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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TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the direct and indirect effects of authentic leadership on organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) with the presence of psychological capital as a mediating factor, and found that psychological capital partially mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and OCB.
Abstract: PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the direct and indirect effects of authentic leadership on organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) with the presence of psychological capital as a mediating factor.Design/methodology/approachThis quantitative research was conducted among 396 front-line employees in six public sector organizations in Sri Lanka. A survey method was employed to collect the data.FindingsIt was found that psychological capital partially mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and OCB. In other words, the relationship between authentic leadership and OCB is both direct and indirect, mediated though psychological capital.Research limitations/implicationsThe authenticity of leaders' conduct, psychological capabilities and the outcomes of the performance, are rooted in and reinforced by the culture of the particular organization; hence, the findings should be interpreted cautiously.Practical implicationsThe framework of the present study provides a guideline to the top management of the public sector in Sri Lanka to design leadership programs that can develop authentic leaders.Originality/valueThe direct and indirect relationships established between authentic leadership and psychological capital and OCB signifies the critical importance of authentic leadership in the development of psychological capital and OCB among employees.
8 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an overview of the history of Chinese factory workers and their motivation in the context of work-motivation theories and work-life balance in a literature review.
Abstract: ------------------------------------------------------------------------iii Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview -----------------------------------------1 1.1 Background --------------------------------------------------------------------1 1.2 Operational Definitions -----------------------------------------------------3 1.2.1 Culture -----------------------------------------------------------------3 1.2.2 Work Motivation -----------------------------------------------------4 1.2.3 Chinese Factory Workers -----------------------------------------4 1.3 Research Objectives -----------------------------------------------------4 1.4 Research Questions -----------------------------------------------------5 1.5 Significance of the Study -----------------------------------------------6 1.5.1 Practical Significance -----------------------------------------------6 1.5.2 Theoretical Significance -----------------------------------------7 1.6 Research Method -----------------------------------------------------------9 1.7 Overview of Thesis -----------------------------------------------------9 Chapter 2: Literature Review ---------------------------------------------------12 2.1 Western Motivation Theories ---------------------------------------------13 2.1.
8 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report the psychometric properties of one of the measures of psychological capital, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire-12 (PCQ-12), in a sample of 396 Mexican workers.
Abstract: Psychological capital is a construct that is included in the positive organizational behavior framework, which is based on positive psychology principles. This concept is composed by four dimensions, self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism, which have a synergistic action. The aim of this study was to report the psychometric properties of one of the measures of psychological capital, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire-12 (PCQ-12), in a sample of 396 Mexican workers. This instruments’ factor structure was analyzed through a confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was assessed with the Cronbach’s Alpha and Composite Reliability coefficients. Furthermore, convergent and discriminant validity were also evaluated. Based on three concurrent models, it was observed that the model which possessed a better fit was composed by four-correlated factors. The implications of these results are discussed, and recommendations are provided for future researches. This paper, which presents a different factor structure than the usual of psychological capital, suggests that cultural differences may play a crucial role on the way the assessed construct behaves.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed current research trends on psychological capital (PsyCap) in science and study institutions in the United States of America and discussed how the level of psychological capital could be linked to individual or organisational economic efficiency and what additional studies are required.
Abstract: The article analyses current research trends on psychological capital (PsyCap) in science and study institutions in the United States of America. The model of PsyCap, which is created by F. Luthans and colleagues, is introduced. The paper gives some evidence on how PsyCap components (self-efficacy, hope, optimism, psychological resilience) have been determined to meet the criteria of being state-like/open to development, being theory/research-based, having valid measurement, and having performance impact. Luthans and colleagues utility analysis of developing psychological capital has yielded a very high return on development. The paper discusses how the level of psychological capital could be linked to individual or organisational economic efficiency and what additional studies are required.
7 citations
Dissertation•
20 Dec 2018
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce the satisfaction du besoin psychologique comme resultat proximal de la socialisation organisationnelle, comme suggere dans l'etude 1.
Abstract: La socialisation organisationnelle est un long processus a travers lequel les nouveaux venus apprennent tout ce qui concerne la nouvelle organisation dont ils deviendront membres. Les themes abordes concernaient : le nouveau travail, l’experience de la socialisation et les elements de motivation. Cette etude introduit la satisfaction du besoin psychologique comme resultat proximal de la socialisation organisationnelle, comme suggere dans l’etude 1. Le soutien social organisationnel, c’est-a-dire le role des agents de socialisation, a ete ajoute aux tactiques organisationnelles de socialisation comme variable independante. Afin de renforcer les resultats et pour prendre en compte les effets externes, deux variables moderatrices (le capital psychologique et la proactivite du nouveau venu) ont ete introduites. Une relation positive a ete trouvee entre les tactiques organisationnelles de socialisation et la satisfaction des besoins psychologiques, ce qui fait de cette derniere un resultat proximal de la socialisation. La performance au travail et l’implication affective sont positivement influencees par les tactiques organisationnelles de socialisation et le soutien social des agents de socialisation. Il a ete etabli que capital psychologique des nouveaux venus renforce les relations entre les tactiques organisationnelles de socialisation, le soutien social des agents de socialisation (variables independantes) et la satisfaction des besoins psychologiques ; egalement, la proactivite des nouveaux venus renforce les relations entre la satisfaction des besoins psychologiques et les variables dependantes a savoir la performance au travail et l’implication affective.
7 citations
Cites background from "More evidence on the value of Chine..."
...According to Luthans et al. (2010) psychological capital is a “reservoir” serving as a motivational...
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...According to Luthans et al. (2010) psychological capital is a “reservoir” serving as a motivational foundation that can drive people to act intentionally to achieve goals. Bandura (2008) suggests that the combination of psychological capital constructs produce a synergetic effect....
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...According to Luthans et al. (2010) psychological capital is a “reservoir” serving as a motivational foundation that can drive people to act intentionally to achieve goals....
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...Psychological capital has also been discussed as a “reservoir” that can help enhance motivation, driving people to act intentionally for achieving goals such as, job performance, satisfaction and commitment (Luthans et al. (2010). Bandura (2008) also pointed out the combined effect of four elements included in psychological capital to generate positive energy....
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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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