical evidence to support this broadenand-build model of positive emotions is reviewed, and implications for emotion regulation and health promotion are discussed. Even though research on emotions has this new perspective are featured. My hope is flourished in recent years, investigations that that this article will unlock scientific curiosity expressly target positive emotions remain few and far between. Any review of the psychological literature on emotions will show that psychologists have typically favored negative emotions in theory building and hypothesis testing. In so doing, psychologists have inadvertently marginalized the emotions, such as joy, about positive emotions, not only to test the ideas presented here, but also to build other new models that might illuminate the nature and value of positive emotions. Psychology sorely needs more studies on positive emotions, not simply to level the uneven knowledge bases between negative and positive emotions, but interest, contentment, and love, that share a more critically, to guide applications and pleasant subjective feel. To date, then, psychology's knowledge base regarding positive emotions is so thin that satisfying answers to the question "What good are positive emotions?" have yet to be articulated. This is unfortunate. Experiences of positive emotion are central to human nature and contribute richly to the quality of people's lives (Diener & Larsen,
5,198 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers background in this paper
...…Luthans and Youssef 2007; Nelson and Cooper 2007); positive organizational scholarship (Cameron, Dutton and Quinn 2003), and positive emotions (Fredrickson 1998, 2000) have all provided evidence that individuals flourish when the focus shifts from fixing what is wrong with people to…...
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