The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship

Citation

Lara, F.J. (2012), "The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship", Management Decision, Vol. 50 No. 3, pp. 539-544. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741211216278

This book aspires to shed light on the phenomenon of positive organizational scholarship (POS, in advance) from different perspectives, thus linking several matters that we tend to think as of belonging to different disciplines though there is a unifying element in all of them, but with a particular and different approach as the professional and in job training focus, because of the large professional and academic experience of all the authors in the research. Kim S. Cameron is William Russell Kelly Professor of Management and Organizations at the Ross School of Business and Professor of Higher Education at the School of Education, University of Michigan; and Gretchen M. Spreitzer, is Area Chair and Professor of Management and Organizations at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

This handbook is the first major resource for scholars and professionals interested in learning about POS. Across 79 chapters, authors comprehensively review basic principles, empirical evidence, and ideas for future research relating to POS. They focus on using a positive lens to address problems and challenges in organizational life and they draw on POS to expand the domain of other disciplines including ethics, economics, peace, spirituality, social movements, and sustainability.

This book is an ideal resource for organizational scholars, students, practitioners, human resource managers, and professional associations, with coverage of the full spectrum of organizational theories and outcomes that define, explain and predict the occurrence, causes, and consequences of positivity.

What is POS?

POS is an umbrella concept used to emphasize what elevates and what is inspiring to individuals and organizations by defining and improving on the challenging, broken, and needlessly difficult. Just as positive psychology explores optimal individual psychological states rather than pathological ones, POS focuses attention on the generative dynamics in organizations that lead to the development of human strength, foster resilency in employees, enable healing and restoration, and cultivate extraordinary individual and organizational performance.

While POS does not ignore dysfunctional or typical patterns of behavior, it is most interested in the motivations and effects associated with remarkably positive phenomena – how they are facilitated, why they work, how they can be identified, and how organizations can capitalize on them.

Previous published works define POS as “the states and processes that arise from and result in life‐giving dynamics, optimal functioning, and enhanced capabilities and strengths” (Dutton and Glynn, 2007, p. 693); “an emphasis on identifying individual and collective strengths (attributes and processes) and discovering how such strengths enable human flourishing (goodness, generativity, growth, and resilience)” (Roberts, 2006, p. 292); “the study of especially positive outcomes, processes, and attributes of organizations and their members”, and a “focus on dynamics that are typically described by words such as excellence, thriving, flourishing, abundance, resilience or virtuousness” (Cameron et al., 2003, p. 4).

The most controversial concept associated with POS is the “positive”. The term positive is accused of having a potentially restrictive connotation and values bias (Fineman, 2006; George, 2004) and as being a naïve and dangerous term producing more harm than good (Ehrenreich, 2009). Little evidence exists, according to these critics, that positivity fosters success (Hackman, 2008). To be sure, empirical evidence exists that bad is stronger than good (Baumeister et al., 2001).

The term has been credited, on the other hand, with expanding and enriching the domain that explains performance in organizations and with opening up, rather than restricting, organizational studies (Dutton and Glynn, 2007; Caza and Cameron, 2008). It is inaccurate, however, to argue that POS ignores negative phenomena inasmuch as some of the greatest triumphs, most nobles virtues, and highest achievements have resulted from the presence of the negative (Cameron and Lavine, 2006).

Positive individual attributes

The first section contains chapters focusing on the positive attributes of individuals in organizations. These chapters treat the individual as the relevant level of analysis but position individuals in the context of work organizations. Chapters address these themes:

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  Psychological capital.

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  Prosocial motivation.

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  Callings in work.

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  Work engagement.

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  Positive identity.

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  Proactivity.

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  Creativity.

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  Curiosity.

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  Positive traits.

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  The neuroscience underpinnings of POS.

Positive emotions

The second section focuses on aspects of positive feelings, sentiments, and affect among individuals and troups in organizations. Examining emotions and subjective experience are the themes these chapters have in common. Topics addressed include:

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  Positive energy.

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  Positive emotions.

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  Subjective well‐being.

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  Passion.

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  Socioemotional intelligence.

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  Group emotions.

Strengths and virtues

The third section addresses the concepts of virtuousness in organizations and virtues in the individuals who work in organizations. Prior research has proposed that various virtues are universal; this section therefore contains just a limited sampling of topics including:

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  Virtuousness.

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  Forgiveness.

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  Humility.

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  Compassion.

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  Hope.

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  Courage.

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  Justice.

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  Integrity.

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  Positive ethics.

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  Leveraging strengths.

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  Character strengths in global managers.

Positive relationships

This section focuses on temporary encounters, and long‐term relationships among organization members. It analyses the dynamics that emerge in interpersonal interactions, temporary connections, and organizational processes that relate to relationships. The chapter examines these topics:

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  High‐quality connections.

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  Relational coordination.

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  Reciprocity.

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  Intimacy.

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  Civility.

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  Trust.

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  Trustworthiness.

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  Humor.

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  Psychological safety.

Positive human resource practices

The chapter in this section provides perspective on practices within organizations that relate to managing human capital and human resource systems. Topics of potential interest to human resource professionals, and that are addressed in human resource management functions, include:

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  Career development.

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  Mentoring.

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  Socialization.

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  Diversity.

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  Communication.

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  Conflict resolution.

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  Negotiating.

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  Work‐family dynamics.

Positive organizational processes

This section contains chapters that examine the dynamics in organizations that are not usually considered to fall into the positive domain. The chapter address organization‐level topics, and by adopting a positive lens, the chapters highlight how POS is relevant to a broad variety of phenomena. They include:

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  Symbolism in organizations.

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  Resourcefulness.

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  Collective efficacy.

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  The design of work.

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  Mindful organizing.

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  Goal attainment.

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  Organizational identity.

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  Organizational energy.

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  Innovation.

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  Organizational boundaries.

Positive leadership and change

Chapters in this section address the process of positive organizational change and the leadership associated with achieving positive change. These chapters examine the strategies and approaches that enable organizational change and the leadership qualities associated with successful organizations. The topics addressed are:

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  Organizational development.

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  Appreciative inquiry.

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  Positive change attributes.

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  Implementing positive change.

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  Authentic leadership.

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  Leadership development.

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  Peak performance.

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  Strategic change.

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  Strengths‐based strategy.

A positive lens on problems and challenges

Because POS is often accused of ignoring nonpositive phenomena, chapters in this section address challenges, issues, and problems from a positive perspective. They illustrate the importance of the negative in better understanding the positive. Chapters include:

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  Managing the unexpected.

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  Healing after trauma.

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  Organizational recovery.

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  Responding to crisis.

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  Resilience under adversity.

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  Post‐traumatic growth.

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  Ambivalence.

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  Responding to stress.

Expanding positive organizational scholarship

The final section features chapters that explore the relationships between POS and areas of scholarly interest other that traditional organizational behavior and organizational theory. Disciplines such as economics, sociology, religion, and political science are included in these chapters, which focus on:

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  Sustainability.

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  Critical theory.

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  Economic models.

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  Social movements.

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  Spirituality.

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  Positive deviance.

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  International peacemaking.

Conclusion

The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship seeks to provide a foundation on which POS research can continue. It summarizes the current state of the field by explaining relevant research and conceptual grounding for key concepts within the general domain of POS. Any scholarly field of endeavor will have a short lifespan unless founded on valid evidence, theoretical explanation, and practical utility, so the chapters in this Handbook seek to provide that foundation. Equally important, however, is the guidance each chapter provides regarding unanswered questions, puzzles, and needed investigations.

On the whole, I enjoyed reading the different chapters for two main reasons, which I also consider the major strengths of this volume: the knowledgeable overview of the conceptual and methodological contributions that POS could make to the business science as a whole; and the discussion of a whole range of new and exciting questions. The book can contributed to our understanding of what constitutes POS their opportunities and challenges, from a holistic perspective and methodology. To sum up: this is an excellent handbook for all of us involved and interested in the debate on how to bring relevance to the positive organizational scholarship.