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Journal ArticleDOI

Role of Self-efficacy, Optimism and Job Engagement in Positive Change: Evidence from the Middle East

01 Dec 2018-Scopus (SAGE Publications)-Vol. 43, Iss: 4, pp 222-235
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the role of self-efficacy, optimism, and job engagement in positive change, and found that higher levels of selfefficacy and optimism significantly predict higher level of cognitive, emotional, and physical engagement.
Abstract: Positive change comprises an examination of the factors that influence the adaptation of a positive lens, positively deviant performance, the effects of an affirmative bias, and the impact of pursuing the best of human conditions in an organization. To generate positive change, a Middle Eastern financial services firm designed and implemented a positive business initiative ‘RACE’, which involved various sports, arts, cultural, and everyday business activities, intended to engage employees and build their psychological strengths. In the context of RACE initiative, this study examines the role of self-efficacy, optimism, and job engagement in positive change. Self-efficacy is a specific, positive expectation of success based on belief in one’s individual abilities. Employees’ with higher levels of optimism tend to maintain positive expectation about what will happen to them in the process of change. Employees who are engaged in the jobs bring in their complete selves by investing physical, emotional, and cognitive energies. This study explores the relationship of self-efficacy and optimism with performance outcome. It further provides an explanation of this relationship through the mediating role of three dimensions of job engagement, that is, cognitive, emotional, and physical. Responses were collected from 406 employees who participated in the RACE initiative. While all of the respondents are based in the UAE, the sample is international in nature, encompassing 15 countries. These respondents were asked to assess their own self-efficacy, optimism, and job engagement, along with their perception of the team-level performance of the branch office in which they work. The hypothesized relationships were tested in AMOS 20 using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that higher levels of self-efficacy and optimism significantly predict higher levels of cognitive, emotional, and physical engagement. Also, the higher levels of cognitive, emotional, and physical engagement significantly predict performance. Further, significant indirect effects support the mediating role of job engagement in relationship between these psychological strengths and performance outcome. Thus, employees’ level of self-efficacy, optimism, and job engagement can be enhanced by designing and implementing business initiatives that are relevant to positive change.

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01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the reasons why some airline companies recovered successfully after the attacks while others struggled, and they find that having a viable business model itself depended on the extent to which positive employee relationships had been achieved and maintained over the long term.
Abstract: The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 affected the U.S. airline industry more than almost any other industry. Certain of these companies emerged successful, however, and demonstrated remarkable resilience while others languished. This investigation identifies the reasons why some airline companies recovered successfully after the attacks while others struggled. Evidence is provided that layoffs after the crisis, while intended to foster recovery, instead inhibited recovery throughout the four years after the crisis. But layoffs after the crisis were strongly correlated with the lack of financial reserves and the lack of a viable business model prior to the crisis. Digging deeper, we find that having a viable business model itself depended on the extent to which positive employee relationships had been achieved and maintained over the long term. One implication of our findings is that layoffs, while reducing costs in the short term, may also undermine the positive relationships that are critical for achieving lasting recovery.

78 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors used a generic qualitative approach to understand what aspects of work and the organization employees were grateful for during the 2009 Asian flu pandemic and found that the pandemic brought on many negative experiences but employees could still find things to be grateful for.
Abstract: Gratitude or the appreciation of being given something of value, is an important element in positive emotions within positive psychology. Gratitude has been linked to wellbeing and gratitude in the workplace is positively associated with constructs such as performance and organizational citizenship behavior. The pandemic brought on many negative experiences but employees could still find things to be grateful for during this time. The purpose of the study was to understand what aspects of work and the organization employees were grateful for during the pandemic. A generic qualitative approach was used. Participants were sourced from various industries in South Africa using purposive sampling. Data were gathered through 21 semi-structured interviews of working people in South Africa. Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis revealed five themes, namely, (1) gratitude for no negative work-life changes; (2) gratitude for a caring workplace; (3) gratitude for a new way of working; (4) gratitude for the ability to put oneself first; and (5) gratitude for having resilience, optimism and spirituality as a psychological buffer. Managers should deliberately engage in behaviors that will bring about gratitude from their employees. Employees should reflect on the positive things at work that they are thankful for as a way of enhancing gratitude and thereby, wellness, performance, and commitment. The study combines existing knowledge on gratitude during the pandemic with gratitude in the workplace.
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article , a study was conducted to extract all the employee engagement factors that can actually improve the employee's performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the factors significantly influencing the engagement of employees are organization's commitment, job safety and security, employee satisfaction, opinions and stability, and set goals and objectives.
Abstract: Considering the pandemic situation caused by COVID-19, the majority of Manufacturing companies in India have declared work from home until 2021. The pandemic has disrupted both the private and professional lives of people working in the Manufacturing sector, which has impacted the employee's attitude toward work. Therefore, the study is conducted to extract all the employee engagement factors that can actually improve the employee's performance during pandemic. Factor analysis has been applied on a sample of 200 respondents, and the factors significantly influencing the engagement of employees are organization's commitment, job safety and security, employee satisfaction, opinions and stability, and set goals and objectives.
Journal ArticleDOI
31 Oct 2022-Satwika
TL;DR: Waja Sampai Kaputing is a philosophy of life in Banjar Tribe that contains a message from Pangeran Antasari for the young generation not to give up on pursuing their goals as discussed by the authors .
Abstract: Waja Sampai Kaputing merupakan falsafah hidup Suku Banjar yang merupakan pesan dari Pangeran Antasari agar pantang menyerah dalam mencapai tujuan. Falsafah ini dapat dikaji menggunakan konsep psikologi Psychological Capital. Dalam penerapannya pada zaman sekarang, falsafah hidup ini masih menjadi sesuatu yang relevan untuk generasi muda sebagai calon pemimpin bangsa masa depan yang menghadapi tantangan dan situasi yang tidak pasti. Labelling sebagai strawberry generation disematkan pada generasi muda untuk melambangkan sebagai generasi yang mudah menyerah, lemah, dan mudah hancur. Banyak faktor yang menyebabkan generasi muda menjadi generasi yang lemah antara lain eksposur internet, penggunaan media sosial berlebihan, toxic parenting, dan lingkungan sekolah yang tidak mendukung. Studi ini dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk mengulas falsafah Waja Sampai Kaputing yang kemudian disandingkan dengan konsep psikologi Psychological Capital pada strawberry generation di Indonesia. Melalui studi ini dapat diketahui bahwa falsafah WASAKA dapat ditinjau dari aspek psikologis PsyCap masih relevan dapat diterapkan dalam berbagai aspek kehidupan generasi muda. Waja Sampai Kaputing is a philosophy of life in Banjar Tribe that contains a message from Pangeran Antasari for the young generation not to give up on pursuing their goals. This philosophy can explain more through the psychological concept called Psychological Capital. Waja Sampai Kaputing has become a relevant life philosophy for today’s young generation as a nation’s future leader to face challenges and uncertainty. The young generation is labelled as the strawberry generation, a generation that gives up quickly and is fragile. Factors that cause our young generation to become fragile are internet exposure, excessive use of social media, toxic parenting, and a toxic school environment. The purpose of this study is to review “Waja Sampai Kaputing” through Psychological Capital to strawberry generation in Indonesia. This study concludes that WASAKA can be seen from a psychological aspect called Psycap and is still relevant to be applied in various parts of the life of the younger generation.
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper , the congruent effects of leader and follower psychological capital (PsyCap) on follower change-related outcomes were explored. And the results from a three-wave and two-source field survey illustrate that leader-follower PsyCap congruence positively affects follower openness to change.
Abstract: Research shows that follower psychological capital (PsyCap) is essential for positive employee outcomes in organizational change. Nevertheless, scant research has explored the role of a leader's PsyCap in the process of organizational change. Drawing on the person-environment fit literature (specifically, person-supervisor fit theory), this study demonstrates the congruent effects of leader and follower PsyCap on follower change-related outcomes. Results from a three-wave and two-source field survey illustrate that leader-follower PsyCap congruence positively affects follower openness to change. And the high-level leader-follower PsyCap combination has higher follower openness to change than the low-level leader-follower PsyCap combination. Furthermore, we found that follower openness to change mediates the relationship between leader-follower PsyCap congruence and follower change-supportive and creative behaviors. Finally, we explore the moderating effects of salience of change on our proposed model as it is an important contextual factor identified in the prior change literature. Several theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the concept of psychological presence was developed to describe the experiential state enabling organization members to draw deeply on their personal selves in role performances, i.e., express thoughts and feelings, question assumptions, innovate.
Abstract: This article develops the concept of psychological presence to describe the experiential state enabling organization members to draw deeply on their personal selves in role performances, i.e., express thoughts and feelings, question assumptions, innovate. The dimensions of psychological presence are described along with relevant organizational and individual factors. The concept's implications for theory and research about the person-role relationship are described.

1,056 citations

Journal ArticleDOI

1,024 citations


"Role of Self-efficacy, Optimism and..." refers background in this paper

  • ...This assumption is explained through broaden and build theory of positive emotions (Fredrickson, 2003)....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate whether a process of employees' positivity will have an impact on relevant attitudes and behaviors, and find that positive emotions generally mediated the relationship between psychological capital and the attitudes and behaviours.
Abstract: Although much attention has been devoted to understanding employee resistance to change, relatively little research examines the impact that positive employees can have on organizational change. To help fill this need, the authors investigate whether a process of employees’ positivity will have an impact on relevant attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, this study surveyed 132 employees from a broad cross-section of organizations and jobs and found: (a) Their psychological capital (a core factor consisting of hope, efficacy, optimism, and resilience) was related to their positive emotions that in turn were related to their attitudes (engagement and cynicism) and behaviors (organizational citizenship and deviance) relevant to organizational change; (b) mindfulness (i.e., heightened awareness) interacted with psychological capital in predicting positive emotions; and (c) positive emotions generally mediated the relationship between psychological capital and the attitudes and behaviors. The implications these findings have for positive organizational change conclude the article.

975 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Positive psychology has figured itself as no less than a revolutionary reorientation of psychology, one that makes individual flourishing the primary object of study and intervention as mentioned in this paper. But positive psychology has also been criticised as a "reorientation" of psychology.
Abstract: Positive psychology has figured itself as no less than a revolutionary reorientation of psychology, one that makes individual `flourishing' the primary object of study and intervention. There are c...

709 citations


"Role of Self-efficacy, Optimism and..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Employees high on optimism believe they will succeed regardless of their abilities, so it is proposed that for optimism to be effective, it must be realistic (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000)....

    [...]

  • ...Optimists tend to expect good things to happen to them, have more positive moods and are persevering in their endeavours throughout the change process (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000)....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a qualitative study of 33 employees in for-profit and non-profit organizations to elaborate theory on job crafting was conducted, focusing on how employees at different ranks describe perceiving and adapting to challenges in the execution of job crafting and their responses to them details the adaptive action that may be necessary for job crafting to occur.
Abstract: Summary We utilize a qualitative study of 33 employees in for-profit and non-profit organizations to elaborate theory on job crafting. We specifically focus on how employees at different ranks describe perceiving and adapting to challenges in the execution of job crafting. Elaborating the challenges employees perceive in job crafting and their responses to them details the adaptive action that may be necessary for job crafting to occur. Specifically, our findings suggest that higher-rank employees tend to see the challenges they face in job crafting as located in their own expectations of how they and others should spend their time, while lower-rank employees tend to see their challenges as located in their prescribed jobs and others’ expectations of them. The nature of each group’s perceived challenges is related to the adaptive moves that they make to overcome them, such that higher-rank employees adapt their own expectations and behaviors to make do with perceived opportunities to job craft at work, while lower-rank employees adapt others’ expectations and behaviors to create opportunities to job craft. Our elaborated theory presents a socially embedded account of job crafting as a proactive and adaptive process that is shaped by employees’ structural location in the organization. Copyright # 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

697 citations