Positive Psychology at Work How Positive Leadership and Appreciative Inquiry Create Inspiring Organizations

by Lewis, Sarah

• ISBN13: 9781119990390
• ISBN10: 1119990394
• Edition: 1st
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2011-03-15
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Positive Psychology at Work brings the fields of positive psychology and appreciative inquiry together for the first time to provide leaders and change agents with a powerful new approach to achieving organizational excellence.

• Draws together positive psychology and appreciative inquiry in the context of leadership organizational challenges for the first time
• Presents academically rigorous and referenced material in a jargon-free, accessible manner
• Arranged with chapters focused on specific organizational challenges to allow readers to quickly find ideas relevant to their unique situation
• Features short contributions from experienced practitioners of positive psychology and Appreciative Inquiry, and includes case studies from the UK, Europe, Australia and the USA??

Author Biography

Sarah Lewis is an Associated Fellow of the British Psychological Society, a Principal member of the Association of Business Psychologists, and the owner of Appreciating Change, where she works as a facilitator and consultant. She is the lead author of Appreciative Inquiry for Change Management (2007).

Table of Contents

About the Author.

Book Contributors.

Preface.

Acknowledgements.

The Short Version of This Book.

1. Introduction to Positive Psychology.

Positive Psychology is Not Positive Thinking.

How Positive Psychology Differs from Positive Thinking.

The Ethical Bias of this Book.

Key Themes of the Book.

2. Positive Workplaces.

Introduction.

What is a Positive Workplace?.

How Does Positive Organizational Behaviour Turn into Positive Organizational Performance?.

Organizational Culture.

The Organization as a Complex Adaptive System.

Why is Culture so Hard to Change?.

How to Create Positive Workplaces.

Summary.

Further Reading.

3. Positive Engagement and Performance.

Introduction.

Active Engagement at Work.

Strengths and Talents.

Flow.

Mindfulness.

Management Influence on Engagement and Productivity at Work.

Goal Seeking.

Goal Setting.

Goal Setting and Environment Contingencies.

The Meaningfulness of Work.

Strategies for Increasing the Meaningfulness of Work.

Summary.

Recommended Reading.

4. Positive Communication and Decision-Making.

Introduction.

Communication.

Connectivity.

Dynamic Patterns of Communication.

How to Build Positive Communication and Increase Performance.

Leadership and Positive Communication.

Best Self-Feedback.

Decision-Making.

Emotions in Decision-Making.

Micro-Decision-Making.

Other Factors that Enhance Decision-Making.

Moving from Decision-Making to Sense-Making.

Summary.

Further Reading.

5. Positive Leadership and Change.

Introduction.

Leadership.

Psychopathic Leaders.

Organizational Change.

Approaches to Change.

Leadership Change Behaviour.

Effective Leadership Behaviour.

Developing Strategy.

Summary.

Further Reading.

6. Positive Sustainable Growth.

Introduction.

Psychological Capital.

Appreciative Inquiry.

Positive Profusion Theory of Growth of the Positive Organization.

The Three-Circle Strengths Revolution.

Summary.

Further Reading.

7. Positive Relationships at Work.

Introduction.

Positive Team Working.

High Quality Working Relationships.

Summary.

Further Reading.

8. Positive Transformation.

Introduction.

Key Processes of Flourishing and Inspiring Workplaces.

Why Organizations Ignore the Transformative Collaboration Approach to Change.

Transformative Collaboration.

Patterns of Organizational Life.

Transformative Collaboration Approaches.

Summary.

Further Reading.

Other Things You Need to Know.

How to Live a Happy and Meaningful Life.

How to Have a Better Quality Old Age.

References.

Index.