The Solution – Bridging the Gap
Positive organizational behavior
We all know there will be some pressure and how this pressure interacts with positive emotions to shape the attitudes and behaviors of people in the workplace.
Organizations are trying to go beyond fixing these issues and into promoting excellence. Because of this perspective the business world needs to turn to the branch of psychology that deals with human flourishing and human strengths, namely positive psychology (Donaldson & Ko, 2010; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).37
Organizations can benefit from any number of research initiatives in positive psychology, particularly with respect to strengths (Park, Peterson & Seligman, 2004)38; job design (Berg, Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2010)39; work identity and company fit (Dutton, Roberts & Bednar, 2010).40
Positive psychology, with its forward-focused approach, offers us tools for coping with negative events and the potential for a more hopeful, productive and satisfying future.
Research shows that 40% of life satisfaction is dependent on intentional activity—what we think, feel and do (Lyubomirsky, Sheldon & Schkade,2005).41
Positive psychology views people as self-determined and creative, capable of accessing the 40% to create their desired outcomes rather than languishing as passive victims of external forces.
It looks at the nature and impact of positive emotions, positive traits and positive organizations.
Positive emotions at work
Dr. Barbara Fredrickson maintains positivity can enhance relationships, work, and health, relieve depression, broaden minds, and build lives. Positive emotions expand people’s repertoire for effective thinking and action, helping us build intellectual, physical, psychological and social resources (Frederickson, 2001).42
These emotions can be stimulated and sustained by supportive organizational environments. They outlast fleeting emotional states, increase our resilience, propel us in upward spirals toward optimal performance, growth and wellBEING.
Organizational scholars Donald Gibson and Sigil Barsade found that positive emotions are critical to business outcomes, impacting job performance, decision making, creativity, turnover, pro-social behavior, teamwork and leadership (Barsade & Gibson, 2007).43
1K Club
