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Research surrounding psychological capital (PsyCap) continues to expand as scholars and organizational leaders look to the strengths of positive organizational behavior (POB) and its effects in the workplace. Although previous research underscores connections between PsyCap and various organizational outcomes, there remains little research on its actual development. The purpose of this paper is to determine the efficacy of a six-week work-site intervention in improving PsyCap. The study included 49 individuals (n=32 assigned to the treatment group and n=17 to the comparison group). Using a pretest/posttest experimental design, the study showed that the intervention was efficacious in helping employees to develop greater PsyCap.

This study was part of a larger mixed methods design aimed at determining the efficacy of a work-site intervention in improving the PsyCap of employees. This design was chosen because it maximizes the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative methods while minimizing each of their weaknesses (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2007; Tashakkori and Teddlie, 1998). The specific mixed methods design implemented was the explanatory design using the participant selection model. This is a two-phase, sequential approach which began with a quantitative analysis and then drew upon those data to determine individuals who will be asked to participate in a follow-up study.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a work-site intervention on the participants’ PsyCap in determining its developmental capacity. Previous studies have demonstrated strong correlations between PsyCap and many of the positive outcomes managers and supervisors desire for their employees –high productivity, low absenteeism, positive organizational citizenship, etc. (Luthans et al., 2013; Youseff and Luthans, 2007). With the results of the present study showing significantly greater improvement for the treatment group than their counterparts in the comparison group, it demonstrates that PsyCap can be developed and, consequently, these positive outcomes can accessed by a focused work-site intervention.

This paper builds on work already being done but focuses on the following significant gap in the literature: Can PsyCap be developed using work-site interventions? This study provides a compelling answer to that question and thus pushes the study of POB forward in its development.

In times of market volatility and uncertainty, finding effective strategies to attract and retain individuals continues to be a challenge for organizations. Based on the psychological empowerment process (Spreitzer, 1996), this paper strives to examine if the application of agile project management could serve as such a strategy.

In two independent studies, the authors used an experiment with students as potential applicants (N = 121) and a field study with employees (N = 229) to test the predictive quality of agile project management for attracting individuals toward the organization.

Using structural equation modeling, the authors identified an indirect relationship between agile project management and attraction toward the organization via psychological empowerment. The authors found this relationship for potential applicants as well as employees. Furthermore, individuals high in sensation seeking are found to be more attracted toward organizations that apply agile project management than individuals low in sensation seeking.

The findings contribute to the empowerment literature by establishing agile project management as a work structure that fosters feelings of psychological empowerment.

Taken together, these results suggest that agile project management can attract individuals who seek novel, complex and intense sensations. Where applicable, organizations may highlight their practice of agile project management methodologies as part of their employer brand to attract future specialists for agile projects.

This paper is the first to integrate the research streams on agile project management and attraction toward the organization using quantitative data.

To support student teachers' well-being and ensure that they flourish during teacher education, it is necessary to examine the relationship between student teachers and their mentors during field experiences. Previous research has identified a connection between the quality of the mentor–mentee relationship and facets of student teachers' well-being. However, to date, this link has been insufficiently corroborated using longitudinal empirical data. This study aims to investigate the impact of mentor–mentee relationship quality on the well-being and flourishing of student teachers.

A cross-lagged panel design with two intervals (six weeks apart) was applied during a 15-week field experience with a sample of 125 German student teachers. Well-being and flourishing were captured using the positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, achievement (PERMA) framework. Relationship quality was assessed by adapting a questionnaire from the field of mentoring in medicine.

Relationship quality at the outset significantly predicted all five PERMA dimensions at the end of the assessment period. The impact of relationship quality was especially strong on the dimensions of relationships (R) and meaning (M). Conversely, the PERMA dimensions (except achievement) did not significantly impact relationship quality.

These results provide longitudinal empirical evidence underlining the beneficial effects of a healthy relationship between mentor and mentee in the field of teacher education. The findings clearly suggest that the relationship quality significantly influences student teachers' well-being and capacity to flourish during practical phases.

The purpose of this article is to analyze how autonomous and controlled motivations influence the formation of patronage intention (PI) of innovative green products. Additionally, the role of positive affect (PA) in these causal relationships is analyzed, as is the moderating role of social norms (SN).

Data were collected through an online self-administered questionnaire. The paper reports the results of a quantitative study based on a sample of 338 people of 24 years old or older, with different levels of education and motivations in terms of acting in favor of the environment. To ensure the reliability and validity of the constructs, an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used. To test the proposed research model, the methodology of structural equations was used.

The results indicate that autonomous motivations (AMs) contribute positively to the formation of patronage intention toward innovative green products, while controlled motivations (CMs) influence negatively. Additionally, it was observed that PA fulfills a relative role in the formation of patronage intention and that SN act as moderators of these causal relationships.

These findings serve as a base for companies to identify those segments of consumers that are motivated autonomously by care for the environment and thus to design effective strategies to achieve their patronage intention.

Considering the relevance of the consumption of green products, as well as how companies can achieve the patronage intention of the consumer, this study shows a high level of originality in the sense that it analyses the role of motivations and PA in the formation of patronage intention of green products, especially when these are perceived as innovative.

El propósito de este artículo es analizar cómo las motivaciones autónomas y controladas influyen en la formación del patronage intention of innovative green products. Además, se analiza el papel que cumple el positive affect en estas relaciones causales y el rol moderador de las social norms.

Los datos se recopilaron a través de un cuestionario auto administrado en línea. La investigación reporta los resultados de un estudio cuantitativo basado en una muestra de 338 personas de 24 años o más, con diferentes niveles de educación y con diferentes motivaciones en cuanto a actuar a favor del medio ambiente. Para asegurar la confiabilidad y validez de los constructos, se utilizó un análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio. Para probar el modelo de investigación propuesto se utilizó la metodología de ecuaciones estructurales.

Los resultados indican que las motivaciones autónomas contribuyen positivamente sobre la formación del patronage intention hacia innovative green products, mientras que las controladas influyen negativamente. También se observó que el positive affect cumple un rol relativo en la formación del patronage intention y que las social norms lo hacen como moderadoras de estas relaciones causales.

Estos hallazgos sirven de base para que las empresas puedan identificar a aquellos segmentos de consumidores motivados autónomamente por el cuidado del medio ambiente y diseñar estrategias efectivas para lograr su patronage intention.

Considerando la relevancia que tiene tanto el consumo de productos verdes, así como que las empresas logren el patronage intention del consumidor, el presente estudio muestra un alto nivel de originalidad, en el sentido que analiza el papel que cumplen las motivaciones y el positive affect, en la formación del patronage intention de productos verdes, especialmente cuando estos se perciben como innovadores.

This paper seeks to outline a theoretical argument for movement towards a positive, holistic approach to environmentalism, one aspect of which is to make environmental action more satisfying, interesting, and fun. The paper aims to identify new approaches and techniques for individual behaviour change that can explain and promote the broad lifestyle change needed.

Self‐determination theory was applied to the problem of unsustainable resource consumption by Australian households. To achieve sustainable levels of Australian household carbon emissions, individuals will have to adopt and maintain high impact pro‐environmental behaviours across a number of behavioural domains.

It is hypothesised that motivation type will be a critical factor in bringing about personally sustainable changes. In particular, self‐determined (autonomous) motivation will be essential for generalisation of pro‐environmental behaviour. It is also proposed that supporting other psychological needs of relatedness and competence for environmental action will further enhance self‐determination for pro‐environmental behaviour. If these hypotheses are supported, the next challenge is to identify optimal ways of promoting autonomous behaviour change, drawing on, and expanding from self‐determination theory. Initial proposals for autonomy, competence, and relatedness supporting interventions are presented.

Changes achieved through the motivational approach have the potential to significantly impact household carbon footprints.

The paper moves away from incentive/punishment based approaches to changing pro‐environmental behaviour and provides a rationale for a new approach that focuses on supporting optimal motivation types for maintained and generalised pro‐environmental behaviour.

The purpose of this paper is to explain how the role of marketing for luxury brands can be re-thought in order to ensure that such brands establish a strong connection between their luxury image and positive social and environmental values.

The findings are based upon qualitative empirical research which informed a new categorisation of consumer motivations, through the application of self-determination theory which shows how concerns for environmental and social sustainability can be integrated with individual psychological needs.

The findings provide a deep understanding of consumers of luxury-eco products which could be used by marketing practitioners to shape socially responsible purchasing decisions.

The research was designed for theory building, not theory-testing, so future research would be needed to study the efficacy of the recommended strategies for encouraging eco-luxury behaviour.

To increase the likelihood of practical applications, the authors follow the presentation of their findings with suggestions and examples for marketing to each of the consumer types identified by their research.

The findings of this research have implications of a global, environmental and social kind. The societal adoption of eco-luxury consumption is about educating consumer desire, shifting it from its current focus on personal satisfaction, to a higher level of personal and social flourishing.

The findings effectively support the claims of self-determination theory by demonstrating how and why consumer motivations differ and how an improved sense of well-being can be achieved through internalised levels of self-determination.

The purpose of this study develops and validates a model of new donor decision-making in the charity sector. Drawing upon dual process theory, the model incorporates brand salience and brand attitude as antecedents of brand choice intention, moderated by donor decision involvement.

Study 1 generates measures using interviews with marketing, media and research managers, and new donors from two international aid and relief organizations. Study 2 uses an experimental design to first test scenarios of disaster relief, and then validate and confirm a new donor decision model using large-scale consumer panels for the international aid and relief sector in Australia.

The results replicated across four leading international aid-related charities reveal that brand salience is positively related to brand choice intention through the mediating effect of brand attitude. Furthermore, the effect of brand salience on brand choice intention is significantly stronger when donor decision involvement is low. Conversely, the effect of brand attitude on brand choice intention is stronger for higher levels of donor decision involvement.

Managers should understand the importance of brand salience/attitudes and the implications for the communication strategy. Managers should also strive to understand the level of decision involvement and the relative influence of brand attitude/salience on brand choice intention.

This study advances the literature on charitable giving by proposing and testing a moderated mediation model of donor choice when selecting a charity for donation. Findings provide new insights into the extent to which brand salience, brand attitude and donor decision-making influence how new donors choose between charities for donation.

Obesity among elderly consumers precipitates undesirable health outcomes. This study aims to investigate the effects of environmental cues on food intake of elderly consumers in an aged-care facility.

A longitudinal study conducted over 17 weeks in situ within an aged-care facility with 31 residents investigated how auditory (soothing music), olfactory (floral-scented candle) and visual (infographic on health benefits of the main meal component) cues influenced food intake quantity during a meal, while accounting for portion size effect (PSE).

Analysing the cross-sectional results of individual treatments and rounds did not reveal any consistent patterns in the influence of the three environmental cues. Longitudinal analyses, however, showed that the presence of auditory and olfactory cues significantly increased food intake, but the visual cue did not. Moreover, PSE was strong.

Extending research into environmental factors from a commercial to a health-care setting, this study demonstrates how the presence of auditory and olfactory, but not cognitive cues, increased food intake behaviour among elderly consumers. It also shows that a cross-sectional approach to such studies would have yielded inconclusive or even misleading findings. Merely serving more would also lead to higher food intake amount.

Environmental factors should be a part of health-care providers’ arsenal to manage obesity. They are practical and relatively inexpensive to implement across different health-care settings. However, the same environmental factors would have opposite desired-effects with normal or underweight residents, and hence, aged-care facilities need to separate the dining experience (or mealtime) of obese and other residents. Quantity served should also be moderated to discourage overeating.

While studies into managing obesity, particularly among older adults, have mainly focused on techniques such as pharmacotherapy treatments with drugs, dietary management or even lifestyle change, less attention has been given to the influence of environmental cues. This study, executed in situ within an aged-care facility, provided evidence of the importance of considering the impact of environmental factors on food intake to help reduce obesity.

This paper aims to share the findings of a realist evaluation study that set out to identify how to strengthen nursing, midwifery and allied health professions (NMAHP) leadership across all health-care contexts in the UK conducted between 2018 and 2019. The collaborative research team were from the Universities of Bangor, Ulster, the University of the West of Scotland and Canterbury Christ Church University.

Realist evaluation and appreciative inquiry were used across three phases of the study. Phase 1 analysed the literature to generate tentative programme theories about what works, tested out in Phase 2 through a national social media Twitter chat and sense-making workshops to help refine the theories in Phase 3. Cross-cutting themes were synthesised into a leadership framework identifying the strategies that work for practitioners in a range of settings and professions based on the context, mechanism and output configuration of realist evaluation. Stakeholders contributed to the ongoing interrogation, analysis and synthesis of project outcomes.

Five guiding lights of leadership, a metaphor for principles, were generated that enable and strengthen leadership across a range of contexts. – “The Light Between Us as interactions in our relationships”, “Seeing People’s Inner Light”, “Kindling the Spark of light and keeping it glowing”, “Lighting up the known and the yet to be known” and “Constellations of connected stars”.

This study has illuminated the a-theoretical nature of the relationships between contexts, mechanisms and outcomes in the existing leadership literature. There is more scope to develop the tentative programme theories developed in this study with NMAHP leaders in a variety of different contexts. The outcomes of leadership research mostly focussed on staff outcomes and intermediate outcomes that are then linked to ultimate outcomes in both staff and patients (supplemental). More consideration needs to be given to the impact of leadership on patients, carers and their families.

The study has developed additional important resources to enable NMAHP leaders to demonstrate their leadership impact in a range of contexts through the leadership impact self-assessment framework which can be used for 360 feedback in the workplace using the appreciative assessment and reflection tool.

Whilst policymakers note the increasing importance of leadership in facilitating the culture change needed to support health and care systems to adopt sustainable change at pace, there is still a prevailing focus on traditional approaches to individual leadership development as opposed to collective leadership across teams, services and systems. If this paper fails to understand how to transform leadership policy and education, then it will be impossible to support the workforce to adapt and flex to the increasingly complex contexts they are working in. This will serve to undermine system integration for health and social care if the capacity and capability for transformation are not attended to. Whilst there are ambitious global plans (WHO, 2015) to enable integrated services to be driven by citizen needs, there is still a considerable void in understanding how to authentically engage with people to ensure the transformation is driven by their needs as opposed to what the authors think they need. There is, therefore, a need for systems leaders with the full skillset required to enable integrated services across place-based systems, particularly clinicians who are able to break down barriers and silo working across boundaries through the credibility, leadership and facilitation expertise they provide.

The realist evaluation with additional synthesis from key stakeholders has provided new knowledge about the principles of effective NMAHP leadership in health and social care, presented in such a way that facilitates the use of the five guiding lights to inform further practice, education, research and policy development.

This paper aims to draw on the key tenets of self-determination theory (SDT) to explore the possibility of deploying talent management (TM) as an inherently motivational process within the hospitality industry and examine the role of managers in leveraging it.

The study is rooted in social constructionism and uses qualitative methods and techniques to provide rich insights into employee perceptions and experiences of TM and related managerial attitudes and behaviours.

Although the current TM process is skewed towards performance outcomes, compelling evidence indicates variation in attempts to address employees’ motivational needs mediated by highly influential managerial attitudes and behaviours and importantly, suggests ample scope for embedding TM as an inherently motivational process.

The findings are based on a relatively small sample but can be extrapolated with moderation to the wider research context and other similar organisational settings.

The paper develops an operational framework which contains clear guidelines that can be effectively translated into practice keeping in view its potential benefits.

In line with SDT, the study foregrounds the social and relational context conducive to TM as a motivational process.

The paper is the first of its kind to conceptualise TM as an inherently motivational process via the systematic application of SDT and offers early empirical insights into the phenomenon, which can serve as a solid platform for further research.