This book demonstrates how leaders can use research from positive psychology to increase work engagement and wellbeing, improve relationships, and increase performance and productivity in the workplace. Specifically, it teaches leaders how to use psychology to understand their own contributions to their leadership style as well as to understand how their employees are being motivated to increase their engagement and productivity. Suitable for leaders, human resource personnel, consultants and coaches, this book gives research-based theory and insight into how leaders’ own attitudes, mind-sets and authenticity are influencing their employees level of performance, emotions and creativity. Readers learn how to motivate, bring meaning into the workplace, improve communication and relationships as well as how to use strength-based leadership. The book features examples from successful companies like Microsoft, Google and Disney and provides practical interventions and techniques in every chapter that can immediately be implemented into the workplace.
Author(s): Merethe Drønnen
Series: Management, Change, Strategy and Positive Leadership
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 128
City: Cham
Preface
Contents
About the Author
Chapter 1: Introduction
How This Book Is Structured
Positive Psychology-Concepts
Chapter 2: What Is Positive Psychology, and Why Shall We Use It in the Workplace?
Traditional Psychology Versus Positive Psychology
What Do Google, Disney and Microsoft Have in Common?
Positive Psychology Used in Team-, Leader-, Work Environment- and Organizational Development
Positive Psychology in the Light of Existing Organizational Theory
Perceived Support, Belonging and Work Effort
Positive Emotions
Positive Psychology Used in Teams
Positive Psychology Used in Developing the Work Environment
Positive Psychology Used in Leadership
Positive Psychology Used in Organizational Development
Chapter 3: Research Results from the Use of Positive Psychology in Organizations
Disengaged Employees Cost
Reduced Turnover
Increased Work Engagement and Well-being
Increased Productivity and Bottom Line Results
Reduced Sickness Absence
Health Effects on the Employees
PsyCap
Chapter 4: The Leader Role
Employees Are the Leader’s Most Important Resource
Leaders’ Opportunities to Influence the Workplace
Chapter 5: Positive Leadership
Elements of Positive Leadership –MEGA IMPACT
Chapter 6: Factors in the Leader
The Leader’s Own Mindset
Which Factors Have Influenced Us to Become Who We Are and How We Think?
Thoughts, Attitudes and Perceptions Can Be Changed
A Leader’s Reflection/Reality Check
How You Think, Influences Your Behavioural Repertoire as a Leader: Growth- and Fixed-Mindset
Leaders’ Influence on Positive Emotions in the Workplace
Leader’s Reflection/Reality Check
Positive Psychology – Interventions and Techniques
Test Yourself: Are You a Positive Leader?
Questions to Reflect on Your Own Position as a Leader in the Workplace
Positive Emotions 1
Positive Emotions 2
The Best Possible Self
You at Your Best – 360
Show Gratitude
Grateful Meditation
Building a Growth-Mindset and -Perspective 1
Building a Growth-Mindset and -Perspective 2
Building Resilience
Authenticity
Authentic Leadership Leads to Increased Creativity in Employees
Authentic Leaders Motivate Higher Levels of Performance
Positive Psychology – Interventions and Techniques
Train Your Own Authenticity as a Leader
Recognize Good Character in Others
E-mails with Acknowledgement
At the Beginning of Meetings
The Weekly Team Meeting
Checking on the Veracity – Team Exercise
Leader Reflection/Reality Check
Chapter 7: Factors in the Leadership Tasks
Goal Management. A Leader’s Task Is to Lead His/Her Employees Towards Goals
Positive Psychology – Interventions and Techniques
Mapping by the Help of Organizational and Cultural Analysis
Organizational Analysis
SWOT-Analysis
SOAR-Analysis
To Connect the Company’s Goals and Visions with Meaning for the Employees
Inspire and Motivate
Leaders as Carriers of Culture and Builders of Attitudes
How to Motivate
Emotions Are Powerful Motivators
Map Out the Motivation of Your Employees
Establishing Focus Groups
The Employees’ Best Possible Future Versions of Themselves
Recognition Competition Among Employees
Open Communication Channels
Let Your Employees Use Their Strengths in Their Work
Leaders’ Influence on Communication in the Workplace
Our Words Create Reality
Positive Communication Is Connected to Higher Performance
Active-Constructive Responding (ACR)
Positive Psychology – Interventions and Techniques
Establishing a Non-complaining Culture
Three Days of Speaking Positively About Colleagues
The Power in the Term «Not Yet»
Registering Interruptions
Active-Constructive Responding
Workers Who Find Meaning at Work, Work Harder
Recognition as a Management Tool
Collective Support for a Good Cause
Look for the Meaningful Parts of the Existing Jobs – Job Crafting
Positive Psychology – Interventions and Techniques
Create Meaning through Collective Support of Others
Job Crafting
Find Meaning in the Different Projects You Work on
Find Your Employees’ Strengths and Values in Projects
A Culture of Appreciation
Notes of Gratitude
Conversations with Your Employees About Their Strengths and Ambitions
Team Meetings Where You Discuss Purpose
Facilitating More Meaningful Events in Everyday Work Life
Mapping Out Six Inspiring and Meaningful Events
Compare Personal Values with Daily Routines
How to Best Build Good Teams and Good Relationships
Generation Y – The Millennium Generation Has Other Demands from Their Work than Earlier Generations
Positive Emotions and Achievements in Teams
Growth-Mindset and Growth-Perspective in the Team
How to Create a Growth Culture
Strength-Based Composition of Teams
Appreciative Inquiry-Processes in the Team
Positive Psychology – Interventions and Techniques
Composing Teams by Strengths
Strength-Based Seminars
Feedback and Encouragement
Creating a Culture of Growth in the Company
Build Collective Optimism
Reframing
Reflection on Successes and Setbacks
Gratitude Exercises
Appreciative Inquiry
Team Building Exercises
Chapter 8: Results in the Employees
Engagement in the Workplace Is Worth Gold
Leaders Can Help Employees Get into the Flow Zone
Positive Psychology – Interventions and Techniques
Leader’s and Employees’ Reflection
Increasing Flow in the Workplace
Find Flow in Your Work
Attitudes
How Employees Increase Their Level of Performance
Positive Psychology – Interventions and Techniques
Chapter 9: The Strength-Based Leader
Connections Between Use of Strengths and Engagement, Well-Being and Productivity in the Workplace
Some Research-Based Facts About Strengths
The Use of Strengths in Everyday Work Life
Positive Psychology – Interventions and Techniques
Mapping Your Employees’ Strengths
Come to Learn Each Other’s Strengths
Group Exercise in the Workplace
Strength Nomination
Use Your Strengths in a New Way
Use a Strength Every Day
Group Exercises in the Workplace
Handling Stressful Situations
Appreciation of Strengths
The Values in Action (VIA) Classification of Strengths
Chapter 10: Organizational Development with Appreciative Inquiry
Phase 1: The Discovery Phase
Phase 2: The Dream Phase
Phase 3: The Design Phase
Phase 4: The Establishing Phase
Positive Psychology – Interventions and Techniques
Reflection on Positive Situations
Optimal Collaboration
Inspiration and Work Engagement
Appreciative Inquiry Tasks in an Organizational Development Process
Tasks One Can Do in an Organizational Development-Programme
References
Index
