the role of implicit person theories and psychological capital in workplace thriving

133 Pages·2016·2.15 MB·English

by  Ronit Levy

Organisational Psychology Masters, University of the Witwatersrand

THE ROLE OF IMPLICIT PERSON
THEORIES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
CAPITAL IN WORKPLACE
THRIVING

Ronit Levy
557932
Research Supervisor: Karen Milner
A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA by
Coursework and Research Report in the field of Organisational Psychology in the Faculty of
Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, on 8 February 2016
PLAGIARISM DECLARATION

I, Ronit Batya Levy, declare that this research project is my own, unaided work. It has not been
submitted before for any other degree or examination at this or any other university.

Signed: ________________________
Date: __________________________

i
ABSTRACT

The aim of the current study was to investigate two possible mechanisms that might facilitate
thriving in the workplace, namely implicit person theories and psychological capital. These
variables were chosen because of their potential to operate in accordance with Barbara
Fredrickson’s broaden and build hypothesis, with implicit person theories working to broaden
thought-action repertoires, and psychological capital working to build personal resources.
The study employed a quantitative, non-experimental, correlational, and cross sectional design.
A sample of 226 working adults living in South Africa volunteered to participate in the study.
They completed four online questionnaires: a demographic questionnaire; the Thriving at Work
Scale; the Implicit Person Theories Scale; and the Psychological Capital Questionaire -24
(PCQ-24). To test the hypothesis that implicit person theories and psychological capital jointly
facilitate the experience of workplace thriving, a series of correlations, regressions, and
mediation analyses were conducted. The results indicated that psychological capital does
indeed mediate the relationship between implicit person theories and workplace thriving.

Word Count: 31 362

ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the following people, without
whom the completion of my research report would not have been possible:
 First and foremost, my research supervisor, Karen Milner, for her time, guidance,
feedback, and expertise throughout the year.

 My mother Fiona, whose love and support has been unwavering throughout this year
and always – regardless of how difficult I may have been. My love and gratitude for
this special woman cannot be put into mere words.

 My boyfriend, friends and classmates who went out of their way to distribute my
questionnaires for this report, and who stood by my side throughout this entire process.

 Finally, the participants in my study who selflessly gave of their time to assist me in
my research – there would be no study without them!

iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Plagiarism Declaration ................................................................................................................ i
Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. iii
List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... vii
List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ viii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW .................................... 1
Positive psychology and the broaden and build hypothesis....................................................... 2
Positive organisational behaviour and psychological capital .................................................... 6
Self-efficacy ................................................................................................................... 7
Hope ............................................................................................................................... 8
Optimism........................................................................................................................ 9
Resilience ..................................................................................................................... 11
PsyCap: A higher order construct ................................................................................ 12
Workplace thriving .................................................................................................................. 14
Thriving and self-determination theory ....................................................................... 15
Evidence of the benefits of thriving at work ................................................................ 20
Implicit person theories/mindset .............................................................................................. 22
Changing mindsets ....................................................................................................... 27
Mindset and organisational behaviour ......................................................................... 28
Rationale for the current study ................................................................................................. 30
The context of the current study .............................................................................................. 32
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES ............................................................................................... 34
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................... 35
Research Design....................................................................................................................... 35
Procedure ................................................................................................................................. 35
Sampling and Sample .............................................................................................................. 36
Instruments ............................................................................................................................... 38
Demographic Questionnaire ........................................................................................ 38
Psychological Capital................................................................................................... 39
Thriving at Work.......................................................................................................... 39
Implicit Person Theories (IPT) .................................................................................... 40
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Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................................. 40
Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 41
CHAPTER 3: RESULTS ...................................................................................................... 45
Factor analysis of the IPT scale ............................................................................................... 45
Reliabilities .............................................................................................................................. 47
Descriptive statistics and normality ......................................................................................... 48
Correlations .............................................................................................................................. 50
The relationship between mindset and psychological capital ...................................... 50
The relationship between psychological capital and workplace thriving .................... 52
The relationship between mindset and workplace thriving ......................................... 52
The mediation models .............................................................................................................. 53
Step 1: IV-DV .............................................................................................................. 54
Step 2: IV-MED ........................................................................................................... 55
Step 3: MED-DV ......................................................................................................... 56
Step 4: MEDIATION ................................................................................................... 57
Multicollinearity ...................................................................................................................... 62
Summary of findings as they relate to the study’s hypotheses ................................................ 62
CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION ................................................................................................ 64
Psychometric properties of the instruments ............................................................................. 64
Key variables in the sample ..................................................................................................... 65
The relationship between implicit person theories and psychological capital ......................... 65
The relationship between psychological capital and workplace thriving ................................ 67
The relationship between implicit person theories and workplace thriving ............................ 68
The mediation models .............................................................................................................. 69
Step 1: IV-DV .............................................................................................................. 69
Step 2: IV-MED ........................................................................................................... 69
Step 3: MED-DV ......................................................................................................... 71
Step 4: MEDIATION ................................................................................................... 72
Psychological capital as a mediator of the relationship between implicit person theories and
workplace thriving – overall explanation and discussion of the mediation findings ............... 73
Implications for facilitating workplace thriving by ‘broadening’ mindsets and ‘building’
psychological capital ................................................................................................................ 77
Limitations of the study ........................................................................................................... 79
Directions for future research .................................................................................................. 81
A final comment on positive psychology and the utility of psychological capital .................. 83
v
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 83
REFERENCE LIST………………………………………………………………………...84
Appendix A: Demographic Questionnaire............................................................................. 100
Appendix B: Psychological Capital Questionnaire -24 (PCQ-24) ........................................ 101
Appendix C: Thriving at Work Scale .................................................................................... 103
Appendix D: Implicit Person Theories Scale (IPT) ............................................................... 104
Appendix E: Sample information .......................................................................................... 105
Appendix F: Ethics clearance certificate ............................................................................... 107
Appendix G: Participant Information Sheet .......................................................................... 108
Appendix H: Histograms ....................................................................................................... 110
Appendix I: Correlation tables ............................................................................................... 116
Appendix J: Effect size conversions ...................................................................................... 117
Appendix K: Regression tables .............................................................................................. 118
Appendix L: Diagrams representing the mediation models .................................................. 120
Appendix M: Managing Human, Social and Psychological Capital ..................................... 124

vi
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 - Demographic characteristics of the sample .............................................................. 37
Table 2 - Eigenvalues for the IPT scale ................................................................................... 46
Table 3 - Rotated factor pattern for the IPT scale .................................................................... 47
Table 4 - Internal consistency reliabilities for the main variables and their subscales ............ 48
Table 5 - Descriptive statistics and normality for the main variables ...................................... 49
Table 6 - Correlations between IPT total and subscales ........................................................ 116
Table 7 - Correlations between PsyCap total and subscales .................................................. 116
Table 8 - Correlations between workplace thriving total and subscales ................................ 116
Table 9 - Relationship between IPT and PsyCap..................................................................... 51
Table 10 - Significant Pearson’s correlations (r) between IPT and PsyCap, and their equivalent
Cohen’s d effect sizes ............................................................................................................ 117
Table 11 - Relationship between PsyCap and workplace thriving .......................................... 52
Table 12 - Relationship between IPT and workplace thriving ................................................ 53
Table 13 - Prediction of workplace thriving by IPT ................................................................ 55
Table 14 - Prediction of PsyCap by a growth mindset ............................................................ 56
Table 15 - Prediction of PsyCap by IPT ................................................................................ 118
Table 16 - Prediction of workplace thriving by all PsyCap variables ..................................... 57
Table 17 - Prediction of workplace thriving by PsyCap ........................................................ 119
Table 18 - Overall psychological capital, self-efficacy, hope, and resilience as mediators of the
relationships between growth mindset and workplace thriving ............................................... 58
Table 19 - Overall psychological capital, self-efficacy, hope, and resilience as mediators of the
relationships between growth mindset and vitality .................................................................. 60
Table 20 - Sobel Tests.............................................................................................................. 62

vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Conceptual Model .................................................................................................... 33
Figure 2: Scree plot for the factor analysis of the IPT scale .................................................... 46
Figure 3: Distribution of IPT scale total scores ..................................................................... 110
Figure 4: Distribution of IPT fixed subscale total scores ...................................................... 110
Figure 5: Distribution of IPT growth subscale total scores ................................................... 111
Figure 6: Distribution of workplace thriving scale total scores ............................................. 111
Figure 7: Distribution of workplace thriving learning subscale total scores ......................... 112
Figure 8: Distribution of workplace thriving vitality subscale total scores ........................... 112
Figure 9: Distribution of PCQ24 total scores ........................................................................ 113
Figure 10: Distribution of PCQ24 self-efficacy subscale total scores ................................... 113
Figure 11: Distribution of PCQ24 hope subscale total scores ............................................... 114
Figure 12: Distribution of PCQ24 resilience subscale total scores ........................................ 114
Figure 13: Distribution of PCQ24 optimism subscale total scores ........................................ 115
Figure 14: Psychological capital as a mediator of the relationship between a growth mindset
and workplace thriving .......................................................................................................... 120
Figure 15: Self-efficacy as a mediator of the relationship between a growth mindset and
workplace thriving ................................................................................................................. 120
Figure 16: Hope as a mediator of the relationship between a growth mindset and workplace
thriving ................................................................................................................................... 121
Figure 17: Resilience as a mediator of the relationship between a growth mindset and
workplace thriving ................................................................................................................. 121
Figure 18: Psychological capital as a mediator of the relationship between a growth mindset
and vitality ............................................................................................................................. 122
Figure 19: Self-efficacy as a mediator of the relationship between a growth mindset and vitality
................................................................................................................................................ 122
Figure 20: Hope as a mediator of the relationship between a growth mindset and vitality ... 123
Figure 21: Resilience as a mediator of the relationship between growth mindset and vitality
................................................................................................................................................ 123

viii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW
Today’s workplace is characterised by intense global competition spurred by considerable
technological advances and access to information on a global level (Robbins & Judge, 2013).
It is an environment that requires flexibility, innovation, and spee-dto-market with the result
that survival, let alone success, demands higher-than-average performance (Luthans &
Youssef, 2007; Luthans, Luthans, & Luthans, 2004). However, success cannot be attained
simply by trying to fix weaknesses (Luthans & Youssef, 2007). Rather, there is a need for a
more balanced approach that takes into consideration both the positive and the negative, both
developing strengths and trying to improve weaknesses (Luthans & Youssef, 2007).
Building on the positive psychology literature, organisational and management scholars have
started to recognise the potential benefits of integrating positive psychological principles to
enhance the corporate experience (Mills, Fleck, & Kozikowski, 2013). An important
component of the employee experience is the idea of workplace thriving, which is characterised
by the experience of learning and vitality (Porath, Spreitzer, Gibson, & Garnett, 2012). The
experience of thriving is argued to impact on important outcomes such as development, health,
and performance (Boyd, 2015). Given the potential importance of workplace thriving, it is
therefore important to understand what might lead to this experience. The primary aim of this
study was therefore to investigate two possible mechanisms that facilitate thriving in the
workplace, namely implicit person theories (Dweck & Leggett, 1988) (known as ‘mindsets’ in
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the contemporary literature on the topic ) and psychological capital (Luthans, Youssef, &
Avolio, 2007).
The relationships between these variables is explored within the framework of Fredrickson’s
broaden and build theory which suggests that positive emotions broaden individuals’ thought -
action repertoires and build their enduring personal resources which they can then draw on at
a later time to help them to survive and thrive (Fredrickson, 2001). In particular, the broaden
aspect was operationalised as implicit person theories (mindset) an d the build aspect was
operationalised as psychological capital. The specific argument advanced in this research
report is that psychological capital mediates the relationship between mindset and workplace
thriving.

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The ontology of implicit theories and mindset is identical and therefore the terms will be used interchangeably
in this research report.
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