Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
449
Muhammad Abbas
Faculty of Management Sciences,
Riphah Intl University Islamabad Pakistan
Email: muhammad.abbas@riu.edu.pk
Abstract
Research on positive organizational behavioral has explored the value added contributions of
psychological capital in predicting various workplace outcomes. Yet the relationship between
psychological capital and innovative job performance has largely been ignored. The current study
investigated the effects of psychological capital on supervisory-rated innovative job performance. The
study also examined the impact of psychological capital on job stress. Data collected from a diverse sample
of 237 employees, from various organizations in Pakistan, provided good support for the hypotheses. The
results indicated that psychological capital was positively related innovative job performance and
negatively related to job stress. High PsyCap individuals were rated as exhibiting more innovative
behaviors, by their supervisors, than low PsyCap individuals. Similarly, our findings also reveal that
individuals with high psychological capital reported lower levels of job stress as compared to their low
PsyCap counterparts.
Innovative Behaviors
The growing work demands to identify new ways of doing things have called
upon enhancing creative and innovative behaviors at the workplace. Creative and novel
ideas are the basis for innovations in organizations (Amabile, et al., 1996; Scott & Bruce,
1994; Woodman, Sawyer, & Griffin, 1993), which are required for nearly all jobs
(Shalley, Gilson, & Blum, 2000; Shalley & Gilson, 2004), for organizations of all types
(Damanpour, 1991) and are important for sustained organizational performance and
effectiveness (Nonaka, 1991; Oldham & Cummings, 1996; Zhang & Bartol, 2010).
According to Janssen (2004) innovative behaviors are defined as the intentional
creation, introduction, and application of new ideas within a work role, group, or
organization, in order to benefit role performance, the group, or the organization (p,
202). Creativity is although necessary but not a sufficient condition for organizational
innovation to operate. These innovative behaviors require a broad variety of cognitive
and socio-political efforts on the part of individuals (Kanter, 1988). Creative ideas are the
basis for all innovations (Scott & Bruce, 1994), which are developed, promoted,
Psychological Capital
In recent years, organizational behavior research has taken a slight shift from
seeing individuals as coping with negative weaknesses to those enhancing their positive
strengths and well-being at the workplace. Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000, p. 8)
posit that No longer do the dominant theories view the individual as a passive vessel
responding to stimuli; rather, individuals are now seen as decision makers, with
choices, preferences, and the possibility of becoming masterful, efficacious, or, in
malignant circumstances, helpless and hopeless.
Meanwhile, a growing body of positive-oriented research has advanced the
exploration of the wellness and wellbeing of humans in general and in particular to its
relevance to workplace. This body of knowledge includes Positive Organizational
Behavior (POB; Luthans, 2002a, 2002b; Luthans & Youssef, 2007; Luthans, Youssef, &
Avolio, 2007b; Nelson & Cooper, 2007) Positive Wellbeing (PWB; Wright, 2003, 2005;
Wright & Bonett, 2007), and Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS; Cameron &
Caza, 2004; Cameron, Dutton, & Quinn, 2003).
Derived from this line of thinking, psychological capital has emerged as a positive
oriented higher order construct (Luthans, 2002 a, 2002b; Luthans & Youssef, 2007). The
higher order psychological capital is defined as An individuals positive psychological
state of development and is characterized by:(1) having confidence (self-efficacy) to take
on and put in the necessary effort to succeed at challenging tasks; (2) making a positive
attribution (optimism) about succeeding now and in the future; (3) persevering toward
goals and, when necessary, redirecting paths to goals (hope) in order to succeed; and (4)
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Methods
Sample and Data Collection Procedures
The data was collected through administration of a questionnaire at two banks,
head office of a textile firm, and the regional office of a large public telecommunication
organization in one of the largest cities of Pakistan. As English is a medium of instruction
at college and university levels and people read and understand English, we did not
require to translate the questionnaire in local language.
We used personal and professional contacts to get initial entry permission from
the concerned organizations. The questionnaire also included a cover letter explaining the
purpose of the study to the respondents and assuring them of strictest confidentiality.
The participation was voluntary and respondents completed self-report version of the
questionnaire which included the measures of psychological capital and job stress. The
respondents also reported their gender, age, occupational levels, education, and work
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References
Amabile, T. M. (1988). A model of creativity and innovation in organizations. In B. M.
Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior, vol. 10:
123-167. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Amabile, T.M., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J., & Herron, M. (1996). Assessing the
work environment for creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 1154
1184.
Averill, J. R. (1999). Individual differences in emotional creativity: Structure and
correlates. Journal of Personality, 67, 331-371.
Avey, J.M., Luthans, F., & Jensen, S.M. (2009). Psychological capital: A positive
resource for combating employee stress and turnover. Human Resource
Management, 48, 677693.
Avey, J.B., Luthans, F., & Youssef, C.M. (2010). The additive value of positive
psychological capital in predicting work attitudes and behaviors. Journal of
Management, 36, 430452.
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Mean
S.D
1. Gender
1.20
.40
2. Age
30.71
8.03
-.27**
3. Organization Type
.16
.372
-.14*
.37**
4. Job Stress
2.94
.58
-.10
-.06
-.15*
(.71)
5. Innovative Performance
4.53
1.09
-.01
-.05
-.06
-.09
(.89)
6. Psychological Capital
4.31
.56
.01
.02
.16*
-.15*
.20**
(.83)
Note. N = 237; Cronbachs alphas presented in parenthesis; For organizational type 0 = Private; 1 =
Public; Gender was coded as 1 for male and 2 for female
* p < .05
** p < .01
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Innovative Performance
Job Stress
Step 1:
Gender
-.04
-.19*
Age
-.00
-.01
Organization Type
-.15
.01
. -.24*
.04*
.41**
.04**
-.14*
.02*
Step2:
Psychological Capital
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