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Positivity as an Agent of Workplace Change

What is a Positive Workplace?

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Employees approach jobs with vitality, eagerness, passion, high energy, and resilience.

HAPPY ENERGETIC ENGAGED

Positive Workplaces:

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VS.

Do NOT Focus on:• Weaknesses• Deficits• Problems,• What is

NOTworking

Focus on:• Strengths• Capabilities• Possibilities• What is

improving and working

Why?

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Positive businesses achieve high performance and profitability.

Result of Higher Levels of:Creativity

ProductivityJob Satisfaction

RetentionSustained Performance

Let’s hear from you!

Getting Started with Poll Everywhere

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Text LEVELHEAD127 to 22-333.

LEVELHEAD127

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Bottom Line

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Positive businesses achieve:

• High performance

• Profitability

• Bring out BEST in employees

What Does It Look Like?

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Characteristics of Positive Organizations

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• Respect, trust, and social inclusion• Appreciation• Enthusiasm• Growth mindset• Culture of engagement• Employees “bring their best” • Healthy relationships

Requires a Shift

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FROM: TO:

Focus on weakness or deficit thinking

Facilitate positive conditions

Measures of financial performance

View of organizational health

How To Build A Positive Work Environment?

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When people are treated positively, a contagion effect will occur.

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Positivity flows through networks and generates LARGE SCALE IMPACTS!

Happiness enhanced by 15% when directly connected to a

happy person!

Positivity is a Choice and a Skill

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What Determines Happiness?

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By engaging in intentional positive activities, we can

improve happiness.-----------------------------------

Direct Control Over

40%

Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want. New York, NY: Penguin Press. P.20.

Intentional Activities

(40%)Genetic Set Point (50%)

Life Circumstances

(10%)

And, Positivity Leads to More Positivity!

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Positive Emotions

Enhanced Optimal

Outcomes

Greater Positive

Emotions

Improved Well-Being

It’s storable too!

But, It Takes Work Due to “Negativity Bias”

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More likely to:• Tune into the

• Weigh aspects more heavily

• Use info to form opinions

• Believe stories that elicit emotions

• Put more importance on outcomes during reviews

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Positive Practices

Positive Practices At Work:

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• Provide intentional practice

• Focus on what is right and good; strengths vs. weaknesses

• Support behaviors that unlock, broaden, and amplify positive emotions

Positive Practices At Work

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SIX DIMENSIONS

Caring Compassionate Support

Forgiveness

Inspiration MeaningRespect,

integrity, and gratitude

Individual Practice

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MeaningFIND MEANING IN YOUR WORK• Why do you do the work you do?

• What excites you most about your work?

• How do you want to make a difference at work?

• Describe a time when you felt inspired & valued.

• Describe the essence of your work.

• What did you discover?

Group Practice

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Caring

DESIGN YOUR TOUR BUS

“The real winners in life are the people who look at every situation with an expectation that they make it work or make it better.” Barbara Pletcher

• We are going on the road like a rock band.

• To be successful, we need a tour bus.

• Pair off and come up with at least five essential features you want included – and maybe even a name for your band.

Group Practice

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CaringDEBRIEF: DESIGN YOUR TOUR BUS• What did you learn about yourself?

• What did you learn about others?

• What did you discover about group engagement?

• How does this apply to work?

Table Discussion:What exercises can you come up with?

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Group Practice Tips

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• Be prepared – understand your “why”

• Set the stage – let them know your “why”

• Be present and non-judgmental

• Leverage quotes

• Keep message secular

• Don’t force participation

• Give time for reflection

• Always ask for feedback

What questions do you have?

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Leverage www.getlevelhead.com to learn more!

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References

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Abid, G., Ijaz, S., Butt, T., Farooqi, S., & Rehmat, M. (2018). Impact of perceived internal respect on flourishing: A sequential mediation of organizational identification and energy. Cogent Business & Management, 5(1), 1-19.

Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of general psychology, 5(4), 323-370.

Bebbington, K., MacLeod, C., Ellison, T. M., & Fay, N. (2017). The sky is falling: evidence of a negativity bias in the social transmission of information. Evolution and Human Behavior, 38(1), 92-101.

Catalino, L. I., Algoe, S. B., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2014). Prioritizing positivity: An effective approach to pursuing happiness? Emotion, 14,1155–1161.

Fowler, J. H., & Christakis, N. A. (2010). Cooperative behavior cascades in human social networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(12), 5334-5338.

Colbert, A. E., Bono, J. E., & Purvanova, R. K. (2016). Flourishing via workplace relationships: Moving beyond instrumental support. Academy of Management Journal, 59(4), 1199-1223.

Datu, J. A. D., & King, R. B. (2016). Prioritizing positivity optimizes positive emotions and life satisfaction: A three-wave longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences, 96, 111-114.

Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56,218–226.

Geue, P. E. (2018). Positive practices in the workplace: impact on team climate, work engagement, and task performance. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 54(3), 272-301.

Kaplan, S. E., Petersen, M. J., & Samuels, J. A. (2017). Further Evidence on the Negativity Bias in Performance Evaluation: When Does the Evaluator's Perspective Matter?. Journal of Management Accounting Research, 30(1), 169-184.

Keller, S. and Price, C. 2011. Beyond Performance. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Livi, S., Alessandri, G., Caprara, G. V., & Pierro, A. (2015). Positivity within teamwork: Cross-level effects of positivity on performance. Personality and Individual Differences, 85, 230-235.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2001). Why are Some People Happier Than Others? The Role of Cognitive & Motivational Processes in Wellbeing. American Psychologist 56, pp 239-249.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want. New York, NY: Penguin Press.

Redelinghuys, K., Rothmann, S., & Botha, E. (2018). Flourishing-at-Work: The role of positive organizational practices. Psychological reports, 0033294118757935.

Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology. American Psychologist, 55, 5-14.

Schneider, B., Ehrhart, M. G., & Macey, W. A. (2011). Perspectives on organizational climate and culture. In S. Zedeck (Ed.), APA handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Vol. 1 (pp. 373–414). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Spreitzer, G., & Cameron, K. (2012). Applying a POS lens to bring out the best in organizations. Organizational Dynamics, 41, 85—88

Wilderom, C. P. M. (2011). Toward positive work cultures and climates. In N. M. Ashkanasy, C. P. M. Wilderom, & M. F. Peterson (Eds.), The handbook of organizational culture and climate (2nd e.) (pp. 79-84). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.