Abstract
Positivity has been commonly associated with enhanced subjective well-being, improved performance, and increased motivation. However, less is clear about what exactly positivity entails and how individuals perceive it in workplace settings. Existing research has largely focused on defining positivity through broad organisational constructs, such as psychological capital and positive leadership, paying limited attention to individual understandings of positivity in professional environments, important for capturing conceptual nuances that may be overlooked in theoretical constructs. On the example of positive thinking as a lay concept that has permeated the literature, this study seeks to examine how individuals conceptualise positivity in organisational contexts.
We first review contemporary conceptualisations and operationalisations of positivity, concluding that definitions remain fragmented, often overlapping with other constructs, with a predominant focus on positive content rather than function. Additionally, existing research tends to emphasise positivity as an individual trait or state, overlooking its contextual and dynamic aspects. Drawing on the person-environment perspective, we undertake a qualitative investigation to develop a conceptual understanding of individual perceptions of positivity through semi-structured interviews and vignette-based discussions. To reduce the risk of bias from a narrowly representative group and address the overrepresentation of homogeneous and privileged samples in positive psychology research, we recruit an international group of 19 employees and managers comprising 9 women and 10 men, aged 31-66 years from diverse sectors (including finance, banking, energy, and hospitality) and areas (including UK, US, and Asia).
Through iterative coding and a grounded theory approach, we identify positivity as an acquirable characteristic and socially embedded construct encompassing cognitive, affective, and behavioural dimensions, extending beyond the self to others and the environment, for which we develop a conceptual typology. Our findings also reveal power asymmetries in the perception of positivity, with managers tending to prioritise the affective dimension, whereas employees view positivity as requiring guidance, yet, often expected and therefore performed.
This study challenges conceptualisations of positivity as a fixed personal attribute that emphasise a single dimension and valence, arguing that positivity should instead be understood as a functional process of engaging with interpersonal and organisational contexts to proactively navigate challenges rather than avoid them. In addition, we place discussion of the findings in such theoretical perspectives as transformational leadership, emotional contagion, social learning, job crafting, and authenticity. Our findings offer practical implications for fostering authentic, meaningful positivity in workplaces, emphasising the need to acknowledge the contextual influences that shape its expression.