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
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TL;DR: This paper examined the theoretical and empirical relationship of training and individualism-collectivism to self-efficacy and performance in studies of managers from Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China, and the United States.
Abstract: The author gratefully acknowledges the comments and suggestions of Elaine Mosakowski and Anne Tsui on an earlier draft of this paper. Requests for reprints and other correspondence should be addressed to the author at the Graduate School of Management, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92717. The author would like to thank Bao Ji Ming, Luo Xing-jian, Zou Qiming, and Zhang Yong-lin for their assistance in collecting data in the People's Republic of China as well as Susan Peterson for her assistance in collecting the data in the United States. This paper examines the theoretical and empirical relationship of training and individualism-collectivism to self-efficacy (a person's estimate of his or her ability to perform a task) and performance in studies of managers from Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China, and the United States. A laboratory experiment and a six-month field experiment were used to test hypotheses predicting that for individualists, self-focused training would have a stronger impact on self-efficacy and performance than would group-focused training and, for collectivists, group-focused training would have a stronger impact on self-efficacy and performance than would individual-focused training. The results show consistent support for the hypotheses at both a cultural and an individual level of analysis. A general model of self-efficacy and culture in an organizational environment is discussed.'
550 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers background in this paper
...For example, it has been found that individuals from countries with a level of collectivism tend to develop efficacy more readily in a group context (Earley 1994)....
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...This confidence component of PsyCap has been clearly shown to relate work-related performance in the US (Stajkovic and Luthans 1998) and in other cultures (Earley 1994; Luthans, Zhu and Avolio 2006; Luthans and Ibrayeva 2006)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used the learned helplessness model to predict the tendency to explain bad events by internal, stable, and global causes and concluded that pessimistic explanatory style leads to poor productivity and quitting when bad events are experienced.
Abstract: The reformulated learned helplessness model claims that the tendency to explain bad events by internal, stable, and global causes potentiates quitting when bad events are encountered. We tested this prediction in the work setting with individuals who frequently experience bad events. Explanatory style, as measured by the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ), correlated with and predicted the performance of life insurance sales agents. In a cross-sectional study of 94 experienced agents, individuals scoring in the top half of the ASQ sold 37% more insurance in their first 2 years of service than those scoring in the bottom half. In a prospective 1-year study of 103 newly hired agents, individuals who scored in the top half of the ASQ when hired remained in their job at twice the rate and sold more insurance than those scoring in the bottom half of the ASQ. These two studies support the claim that a pessimistic explanatory style leads to poor productivity and quitting when bad events are experienced, and extend the usefulness of the ASQ to the workplace.
530 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers background in this paper
...When individuals experience instances of optimism, they tend to internalize positive events and externalize negative events (Seligman and Schulman 1986; Seligman 1998)....
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TL;DR: The relationship between negative affectivity and OCB is found to be mediated by LMX and perceived job mobility, and theoretical implications of the results are discussed.
411 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers background in this paper
..., see Sagie 1998; Van Vegchel, De Jonge and Landsbergis 2005) and specifically with a Chinese translation (Hui and Law 1999)....
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...…indicates that .60 is reasonable (Peterson 1994) and other researchers’ published findings using back translations similarly fell just short of the .70 alpha level (e.g., see Sagie 1998; Van Vegchel, De Jonge and Landsbergis 2005) and specifically with a Chinese translation (Hui and Law 1999)....
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TL;DR: In this article, structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses about the dimensionality of measures of dispositional hope (the Adult Hope Scale, AHS) and dispositional optimism (the Life Orientation Test, LOT), and patterns of discriminant validity for each trait.
Abstract: Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses about (a) the dimensionality of measures of dispositional hope (the Adult Hope Scale, AHS) and dispositional optimism (the Life Orientation Test, LOT), (b) the extent and source of conceptual overlap and divergence between hope and optimism, and (c) patterns of discriminant validity for each trait. Separate two-factor models best fit the hope (Agency and Pathways, r = .68) and optimism (Optimism and Pessimism, r = -.63) data. Analyzing the combined AHS and LOT data, a measurement model with separate, correlated second-order factors of Hope and Optimism ( r = .80) provided a better fit than did a higher-order model with a single second-order factor. Optimism correlated equally with both Agency and Pathways, whereas Pessimism was more strongly correlated with Agency than with Pathways. Confirming hypotheses, second-order Optimism had a stronger influence on the use of positive reappraisal as a coping strategy than did second-order Hope, where...
390 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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...2007b) and empirically (Magaletta and Oliver 1999; Carifio and Rhodes 2002; Bryant and Cvengros 2004), that they are independent constructs....
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380 citations
"More evidence on the value of Chine..." refers background in this paper
..., 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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...…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 positive…...
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