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 paper, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of 51 independent samples (representing a total of N � 12,567 employees) that met the inclusion criteria and found that the expected significant positive relationships between PsyCap and desirable employee attitudes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, psychological well-being), desirable employee behaviors (citizenship), and multiple measures of performance (self, supervisor evaluations, and objective).
Abstract: The positive core construct of psychological capital (or simply PsyCap), consisting of the psychological resources of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, has recently been demonstrated to be open to human resource development (HRD) and performance management. The research stream on PsyCap has now grown to the point that a quantitative summary analysis of its impact on employee attitudes, behaviors, and especially performance is needed. The present meta-analysis included 51 independent samples (representing a total of N � 12,567 employees) that met the inclusion criteria. The results indicated the expected significant positive relationships between PsyCap and desirable employee attitudes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, psychological well-being), desirable employee behaviors (citizenship), and multiple measures of performance (self, supervisor evaluations, and objective). There was also a significant negative relationship between PsyCap and undesirable employee attitudes (cynicism, turnover intentions, job stress, and anxiety) and undesirable employee behaviors (deviance). A sub-analysis found no major differences between the types of performance measures used (i.e., between self, subjective, and objective). Finally, the analysis of moderators revealed the relationship between PsyCap and employee outcomes were strongest in studies conducted in the United States and in the service sector. These results provide a strong evidence-based recommendation for the use of PsyCap in HRD and performance programs. Theoretical contributions, future research directions, and practical guidelines for HRD conclude the article.
1,222 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a core construct of hope, self-efficacy, optimism, and resiliency to take positive psychology to the workplace, which they call "psychological capital".
Abstract: Psychological capital with components of hope, self-efficacy, optimism, and resiliency has recently emerged as a core construct in taking positive psychology to the workplace. A distinguishing feat...
763 citations
TL;DR: The first-order positive psychological resources that make up PsyCap include hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, or the HERO within this article, and these four best meet the inclusion criteria of being theory and research-based, positive, validly measurable, state-like, and having impact on attitudes, behaviors, performance and well-being.
Abstract: The now recognized core construct of psychological capital, or simply PsyCap, draws from positive psychology in general and positive organizational behavior (POB) in particular. The first-order positive psychological resources that make up PsyCap include hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, or the HERO within. These four best meet the inclusion criteria of being theory- and research-based, positive, validly measurable, state-like, and having impact on attitudes, behaviors, performance and well-being. The article first provides the background and precise meaning of PsyCap and then comprehensively reviews its measures, theoretical mechanisms, antecedents and outcomes, levels of analysis, current status and needed research, and finally application. Particular emphasis is given to practical implications, which focuses on PsyCap development, positive leadership, and novel applications such as the use of video games and gamification techniques. The overriding theme throughout is that PsyCap has both scient...
551 citations
TL;DR: A detailed and focused review of the existing literature on psychological capital can be found in this article, where the authors call for researchers to pay greater attention to possible multi-level applications of PsyCap research, examine the underlying mechanisms by which PsyCap influences individual-level, team-level and organizational-level outcomes, and identify possible factors that may moderate the relationship between PsyCap and its outcomes.
Abstract: Summary
The concept of psychological capital (PsyCap) has attracted a great deal of interest from both academics and practitioners and has been linked to employee attitudes, behavior and performance at different levels of analysis. Yet, the nature of the concept, its measurement, the factors that influence its development, and when and how it influences individual-level, team-level and organizational-level outcomes are the subject of continued debate in the literature. This article offers a detailed and focused review of the existing literature on PsyCap, with the aim of developing an agenda for future research. In particular, we call for researchers to pay greater attention to possible multi-level applications of PsyCap research, examine the underlying mechanisms by which PsyCap influences individual-level, team-level and organizational-level outcomes, and identify possible factors that may moderate the relationship between PsyCap and its outcomes. In doing this, we provide a roadmap for scholars to progress the development of the field. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
476 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined at the group level of analysis the role that collective psychological capital and trust may play in the relationship between authentic leadership and work groups' desired outcomes, and found that there was a significant relationship between both their collective psychological and trust with their grouplevel performance and citizenship behavior, even when controlling for transformational leadership.
Abstract: Summary Although there have been recent theoretical advances in what is increasingly being recognized as authentic leadership, research testing possible mediating processes and the impact on grouplevel outcomes has not received attention. To help address this need, this study examined at the group level of analysis the role that collective psychological capital and trust may play in the relationship between authentic leadership and work groups’ desired outcomes. Utilizing 146 intact groups from a large financial institution, the results indicated a significant relationship between both their collective psychological capital and trust with their grouplevel performance and citizenship behavior. These two variables were also found to mediate the relationship between authentic leadership and the desired group outcomes, even when controlling for transformational leadership. Implications for future research and practice conclude the paper. Copyright # 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
438 citations
References
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Book•
01 Jan 2006TL;DR: The PsyCap Questionnaire (PCQ) is a measurement tool and the PsyCap Intervention (PCI) as a development aid as discussed by the authors, which can be used to measure the impact of positive organizational behavior.
Abstract: Although there are as many answers to the question of how organizations can gain competitive advantage in today's global economy as there are books and experts, one lesson seems very clear: traditional answers and resources are no longer sufficient. This seminal book offers not only an answer regarding how to gain competitive advantage through people, but also a brand new, untapped human resource-psychological capital, or simply PsyCap. Generated from both the positive psychology movement and the authors' pioneering work on positive organizational behavior, PsyCap goes beyond traditionally recognized human and social capital. But PsyCap is not a vague or unscientific concept: to be included in PsyCap, a given positive construct must be based on theory, research, and valid measurement, must be open to development, and must have measurable performance impact. The positive constructs that have been determined to best meet these PsyCap criteria, efficacy (confidence), hope, optimism, and resiliency, are covered in separate chapters in Psychological Capital. After exploring other potential positive constructs such as creativity, wisdom, well being, flow, humor, gratitude, forgiveness, emotional intelligence, spirituality, authenticity, and courage, the authors summarize the research demonstrating the performance impact of PsyCap. They go on to provide the PsyCap Questionnaire (PCQ) as a measurement tool, and the PsyCap Intervention (PCI) as a development aid. Utility analysis indicates that investing in the development of PsyCap as presented in this book can result in a very substantial return. In total, Psychological Capital provides theory, research, measurements, and methods of application for the new resource of psychological capital, a resource that can be developed and sustained for competitive advantage.
1,516 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers background or methods in this paper
...Recent research (Luthans et al. 2007a) provides evidence that PsyCap is less stable (i.e. more ‘state-like’) than personality traits, suggesting that PsyCap is more open to be developed and managed....
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...However, as seen in the definition of PsyCap given earlier, there is also a common underlying linkage of positivity and striving to succeed among the components and empirical evidence supporting PsyCap as a core construct (Luthans et al. 2007a)....
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...Although the reliability of this translated 12-item PCQ (α = .68) was not as high as has been found in multiple American samples using the original 24-item version (e.g., see Luthans et al. 2007a), it was still very close to the standard acceptable levels....
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...This 12-item PCQ included 3 items for efficacy, 4 items for hope (2 agentic capacity, 2 pathways thinking), 2 items for optimism and 3 items for resilience....
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...In addition, future studies may consider item response theory on the individual items of the PCQ when applying them in contexts such as Chinese organizations....
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TL;DR: In this article, a new dimension of human resources, positive psychological capital, which involves measurable, developable psychological capacities that can be readily enhanced and managed for performance improvement, is introduced.
1,472 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers background in this paper
...The application of this positive movement to the workplace in general, andhumanresource management in particular, can be found in psychological capital or, simply, PsyCap (see Luthans and Youssef 2004; Luthans, Youssef and Avolio 2007b)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, two studies (N = 1,032 and N = 232) test hypotheses on the impact that the selected positive psychological resource capacities of hope, optimism, and resilience have on desired work-related employee outcomes.
1,436 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers methods in this paper
...This approach has been used in a number of studies that have tested the relationship of PsyCap and its components with performance (Luthans et al. 2005; Youssef and Luthans 2007)....
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TL;DR: A review article examines representative positive traits (Big Five personality, core self-evaluations, and character strengths and virtues), positive state-like psychological resource capacities (efficacy, hope, optimism, re siliency, and psychological capital), positive organizations (drawn from positive organization scholarship), and positive behaviors (organizational citizenship and courageous principled action) as discussed by the authors.
1,281 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers background in this paper
...…(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 positive emotions…...
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...state-like) with performance impact (Luthans 2002; Luthans and Youssef 2007; Luthans et al. 2007b), on the surface appear very similar....
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..., 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 positive emotions (Fredrickson 1998, 2000) have all provided evidence that individuals flourish when the focus shifts from fixing what is wrong with people to strengthening what is right....
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...…efficacy, optimism and resiliency – that meet the PsyCap inclusion criteria of being based on theory, research and valid measurement and open to development (i.e. state-like) with performance impact (Luthans 2002; Luthans and Youssef 2007; Luthans et al. 2007b), on the surface appear very similar....
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TL;DR: In this article, the meaning of psychological capital (PsyCap) is defined and a micro-intervention to develop it is presented based on hope, optimism, efficacy, and resiliency development.
Abstract: After first providing the meaning of psychological capital (PsyCap), we present a micro-intervention to develop it. Drawn from hope, optimism, efficacy, and resiliency development, this PsyCap Intervention (PCI) is shown to have preliminary support for not only increasing participants' PsyCap, but also financial impact and high return on investment. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
1,161 citations