Positive psychological capital: Beyond human and social capital

With the rising recognition of human resources as a competitive advantage in today’s global economy, human capital and, more recently, social capital are being touted in both theory, research, and practice. To date, however, positive psychological capital has been virtually ignored by both business academics and practitioners. “Who I am” is every bit as important as “what I know” and “who I know.” By eschewing a preoccupation with personal shortcomings and dysfunctions and focusing instead on personal strengths and good qualities, today’s leaders and their associates can develop confidence, hope, optimism, and resilience, thereby improving both individual and organizational performance

Positive psychological capital: Beyond human and social capital

With the rising recognition of human resources as a competitive advantage in today’s global economy, human capital and, more recently, social capital are being touted in both theory, research, and practice. To date, however, positive psychological capital has been virtually ignored by both business academics and practitioners. “Who I am” is every bit as important as “what I know” and “who I know.” By eschewing a preoccupation with personal shortcomings and dysfunctions and focusing instead on personal strengths and good qualities, today’s leaders and their associates can develop confidence, hope, optimism, and resilience, thereby improving both individual and organizational performance

Managing Millennial Turnover in the IT Industry: Leading with an “Inside-Outfluence” Approach

This paper proposes a new perspective and approach for leaders to strategically manage millennial turnover problems in the Information Technology (IT) industry. Using a combination of interviews from experienced IT managers and existing literature, our goal was to identify and synthesize the problems and best practices for managing and retaining millennial IT talent. Based upon qualitative data, emergent themes were identified and then reviewed against the existing body of literature covering millennial employees’ retention and turnover in the IT industry. Areas of common ground were integrated to develop a new hybrid approach that we call the “Inside-Outfluence” model. In particular, this leadership approach stresses the importance of two-way communication and individual considerations. It disregards stereotypes. It views the manager’s role as that of a conversation initiator and a coach in order to mitigate millennial IT turnover through the development of meaningful relationships

A Contingency Matrix Approach to IHRM

The global economy is a reality. The challenge facing international human resource management (IHRM) is not whether to use widely recognized HR concepts and techniques but rather how to effectively adapt and fit them across cultures. The purpose of this article is to suggest and demonstrate a contingency matrix approach to IHRM. After first explaining what is meant by the contingency matrix approach, the remainder of the article uses a sampling of the HR research literature from Japan, Germany, Mexico, and China to show how a contingency matrix could be used for effective IHRM

Using positivity, transformational leadership and empowerment to combat employee negativity. Leadership and Organization Development Journal

Abstract Purpose -The purpose of this study is to hypothesize and test a conceptual model linking concepts of leadership and positive organizational behavior to a reduction in employee negativity, with empowerment as an important mediator in the causal relationships. Design/methodology/approach -A heterogeneous sample of 341 working adults completed survey measures as two separate points in time. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate psychometric properties of instruments, and path analysis using structural equation modeling software was used to test hypotheses. Findings -As hypothesized, both transformational leadership (b ¼ 0.27) and positive psychological capital (hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism) (b ¼ 0.61) were significantly related to feelings of empowerment. Empowerment was significantly related to intentions to quit (b ¼ 2 0.38) but not employee cynicism. Empowerment also fully mediated the relationship between the independent variables and intentions to quit. Research limitations/implications -A convenience sampling method limited the generalizability of results. Causal and longitudinal research designs would extend findings discussed here. Implications for management are significant in terms of countering employee negativity using leadership processes, employee selection and development. Originality/value -This study offers the first conceptual model integrating emerging concepts from positive organizational behavior, in the form of positive psychological capacities, with validated leadership models (transformational leadership). Both were suggested to influence negative outcomes, with empowerment as an effective mediator of these relationships. Findings generally support the hypotheses advanced herein

Using Positivity, Transformational Leadership and Empowerment to Combat Employee Negativity

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to hypothesize and test a conceptual model linking concepts of leadership and positive organizational behavior to a reduction in employee negativity, with empowerment as an important mediator in the causal relationships. Design/methodology/approach – A heterogeneous sample of 341 working adults completed survey measures as two separate points in time. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate psychometric properties of instruments, and path analysis using structural equation modeling software was used to test hypotheses. Findings – As hypothesized, both transformational leadership (β=0.27) and positive psychological capital (hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism) (β=0.61) were significantly related to feelings of empowerment. Empowerment was significantly related to intentions to quit (β=−0.38) but not employee cynicism. Empowerment also fully mediated the relationship between the independent variables and intentions to quit. Research limitations/implications – A convenience sampling method limited the generalizability of results. Causal and longitudinal research designs would extend findings discussed here. Implications for management are significant in terms of countering employee negativity using leadership processes, employee selection and development. Originality/value – This study offers the first conceptual model integrating emerging concepts from positive organizational behavior, in the form of positive psychological capacities, with validated leadership models (transformational leadership). Both were suggested to influence negative outcomes, with empowerment as an effective mediator of these relationships. Findings generally support the hypotheses advanced herein