Positive psychology is defined as a method of building on what is good and what is already working instead of attempting to stimulate improvement by focusing on the weak links in an individual, a group, or in this case, a company. Implementing positive psychology in the workplace means creating an environment that is more enjoyable, productive, and values individual employees. This also means creating a work schedule that does not lead to emotional and physical distress.
Overview Positive psychology in the workplace focuses on shifting attention away from negative aspects such as workplace violence, stress, burnout, and job insecurity; it shifts attention to positive and hopeful attributes, resilience, confidence, and a productive work culture that emphasizes professional success and human success. Through the employment of positive psychology, a working environment to promote positive affect in its employees can be created.
Fun should not be looked at as something that cannot be achieved during work but rather as a motivation factor for the staff. However, the type of fun in the workplace needs to be considered by the manager. Depending on the learning types of their employees, it is not always productive depending on the personalities of their employees. Along this line, it is important to examine the role of helping behaviors, team-building exercises, job resources, job security, and work support.
The emerging field of positive psychology also helps to creatively manage organizational behaviors and to increase productivity in the workplace through applying positive organizational forces.Andrew J. Martin,"The Role of Positive Psychology in Enhancing Satisfaction, Motivation, and Productivity in the Workplace", University of Western Sydney, 2005 Recent research on job satisfactionhttps://ac.els-cdn.com/S2212567115005249/1-s2.0-S2212567115005249-main.pdf?_tid=28d0c67c-0fed-4ac8-9427-7922223a1bf2&acdnat=1528124041_9f693294307226eb549b3cd6894ad089 and employee retention have created a great need to focus on implementing positive psychology in the workplace.
Background According to the United States Department of Labor, "In 2009, employed persons worked an average of 7.5 hours on the days they worked, which were mostly weekdays. [In addition to that], 84 percent of employed persons did some or all of their work at their workplace." This indicates that majority of the population spend their waking hours at work, outside their homes. Therefore, employers must do their best to create a low stress and inspiring work environment to yield greater productivity.
Michelle T. Iaffaldano and Paul M. Muchinsky were among the first people to ignite interest in the connection between job satisfaction and job performance. The meta-analytic research of these individuals impacted the way in which later research on the topic was conducted, especially regarding sample sizes.Iaffaldano M.T., & Muchinsky P.M (1985). Job satisfaction and job performance: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 97, 251-273
Major theoretical approaches Martin E.P. Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi are noted frontrunners in the area of positive psychology as a field of study. They state that "psychology has become a science largely about healing. Therefore its concentration on healing largely neglects the fulfilled individual and thriving community".Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5–14. Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi further stress that, "the aim of positive psychology is to begin to catalyze a change in the focus of psychology from preoccupation only with repairing the worst things in life to also building positive qualities."
Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers developed Humanistic Psychology that focuses on the positive potential of people and on helping people reach their full potential.Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., & Wegner, D. M. (2009). Psychology: The evolution of a science. Psychology (p. 1.10). New York: Worth Publishers.
Peter Warr is noted for his early work on work well being. "Proponents of the well-being perspective argue that the presence of positive emotional states and positive appraisals of the worker and his or her relationships within the workplace accentuate worker performance and quality of life".Harter, J., Schmidt, F., & Keyes, C. 2003. Well-being in the workplace and its relationship to business outcomes: A review of the Gallup studies. In C. Keyes & J. Haidt (eds.), Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived: 205-224. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. A common idea in work environment theories is that demands match or slightly exceed the resources. With regards to research concerning positive outcomes within the employment setting, several models have been established like Demand Control, Job Demands-Resources, and Job Characteristics.
Demand control model Robert A. Karasek is credited with this particular work design model. In Karasek's model, workplace stress is in indicator of how taxing a worker's job is and how much control, authority, discretion, and decision latitude the worker has over his/her tasks and duties. This creates four kinds of jobs—passive, active, low strain and high strain The Demand Control Model (DCM) has been used by researchers to design jobs that enhance the psychological and physical well-being.Turner N., Barling J., & Zacharatos A. (2002). Positive psychology at work. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 715–728). New York: Oxford University Press. This model promotes a work design that proposes high demand and high control, fostering an environment that encourages learning and simultaneously offers autonomy.
This model is based on the assumption that "workers with active jobs are more likely to seek challenging situations that promote mastery, thereby encouraging skill and knowledge acquisition".Turner N., Barling J., & Zacharatos A. (2002). Positive psychology at work. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 715–728). New York: Oxford University Press. It also points out the role of social support, referring to the quality interactions between colleagues and managers.Ruckenbiel J. (2013).Gesundheit, Arbeit und Zusammenhalt (pp. 93-122).Freiburg: Centaurus Verlag. However, there is some controversy over this model because some researchers Toon W. Taris (2006). Bricks without clay: On urban myths in occupational health psychology. Work & Stress Vol. 20, Iss. 2. believe it lacks evidence for the interaction between demand and control.
The DCM, (otherwise known as the Diagnosing and Statistical Manuel for Diagnosing Mental Disorders), is commonly criticized for its inability to consistently replicate findings to support its basic assumption. Some feel that the DCM is somewhat unhelpful in that it may prompt people who do not need a diagnosis to be diagnosed anyway; thus making it a potential H.R problem. However, there is evidence supporting the idea that "high amounts of job control is associated with increases in job satisfaction and decreased depression, however, high demands with out adequate control may lead to increase anxiety".
Job demands resources The job demands-resources model (JD-R) is an expansion of the DCM and is founded on the same principle that high job demands and high job resources produce employees with more positive work attitudes. The difference between the JD-R and DCM is that the JD-R expounds upon the differentiation between demand and resources, as well as encompasses a broader view of resources. This model refers to demands as " those physical, psychological, social, or organizational aspects of the job that require sustained physical and/or psychological effort.Bakker, A. (2010). Psychosocial safety climate as a precursor to conducive work environments, psychological health problems, and employee engagement. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(3), 795-814. This may refer to jobs that require contact with customers. Resources are regarded as "those physical, psychological, social, or organizational aspects of the job that are either/or: (1) functional in achieving work goals; (2) reduce job demands and the associated physiological and psychological costs; and (3) stimulate personal growth, learning, and development". Another difference between these two theories is that the JD-R postulates that resources can be predictors of motivation and learning related outcomes. The findings by Bakker and colleagues supports their hypothesis that many resources may be linked to job well-being. They also found that "task enjoyment and organizational commitment are the result of combinations of many different job demands and job resources. Enjoyment and commitment were high when employees were confronted with challenging and stimulating tasks, and simultaneously had sufficient resources at their disposal".
Job characteristics model The job characteristics model (JCM) is "an influential theory of work design developed by Hackman and Oldham. It is based upon five characteristics - skill variety, task identity, task significance, task autonomy, and task feedback - which are used to identify the general content and structure of jobs". This model argues that employees with a personal need for growth and development, as well as knowledge and skill, will display more positive work outcomes. These include things such as: job satisfaction, lower absenteeism, and better work turnover. This model is based upon an idea that high task control and feedback are two essential elements for maximizing work potential. Stronger experiences of these five traits is said to lead to greater job satisfaction and better performance.
Empirical evidence
Safety
In order to protect the physical and mental health of workers, the demands of the job must be balanced by easily accessible job resources in order to prevent burnout in employees yet encourage employee engagement.Nahrgang, J.D., Morgeson, F.P., & Hofman, D.A. (2011). Safety at work: A meta-analytic investigation of the link between job demands, job resources, burnout, engagement, and safety outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(1), 71-94 Engagement signifies a positive employee who is committed to the safety within the workplace for self and others. In contrast, burnout represents a negative employee possessing elements of anxiety, depression, and work-related stress. Engagement increases as job resources like knowledge of safety are present. On the other hand, burnout increases when more job demands are present without the buffering effects of job resources.