abstract: Job burnout, a prolonged reaction to job stress, includes mental and physical aspects of exhaustion related to professional work life. Linked to individual health-related problems, decreased job satisfaction, poor organizational commitment, and higher turnover, burnout poses a problem for both employees and organizations. The nursing profession identifies the prevalence of burnout and the resulting harmful effects in many settings, yet until now, rural critical access hospital settings have not been considered. To build and maintain a competent, healthy rural nursing workforce that responds innovatively to growing healthcare needs, it is important to examine burnout levels in rural nurses and to identify factors that might be associated with mitigating burnout. This study focuses on how psychological capital, socio-demographic and organizational work-related factors are associated with burnout in this population. This cross-sectional, descriptive correlational study employed the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Health Professionals, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, and a sociodemographic questionnaire assessing individual and organizational work-related factors as self-report tools. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and regression analyses were performed to assess aspects of the nurses’ work environment, while describing the relationships among the variables.Means and standard deviations were examined across key variables and compared to reports from other studies. Hypotheses predicted psychological capital would be associated with burnout (negatively associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, positively associated with personal accomplishment), and that individual sociodemographic and organizational work-related factors would also be associated with BO. It was further hypothesized that PsyCap would moderate the relationship between work-related factors and BO. Maslach Burnout Inventory results reveal similar findings to those in the global sample. However, levels of emotional exhaustion and professional accomplishment were greater in our rural nurse sample compared to published values. Higher levels of psychological capital were found to be related to decreases in depersonalization and correlated to greater professional accomplishment. Psychological capital was not found to moderate associations within this study. Intent to stay more than one year had a strong, negative correlation with emotional exhaustion. The findings suggest burnout in this sample resembles that of the global problem and sets a baseline from which psychological capital trainings may be built. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Nursing and Healthcare Innovation 2019

This study investigated predictors for training transfer and their relationship with work related effectiveness measures of the group based awareness training The More To Life Weekend. The purposes of the study were to: (1) establish and test predictors for effective training transfer, (2) identify and test constructs for work-related effectiveness, and (3) provide direction for the design of an evaluation study. This study was conducted with past participants of the training, in a cross-sectional design using self-report surveys, and data was analysed using regression analyses. Instruments for measuring controlled and autonomous motivation to attend the training, the perceived utility of the training, utilisation of post-training support opportunities and the degree of on-going practice were developed for the study. The results indicate that perceived training utility is an important predictor for transfer. Controlled motivation to attend the training is showing the expected nil-relationship, while autonomous motivation is showing a relationship with transfer without reaching statistical significance. The results confirm a significant positive relationship between on-going practice of the trained techniques with positive psychological capital, whereas the relationship with a one-dimensional measure of mindful attention awareness did not reach levels of statistical significance. Utilisation of post-training support and on-going practice were confirmed as mediators between perceived training utility and the effectiveness measures of mindful awareness and positive psychological capital. Recommendations are made for using a multi-dimensional measurement of mindful awareness and the design of a future evaluation study on this training programme.

Master of Science / Department of Psychological Sciences / Clive J. Fullagar / The field of Industrial/Organizational Psychology has begun to incorporate elements from the growing field of Positive Psychology which has been manifest in Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) and Positive Organizational Behavior (POB). This study examined two POB constructs, Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and Flow in a lab-based virtual-world simulation while utilizing Fredrickson’s (2001) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. It was hypothesized that PsyCap would predict flow experiences and that those flow experiences would predict several outcomes, namely performance, affect, and resilience. It was found that individuals higher in Psychological Capital tended to experience more flow in a flow inducing task. During that task, individuals in flow performed better and experienced more positive affect than individuals who experienced lower levels of flow. Additionally, flow in that task was able to predict performance, affect, and resilience in a later, overly challenging task. Implications for these findings are discussed as well as limitations and future directions.

Individuals and organizations must continuously improve to succeed in today’s competitive economic climate, yet a major dilemma in tough economic conditions is that the resources needed to support such proactive improvement behaviors are limited. Existing theories on organizational resources, stressors, and continuous improvement are relevant yet insufficient for answering the important question of how individuals remain motivated to pursue continuous improvement activities despite minimal organizational resources to support them. Therefore, the goal of this dissertation was to build and test theory on this phenomenon. Inspired by full-cycle research, I began this program of research with a phenomenological study of employees in a manufacturing environment to better understand their appraisals regarding continuous improvement under resource-constrained conditions. The results highlighted the ways in which employees interpret constraints as either a threat or a challenge, and how positive psychological capital (PsyCap) guides these interpretations and subsequent continuous improvement. Informed by this rich data, I proposed a synthesized theoretical model which was tested in two separate contexts. First, I conducted a time-lagged survey study in another resource-constrained environment that demands continuous improvement, namely entrepreneurs launching a new business. To exert more control and to enhance the generalizability of this research, I then conducted an online experiment with participants from various industries and backgrounds. The results of these studies largely supported the theoretical model, documenting in particular the importance of individuals’ challenge appraisals for their ensuing continuous improvement behaviors. The benefits of individuals’ positive psychological resources as a way to enhance the perceived learning opportunities from resource constraints (i.e., challenge appraisal) were also illustrated. Threat appraisals did not produce the expected effects in this context of continuous improvement, and as such, the theoretical model was refined further. Collectively, this research provides answers to the important question of how individuals can find ways to proactively improve in the face of resource constraints, which is a timely and relevant topic across contemporary organizational contexts today. / Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2013-09-27 18:02:23.883

Organizations attempting to optimize productivity are seeking new ways to develop psychological capital in teams. The researcher conducted a quantitative study to determine whether team cohesion, as assessed by the Revised Group Environment Questionnaire (RGEQ), impacts team productivity, as assessed by the Performance Measurement Team (PMT) Manufacturing Resource System (MRS); whether this relationship can be attributed to a team's level of psychological capital, as assessed by the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-12); and whether psychological capital mediates the relationship between team cohesion and team productivity. Forty-five PMTs in a large U.S. defense manufacturing organization were surveyed using the PCQ-12 and the RGEQ, and their respective PMT MRS productivity levels were recorded. Barron and Kenny's 4-step mediation analysis was employed using simple and multiple regression to determine whether a team's level of cohesion significantly contributes to its productivity and if its level of psychological capital mediates the relationship between cohesion and productivity. The results indicated that team cohesion does not predict team productivity and that psychological capital is not a mediator of team cohesion and productivity. Although cohesion and psychological capital have a significant positive effect on supervisor performance ratings, the effect is diminished when viewing the objective measure of productivity. The study promotes positive social change in the workplace by elevating awareness of the effect of team cohesion on the psychological states of manufacturing workers. Understanding these relationships will help organizations to implement teaming methods that support the efficiencies and well-being of employees.

The financial tsunami, being the most influential factor on economic changes,have led companies to undergo radical structure reformation, and forcing well-established companies to conduct unpaid leave policy. If worse, policy-makers will even downsize the organizations, and even high-tech companies cannot avoid this fate. The aim of the research is using individual-level study to see how Taiwanese high-tech employees and managers¡¦ attitudes toward organizational change and what impact they would cause on the affective commitments and consequently search for methods which will let organizational changes be perceived as positive events to all members. In addition, the study will clarify the relationship between psychological capital, organization-based self-esteem, attitudes toward organizational change and affective commitment. Furthermore, discussing how demographic variables influence these four main variables would be another contribution from the study. With effective samples of 319 high-tech employees and manager samples have proven that the psychological capital has both direct and indirect relationships with the affective commitments, on the other hand, organization-based self-esteem factor has neither. Moreover, the data indicates that ducation, managerial rank, job content and seniority are statically significant toward the main four variables.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / Psychological capital (PsyCap), the four dimensions of PsyCap and Perceived Wellness are viewed as positive constructs. Research indicated these positive constructs has a beneficial or positive effect on the organisation's financial performance.. Furthermore, health and wellness awareness is lacking especially in the production-driven manufacturing industry where the profit motive is of paramount importance. The research study used a cross-sectional design, measuring Psychological capital and Perceived wellness using questionnaires in the form of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) and the Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS), respectively. These questionnaires are self-report measures, which were distributed to a sample of employees from the manufacturing industry (n = 160) in the Western Cape. Various studies both locally and abroad confirmed that the respective measures are both valid and reliable, However, the applicability in South African organisations requires further exploration.The present study aimed to determine what effect the factors of psychological capital had on the wellness of employees. The relationship between psychological capital and its effect on employees' wellness was assessed using Pearson correlation, Analysis of variance and Multiple regression analysis. Based on the findings, there was no significant relationshipfound between psychological capital and the wellness amongst the sample employees in the manufacturing industry. This is however contradictory to what studies found researching similar constructs.

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Se evaluó la relación existente entre el capital psicológico positivo y el desempeño laboral individual de los empleados de la Gerencia de Repuestos de la empresa Divemotor a través de un estudio no experimental, transversal, correlacional. Para esto, se contó con una muestra de 86 empleados entre 21 y 60 años de edad. Los resultados mostraron que el constructo Capital Psicológico Positivo conformado por la autoeficacia, resiliencia, optimismo y esperanza, tiene relación directa con el desempeño en la tarea de los empleados pertenecientes a la empresa Divemotor. Además, el constructo Capital Psicológico Positivo conformado por la autoeficacia, resiliencia, optimismo y esperanza, tiene relación inversa con el comportamiento contraproducente de los empleados pertenecientes a la empresa Divemotor. Asimismo, también, el constructo Capital Psicológico Positivo conformado por la autoeficacia, resiliencia, optimismo y esperanza, tiene relación directa con el desempeño en el contexto de los empleados pertenecientes a la empresa Divemotor. Los resultados permiten evidenciar la importancia en la atención de desarrollar del constructo de Capital Psicológico Positivo dentro de las organizaciones para el impacto en el desempeño laboral de los colaboradores. / The relationship between Positive Psychological Capital and Individual Work Performance of the employees of the Parts Management of the Divemotor company was evaluated through a non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational study. For this, we had a sample of 86 employees between 21 and 60 years of age. The results showed that the Positive Psychological Capital construct made up of self-efficacy, resilience, optimism and hope, it has a direct relationship with the performance in the task of the employees belonging to the company Divemotor. In addition, the Positive Psychological Capital construct made up of self-efficacy, resilience, optimism and hope, has an inverse relationship with the counterproductive behavior of employees belonging to the company Divemotor. Likewise, the Positive Psychological Capital construct made up of self-efficacy, resilience, optimism and hope, is directly related to performance in the context of employees belonging to the company Divemotor. The results show the importance of developing the construct of Positive Psychological Capital within organizations for the impact on the work performance of employees. / Trabajo de investigación

Research regarding employee well-being has generally been neglected in the non-profit organisation (NPO) sector. In many aspects NPOs function similar to for-profit organisations, but face challenges such as more financial restraints. Despite these difficulties, many people choose to work at and remain employed with NPOs. The NPO sector is expanding at a rapid pace and therefore needs to recruit and retain people more effectively without spending too many resources. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of psychological capital (PsyCap) in the decision to work in the NPO sector, and determine further reasons to choose and remain with this sector. An explanatory sequential mixed method design was used with an availability sample (N=108) of employees at an NPO in the social services sector in Gauteng and North West provinces. In the quantitative study, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) was used as measuring instrument. The qualitative study entailed semi-structured interviews with participants with lower (n = 8) and higher (n = 8) PsyCap. The results indicated that NPO employees had a higher level of PsyCap. Differences with regard to their preference to work at an NPO were found between individuals with higher and lower levels of PsyCap, specifically pertaining to the reasons for joining an NPO, motivation, meaning, fulfilment and viewing their work as a calling. No clear inconsistencies with regards to rewards and the choice of working in the NPO, public and private sectors were found among individuals with higher and lower PsyCap. The main reasons influencing the decision to work at an NPO were altruism, type of rewards, job satisfaction, organisational factors, positive social influence, and experiencing their work at an NPO as a calling. The study addresses the lack of research on employee well-being in the NPO sector and extends PsyCap research to NPOs. Characteristics of employees who choose to work in NPOs are emphasised. Recommendations for the organisation and suggestions for future research are presented. / MA (Industrial Psychology)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015