Positive organizational behavior (POB) aims to study and develop positive human strengths and psychological capacities to improve workplace performance. POB was initiated by Martin Seligman in 1998 based on positive psychology, which focuses on mental health rather than illness. Fred Luthans later integrated positive psychology into organizations by researching positive organizational behavior. Key aspects of POB include self-efficacy, optimism, hope, resiliency, and psychological capital (PsyCap), which consists of developing confidence, optimism, hope and resilience to achieve success. POB studies how these positive attributes can be identified, measured, developed and managed for better organizational outcomes.

1. POSITIVE ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Section1 GROUP 2
Implications for Individual Growth and FT 12113 Anuja Dash
Development in Organizations FT 12102 Abhay Bohra
FT 12189 Pramod Ravishankar
FT 12127 Harendra Singh
FT 12168 Tushar Arora
FT 12104 Abhilash Mohapatra
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2. Positive Organizational Behaviour
• Objectives
– Positive Psychology
– Self Efficacy / Confidence
– Optimism
– Hope
– Resiliency
– Psychological Capital (PSYCAP)
– Organizational Culture
– Organizational Behaviour (Individual Level)
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3. Positive Organizational Behaviour
• Study and application of positive human resource strengths
and psychological capacities that can be measured, developed
and managed for performance improvement in today’s work
place.
• POB was initiated by Martin Seligman in 1998.
• Positive psychology wants to shifts the focus from mental
illness to mental health
• Thus focussing on building human strength.
• Fred Luthans in 1999 integrated positive psychology to
organization and started the positive organizational behaviour
research work.
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4. Positive Psychology
• Psychologist Martin Seligman wanted psychology to
be thought of as study of best things in life .
• Aim of positive psychology – Use scientific
methodology to discover factors that allow
individuals, groups, organizations and communities to
thrive.
• Three levels of positive psychology
– Valued subjective experiences
– Positive individual traits
– Civic virtues
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5. Central Concerns of Positive
Psychology
• Valued subjective experiences (positive emotions)
Entails the study of contentment with the past, happiness in the present, and hope
for the future.
• Positive individual traits
The study of the strengths and virtues, such as the capacity for love and
work, courage, compassion, resilience, creativity, curiosity, integrity, self-
knowledge, moderation, self-control, and wisdom.
• Positive institutions (mindset)
Understanding positive institutions entails the study of the strengths that foster
better communities, such as
justice, responsibility, civility, parenting, nurturance, work
ethic, leadership, teamwork, purpose, and tolerance.
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6. H-R-W Model
•Work performance
from Psychological capital
•Effective
Positive
Intentions
Open to one’s control
and development
•Relationships •Health
-Social networks -Physical
- Friends / Life partner - Mental
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7. Self Efficacy / Confidence
• Has proven effectiveness in work place.
Human
• Theory – People reflect on their past Resource
successes with some specific events
which makes them believe that they Self
can successfully accomplish the task in efficacy
future.
Other
• Self efficacy affects- application
Training and
Development
– Choice behaviours
– Motivational effort
– Perseverance Stress Free
Guided Cognitive
– Facilitative thought patterns Mastery Mastery
– Vulnerability to stress
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8. Optimism
• Optimism as human nature – Many people have
positive bias about themselves
• Optimism as an individual difference – Dogs and
animals after being subjected to failures and
punishments get helpless and give up. However, a
2/3rd don’t give up.
• Optimism in work place is valuable. E.g. half empty
or half full glass.
• Not always good to be optimistic. E.g. Optimistic
managers may not make necessary actions plans
and get distracted.
– Pessimists : internal, stable and global attributions
– Optimists : external, unstable and specific attributions
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9. Hope
• Hope consists of will power and
way power.
• Positive impact on academic
achievement, athletic
accomplishment, emotional
health, ability to cope with illness
and other hardships.
• Provides determination to achieve
goals
• Snyder developed ‘ State Hope
scale’ and conducted many studies
using this scale.
• It shows positive link between hope
scores and work related goal
expectancies.
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10. Resiliency
• Phenomena characterized by patterns of
positive adaptation in the context of
significant adversity of risk.
• Capacity to bounce back from adversity.
• Lifelong journey where competency is
developed over time.
• Resiliency can be developed by
enhancing assets that a person has
through education, training and
nurturing social relationships.
• Risk factors should be managed and
adaptation process should be enhanced.
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11. Psychological Capital
(PSYCAP)
• An individual’s positive psychological Distal Outcomes
Proximal Developmental
Outcomes dimension
development is characterized by self
efficacy, optimism, hope and resiliency to
attain success.
GOALS &
PATHWAYS
HOPE
• Evidence based facets of PSYCAP :- IMPLEMENTING
OBSTACLE
PLANNING
Building
• PSYCAP was found to be positively related to asset/Avoid risk
RESILENCY
desired organizational behaviour and Affecting the
Sustainable
negatively to undesired organizational cynicism. Veritable
influence process
• PSYCAP holds across cultures. E.g. – Chinese Performance
impact confidence
factories OPTIMISM
• PSYCAP combats stress Developing positive
expectancy
• PSYCAP has a role in authentic leadership.
Experiencing
success
EFFICACY
Persuasion arousal
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12. Positive Organizational Behavior Flow
Positive Psychology
Positive Behavior
Healthy Teamwork
Great Culture
Excellent Business Processes
Huge Bottom Line
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13. Organizational Culture
Swim upstream
Appreciate everything your associates do for the business
Believe in your business - more than anybody else
Dedication to every client’s success.
Innovation that matters – for our company and for the world.
Trust and personal responsibility in all relationships.
You can make money without doing evil.
You can be serious without a suit.
It’s best to do one thing really, really well.
Our people are our greatest asset – we say it often and with good reason.
Our assets walk in and out of our doors everyday.
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14. The Art of Building a
Positive Organizational Behavior (Individual Level)
• Keep the employees engaged
• Make them feel important
• Cater to the professional and personal needs of the employees
• Recognize effort (Stock options, Bonus)
• Treat employees equally across divisions
(Eg: Same food court for all employees including the
management)
• Make the employee see the bigger picture
(Entry level employee should know how he/she is making an
impact)
• Build the culture by emphasizing on things such as the humble
beginning of the company and its founders.
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15. Why is it
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
for companies to have employees with a positive psychology
• Think about an organization full of Psychologically upset people
‘THE LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK’
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17. Initiatives to build Positive Psychology in
an Organizational Setup
Celebrate Festivals,
Sport Tournaments Team Outings
Birthdays, Ethnic days
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18. Initiatives to build Positive Psychology in
an Organizational Setup
Grandparents Day 25 Year Club
Bring your child to work
day
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19. Initiatives to build Positive Psychology in
an Organizational Setup
Accommodative
To Diverse Views
Friendly to differently abled Equal Rights
Women’s Rights
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20. Initiatives to build Positive Psychology in
an Organizational Setup
Employee Pride
Job Security
Facilitate Higher Studies
Work Culture
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21. Benefits of Positive Psychology
Self Judgments
Perception Of Others
Good Energy
Memories Levels
Positive Behavior
High
Social
Performing Interaction
Creativity Negotiation
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22. World’s Best Places to Work
1. SAS
2. Boston Consulting Group
3. Wegmans Food market
4. Google
5. NetApp
6. Zappos.com
7. Camden property trust
8. Nugget Market
9. Recreational Equipment
10. Dream works animation SKG
In all these places, there is positive organizational behaviour.
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24. References
1. An evidence based approach, Organizational Behaviour by Fred Luthans
2. Luthans, F. (2002a). Positive organizational behavior: Developing and managing psychological strengths. Academy of
Management Executive,
3. Luthans, F. (2002b). The need for and meaning of positive organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23:
695-706.
4. Luthans, F., & Youssef, C. M. in 2007a. Emerging positive organizational behavior. Journal of Management, 33:321-349.
5. Seligman, MD., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology. American Psychologist, 55, 5–14.
6. Positive organizational behavior By Debra L. Nelson, Cary L. Cooper
7. The need for and meaning of positive organizational behavior Fred Luthans
8. Positive pyschological capital: Beyond human and social capital by Fred Luthans, Kyle W.Luthans and Brett C.Luthans.
9. Positive pyschological capital:Measurement and relationship with performance and satisfaction by Fred Luthans
10. Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency.Bandura, Albert American Psychologist, Vol 37(2), Feb 1982, 122-147
11. Perceived Self-Efficacy in Cognitive Development and Functioning, Albert Bandura
12. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy by J.M Barbalet
13. Positive organizational behavior By Debra L. Nelson, Cary L. Cooper
14. The “point” of positive organizational behavior Fred Luthans1,*, Bruce J. Avolio
15. Motivation and Work Behavior (7th Ed.) Auteurs : STEERS Richard, PORTER Lyman, BIGLEY Gregory A.
16. Positive affect as a factor in organizational behavior by A M Isen, R A Baron
17. Positive organizational behavior: engaged employees in flourishing organizations Arnold B. Bakker1,*, Wilmar B. Schaufeli
18. Positive Organizational Scholarship Foundations of a New Discipline By Kim S. Cameron, Jane E. Dutton, and Robert E.
Quinn, editor
19. Positive organizational behaviour Edited by: Debra L. Nelson and Cary Cooper 2007, Sage Publications Ltd., New Delhi
XII+226 pp
20. The mediating role of psychological capital in the supportive organizational climate—employee performance relationship
Fred Luthans1
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25. THANK YOU
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