Efficacy, Hope, Optimism and Resilience at Workplace – Positive Organizational Behavior

This paper will attempt to define positive organizational behavior and outline the role of self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience in maintaining positive behavior in an organization. Recent researches and findings by famous psychologists are stated at relevant points to relate the four coreconstructs to the positive organizational behavior (POB). The focus of the paper is also towards giving practical suggestions for creating a workplace that is conducive to being confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient and promotes a sense of well-being. I. POSITIVE ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR t is the study and application of positively oriented human resource strengths and psychological capacities that can be measured, developed, and effectively managed for performance improvement in today’s workplace (Luthans, 2002a, p. 59). Luthans has argued that the inclusion criteria for POB are being theory and research based, measurable, developmental, and manageable for performance impact in the workplace 1 . Wright (2003) argued that the mission of POB must also include the pursuit of employee happiness and health as viable goals in themselves. Both individual and organizational performance is improved by developing good qualities like self-confidence, hope, optimism and resilience. When combined, these four positive psychological resources have been demonstrated theoretically and empirically to be a higher-order core factor that Luthans and colleagues termed as psychological capital or PsyCap, Luthans F, Youssef (2004).