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

About the Author xi Book Contributors xiii Preface xvii Acknowledgements xxi The Short Version of This Book xxiii 1 Introduction to Positive Psychology 1 Positive Psychology is Not Positive Thinking 2 How Positive Psychology Differs from Positive Thinking 3 The Ethical Bias of This Book 6 Key Themes of the Book 8 2 Positive Workplaces 11 Introduction 13 What is a Positive Workplace? 13 How Does Positive Organizational Behaviour Turn into Positive Organizational Performance? 20 Organizational Culture 23 The Organization as a Complex Adaptive System 26 Why is Culture so Hard to Change? 31 How to Create Positive Workplaces 34 Summary 37 Further Reading 38 3 Positive Engagement and Performance 39 Introduction 40 Active Engagement at Work 42 Strengths and Talents 42 Flow 51 Mindfulness 52 Management Influence on Engagement and Productivity at Work 53 Goal Seeking 54 Goal Setting 56 Goal Setting and Environment Contingencies 58 The Meaningfulness of Work 63 Strategies for Increasing the Meaningfulness of Work 64 Summary 67 Recommended Reading 69 4 Positive Communication and Decision-Making 71 Introduction 71 Communication 72 Connectivity 74 Dynamic Patterns of Communication 76 How to Build Positive Communication and Increase Performance 78 Leadership and Positive Communication 78 Best Self-Feedback 79 Decision-Making 83 Emotions in Decision-Making 86 Micro-Decision-Making 91 Other Factors that Enhance Decision-Making 92 Moving from Decision-Making to Sense-Making 96 Summary 99 Further Reading 100 5 Positive Leadership and Change 101 Introduction 101 Leadership 102 Psychopathic Leaders 107 Organizational Change 124 Approaches to Change 125 Leadership Change Behaviour 130 Effective Leadership Behaviour 131 Developing Strategy 134 Summary 136 Further Reading 137 6 Positive Sustainable Growth 139 Introduction 139 Psychological Capital 142 Appreciative Inquiry 158 Positive Profusion Theory of Growth of the Positive Organization 166 The Three-Circle Strengths Revolution 168 Summary 170 Further Reading 170 7 Positive Relationships at Work 171 Introduction 172 Positive Team Working 174 High Quality Working Relationships 184 Summary 192 Further Reading 193 8 Positive Transformation 195 Introduction 197 Key Processes of Flourishing and Inspiring Workplaces 197 Why Organizations Ignore the Transformative Collaboration Approach to Change 199 Transformative Collaboration 204 Patterns of Organizational Life 204 Transformative Collaboration Approaches 213 Summary 221 Further Reading 227 Other Things You Need to Know 229 How to Live a Happy and Meaningful Life 229 How to Have a Better Quality Old Age 229 References 231 Index 239