In my last post I provided a very short history of management.
For today’s post I’d like to switch gears again and look at a relatively new field of psychology…called Positive Psychology.
The following definition can be found on the website of The Center for Positive Psychology at Penn State University:
Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths & virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.
And, although there is no specific mention of the workplace in the above quote, one of the stated goals of The Center is to…
…build a science to support workplaces that foster satisfaction and high productivity!
This new approach to psychology is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives.
We want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives and this includes the time that we spend at work.
This means two things:
-
As individuals we need to understand and develop our strengths and talents and be prepared to tap into these at work.
-
As leaders or managers we need to manage people by building on their strengths and helping them develop their talents.
I’ve recently discovered that there is a NAME for these types of workplaces.
They are called “strength-based workplaces” and they tend to be workplaces that are characterised by productivity, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction and profitability.
Well, that’s all for today!
Lesley
