The Generalizability of HERO across 15 Nations: Positive Psychological Capital (PsyCap) beyond the US and Other WEIRD Countries

Stewart I. Donaldson, Lawrence B. Chan, Jennifer Villalobos and Christopher L. Chen
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Stewart I. Donaldson: Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, University in Claremont, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
Lawrence B. Chan: Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, University in Claremont, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
Jennifer Villalobos: Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, University in Claremont, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
Christopher L. Chen: Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, University in Claremont, Claremont, CA 91711, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 24, 1-11

Abstract: Recent meta-analyses of positive organizational psychology interventions (POPIs) suggest that interventions that target and improve hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism (HERO) can be highly effective at improving well-being and positive functioning at work. However, many studies to date have been conducted with samples from the US and other Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies, which raise the concern about the generalizability of theory-driven POPIs. The aim of this study was to examine if the underlying mechanism of one of the most successful POPIs to date, positive psychological capital (PsyCap) based on the HERO model, predicts positive functioning at work across diverse geographical regions and cultures. Using Qualtrics Panel data collected from 3860 employees across 15 nations (Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, and the United States), we found that PsyCap is strongly associated with workplace proactivity, proficiency, adaptivity, and overall work performance across all 15 nations. The results suggest that efforts to develop PsyCap may be effective across national cultures and could be a robust approach for enhancing positive functioning in the global workplace.

Keywords: positive psychological capital (PsyCap); HERO model; positive organizational psychology; cross-cultural positive organizational behavior; work performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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