Brett C. Luthans

The Impact of Downsizing on Workplace Attitudes: Differing Reactions of Managers and Staff in a Health Care Organization

Downsizing has become a popular organization-wide intervention for improving effectiveness. However, much of the existing literature is based on prescriptions and anecdotes. This article presents a longitudinal, quasi-experimental field study of a downsizing intervention in a healthcare organization. Measures of work attitudes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, supervisor support, and workgroup trust) were taken at annual intervals over a 3-year period. Results partially supported the hypotheses that managers and front-line employees would report different reactions to downsizing programs. Explanations and implications for future research and practice are discussed.

The Proposed Contagion Effect of Hopeful Leaders on the Resiliency of Employees and Organizations

Hope has often been misunderstood and underestimated as a potentially powerful human capacity. Traditionally, hope has too often been dismissed as a whimsical and abstract concept that could not be well defined, let alone measured, developed, and applied to the workplace. However, the recent emergence of positive psychology and positive organizational behavior has now clearly shown that hope is a strength that has many important implications for todays embattled organizations- both in terms of effective leadership and employee retention and performance. The purpose of this article is to not only give the background of the positive approach and define hope as an important strength in positive organizational behavior and authentic leadership, but to also propose that hopeful leaders can have a contagion effect on the resiliency of employees and organizations undergoing traumatic change.

The Impact of Business School Students’ Psychological Capital on Academic Performance

Psychological capital (PsyCap) consisting of the psychological resources of hope, efficacy, resiliency, and optimism has been empirically demonstrated in the published literature to be related to manager and employee positive organizational outcomes and to be open to development. However, to date, little attention has been devoted to the impact of this positive core construct on important student-related outcomes. This study tests the relationship between business students’ PsyCap and their academic performance (grade point average [GPA]). The results indicate not only the predictive relationship between PsyCap and GPA, but also have important implications for training of PsyCap for business student development, retention, and success.

Building the Leaders of Tomorrow: The Development of Academic Psychological Capital

The now widely recognized core construct of psychological capital (PsyCap) consists of the state-like positive psychological resources of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. PsyCap has been empirically shown in the research literature to be related to various employee attitudinal, behavioral, and performance outcomes and open to development and change. Most recently, PsyCap has also been shown to be significantly related to business student academic performance. Using a pretest, posttest control group design, the present study tested whether the PsyCap of business students can be developed through a micro-training intervention. Results from this quasi-experimental study provide initial support that the Academic PsyCap of business students can be positively affected by a short training intervention.

The role of psychological capital in perception of safety climate among air traffic controllers

Previous research has shown that psychological capital (PsyCap) is associated with desired employee behavioral and performance outcomes. Extending previous research, we examine, in two studies, if the PsyCap of Norwegian air traffic controllers is related to their perceptions of safety climate. Based on bootstrapping procedures, results from Study 1 (N = 77) and Study 2 (N = 38) revealed that PsyCap was positively correlated with safety climate. In Study 1, PsyCap explained 31% of the variance in safety climate. Controlling for mediating effects of positive and negative emotions in Study 2, PsyCap explained 15.5% of the variance. These results provide first-time empirical evidence linking PsyCap to safety climate in safety critical organizations.

Impact of behavioral performance management in a Korean application

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine whether the use of money, social recognition, and feedback have a similar impact on employee performance in the context of a modern Korean broadband internet service firm.Design/methodology/approach – The study design was a quasi‐field experiment (with control group). First, the leaders of this Korean firm were trained in behavioral performance management. Following the steps of organisational behaviour modification (O.B. Mod.) they identified, measured, and analyzed critical performance behaviors and then intervened with the following reward incentives: money (n=38), social recognition and caring attention (n=41), and objective feedback only (n=31). The main dependent variable was overall performance, and this was also broken down into quantity and quality dimensions.Findings – As hypothesized, money and social recognition had a significant impact on performance outcomes, but feedback did not result in as strong a result. When compared to the control grou...

Applying behavioral management in Eastern Europe

As posed in the title, the authors make a case for the use of behavioral management as a pragmatic and effective way to help East European managers improve employee performance. After providing the cultural and theoretical grounding for the use of a behavioral approach, the five-step O.B. Mod. model is presented. The successful use of O.B. Mod. in a Russian factory is given detailed attention and then the case is made for using this approach in all Eastern European organizations. Particular attention is given to the nature and power of contingently administered social reinforcers to increase employee performance at no cost. The authors conclude that this approach can help meet the competitive challenges Eastern European management faces now and in the future.

A positive approach to management education: The relationship between academic PsyCap and student engagement

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the positive psychological strengths of undergraduate business students, collectively known as positive psychological capital (PsyCap), and their levels of engagement. Design/methodology/approach This study has a cross-sectional design in which students from two Midwestern universities were surveyed regarding their levels of PsyCap and levels of engagement in educationally sound activities. Item response theory (IRT) and hierarchical regression were used to test study hypotheses. The authors assessed measurement validity using confirmatory factor analyses in MPLUS 7.0 using four-category 2PL graded response models with a weighted least squares means and variance adjusted estimator. Hierarchical regression was used to control for alternative explanations of variance in assessing the effects of PsyCap on student engagement. Findings Using measures of student engagement drawn from the National Survey of Student Engagement, the analysis indicated significant positive relationships between the academic PsyCap of 323 undergraduate business students and their levels of student-faculty engagement (SFE; r=0.30, p<0.01), community-based activities (CBA; r=0.28, p<0.01), and transformational learning opportunities (TLO; r=0.19, p<0.01). A series of hierarchical regressions also indicated that PsyCap is a significant predictor of student engagement as assessed against SFE, CBA, and TLO. Research limitations/implications The findings from this study suggest that further research examining the relationship between PsyCap development and student engagement could have significant implications for management educators. The positive associations found between these key variables could be utilized by management educators to implement novel and effective teaching interventions for developing the PsyCap of their students and, ultimately, increase their students’ levels of engagement. Originality/value Although extant research has demonstrated connections between positive psychological constructs (i.e. hope, self-efficacy, resilience, optimism) and student engagement, this is the first study to take a holistic view of developable, positive psychological capacities, collectively assessed as PsyCap, and examine the potential impact on three recognized dimensions of student engagement.

Refining Grit in Academic Performance: The Mediational Role of Psychological Capital

Recent popular and academic attention is being given to the role that grit plays in important student outcomes. While gritty individuals are more likely to engage in deliberate practice and maintain commitment in the face of setbacks, what remains unclear are the cognitive processes linking grit and academic performance. Identifying the cognitive processes can play an important role in helping both students and educators apply grit in productive ways. The purpose of this study is to explore the mediational role that psychological capital (PsyCap) may play in the relationship between grit and student academic performance. Drawing from a sample (N = 176) of business students, the results indicate their PsyCap largely mediates the relationship between their grit and grade point averages. In other words, Academic PsyCap consisting of the psychological resources of hope, efficacy, resiliency, and optimism seem to help drive gritty students toward more successful academic performance. A discussion concerning the significance of these findings, as well as implications for management education, are provided.