Abstract
Organizations are increasingly investing in human resource development. The positive psychology approach warns of the importance of strengthening the forces. Leveraging the strengths is a way to achieve better results and even minimize the weaknesses of the leader. It is this assumption that positive psychology adds to the human resource development, which includes the leadership development. This chapter aims to propose a theoretical model about positive leader development supported by the positive psychology approach. This model comes from the literature to the evolution of leadership and organizational theories and the positive psychology. Positive leader development model seeks to enhance leadership development within an organization with a positive psychology approach. The literature shows the advantages of strengthening forces in the organizational context. So, it is necessary to systematize a theoretical model that facilitates the positive leader development in organizations. The proposed model is based on the study by Malinga, Stander, and Nell.
TopIntroduction
The industrial revolution has changed the way we live and how we perceive the world. This historical landmark was the driving force behind the changes that occurred during the 20th century and keep going in the 21st century. The changes were reflected in management and leadership practices in organizations that quickly had to adapt to the context and market demands to ensure the survival. The change in focus was due to the perception of exogenous and endogenous factors and their influence on the organization's performance, the introduction of new technologies and their impact on people's lives and workplaces.
The beginning of the 21st century and the digital transformation has caused great challenges in the management and leadership of organizations (Bartsch, Weber, Büttgen, & Huber, 2021; Sainger, 2018; Van Wart, Roman, Wang, & Liu, 2019). There has been a search for new approaches, new ways of managing resources and ensuring the sustainability of organizations. With the COVID-19 era, the remote work environment, virtual teams and e-leadership were issues that stood out in the organizational environment and in research, namely the role of the leader in this context (Bartsch et al., 2021; Daraba, Wirawan, Salam, & Faisal, 2021; Zeuge, Weigel, Bjorn, Frederike, & Michael, 2020). This research seeks to systematize the contributions of the positive psychology approach to the development of leaders within organizations. Assuming that the positive psychology approach promotes positive performance results (Youssef & Luthans, 2007), both at the level of people and organizations, this study aims to define a model that facilitates the development of positive leadership in organizations.
The methodology is based on the literature review on the evolution of leadership and organizational theories and positive psychology approach. It is assumed as soon as the positive psychology approach can better answer to the current challenges of organizations. The research begins by addressing leadership theories and the impact of positive psychology in the organizational context. Then, the positive leadership and corporate happiness concepts are presented, ending with the proposal of a theoretical model for the development of positive leadership. It is intended that the model will lead to positive behaviors and that it allows building a positive culture and environment within the organization.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Positive Psychology: It is a movement within psychology that focuses on human strengths, motivations, and capabilities that are critical to human well-being and happiness.
Leadership Development: Refers to the development of leadership processes within the organization, involving the development of its human and social capital.
Organizational Theories: Are the different theoretical approaches of organizations over time.
Positive Leadership: Are a set of positive practices with an impact on the work environment that promote desirable changes for greater organizational effectiveness.
Leader: Is someone who has the ability to influence, share and inspire their vision on others; others live and feel this vision as their own.
Corporate Happiness: It is the adoption of a set of practices that involve the organization's strategy and culture with the objective of ensuring the well-being and happiness of employees.
Leadership Theories: Are the various theoretical approaches to leadership over time.