Examining the Role of Psychological Climate in the Relationship between Management Style and Organizational Optimism – A Case Study of Farhangian University

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Lecturer of Educational Management, Farhangian University.

Abstract

This research examined the impact of management style on organizational optimism with respect to the mediating role of psychological climate in Farhangian University, South Khorasan Province, Iran.This descriptive-correlational research is of applied kind and was done through structural equation modeling. The samples are 145 lectures of Farhangian University selected by convenience method. In order to collect data, Management style questionnaire (Luthans, et al.), psychological climate questionnaire (Koys & Decotiis) and organizational optimism questionnaire (Smith, eta al.) were used. The validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by the convergent and divergent validity; the reliability of the measuring instruments was also confirmed by Cronbach's alpha method, hybrid reliability and factor loadings. Furthermore, the structural equation modeling and PLS2 Software were used for data analysis. Findings revealed that management style is not significantly related to organizational optimism, though there is a significant relationship between psychological climate and organizational optimism. Therefore, the major hypothesis of this study stating that psychological climate plays a meditating role in management style and organizational optimism relationship was approved. It was concluded that more than 67% of the total effect of management style indirectly can be explained by the psychological climate.

Keywords


Beheshtifar, M. (2013). Organizational optimism: A Considerable issue to success. Journal of Social Issues & Humanities, 1(6): 23-32.
Brown, R. S. (2014). Does Optimism pass on to the Employees? The impact of Supervisor optimism on employees in small and medium sized businesses. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD.
Burke, P. J. (1980) ‘the Self: Measurement Implications from a Symbolic Interactionist Perspective’, Social Psychology Quarterly, 43: 18–29.
Cardon, M. S. (2008). Is passion contagious? The transference of entrepreneurial passion to employees. Human Resource Management Review, (18): 77-86.
Chiu, W. C., Harry Hui, C., & Lai, G. W. (2007). Psychological ownership and organizational optimism amid China's corporate transformation: effects of an employee ownership scheme and a management-dominated board. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(2): 303-320.
Christensen, D. & Walker, D. H. T. (2004). “Understanding the Role of "Vision" in Project Success.” Project Management Journal. 35(3): 39-52.
Clifton, Donald O. and Harter, James K. (2003). Investing in Strengths. In Cameron, Kim S., Dutton, J. E. & Quinn, R. E. (Eds.). Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline (p.111-121). Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1st edition.
Dubinsky, A. J, Yammarino, M. A., Jolson, Y. F. J. & Spangler, W. D. (1995). Transformational leadership; an initial investigation in sales movement. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 15, 2: 17-29.
Fredrickson, B. L. & Losada M. F. (2005). Positive affect and the complex dynamics of human flourishing. American Psychologist, 60(7): 678-86.
Freeman, R. E. & Auster, E. R. (2011). Values, authenticity, and responsible leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 98: 15-3.
Green Jr, K. W., Medlin, B., & Whitten, D. (2004). Developing optimism to improve performance: an approach for the manufacturing sector. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 104(2): 106-114.
Greenberg, M. H. & Arakawa, D. (2007). Optimistic managers & their influence on productivity and employee engagement in a technology organization. Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstone Projects. 49.
Jung, D. I. & Avolio, B. J. (1998). Examination of transformational leadership and group process among Caucasian- and Asian-Americans: Are they different? Research in International Business and International Relations, 7: 29–66.
Kanter, R. (1985). The Change Masters: Corporate Entrepreneurs at Work, Unwin Paperbacks, Paperbacks.
Kotter, John. (1995). Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review.
  Kouzes, J. M. & Posner, B. Z. (1995). The leadership challenge: how to keep getting extraordinary things done in organizations. California: Jossey-Bass
Krueger, J. & Killam, E. (2005). At Work, Feeling Good Matters: Happy employees are better equipped to handle workplace relationships, stress, and change, according to the latest GMJ survey. Gallup Management Journal.
Luthans, F. Avey, J. Avolio, B.J. Peterson, S.J. (2010). The development and resulting performance impact of positive psychological capital. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 21: 41-67.
Mascall, B., Leithwood, K., Straus, T. & Sacks, R. (2008). The relationship between distributed leadership and teachers’ academic optimism. Journal of Educational Administration, 46: 214-228.
McCall, G.J. and Simmons, J.L. (1978). Identities and Interactions. New York: Free Press.
McColl-Kennedy, J. R. & Anderson, R. D. (2002). Impact of leadership style and emotions on subordinate performance, The Leadership Quarterly, 13(5): 545-559.
Ogwueleka, A. C. & Ogbonna, S. N. (2018). Effect of positive organizational behavior (POB) characteristics on construction employees’ turnover in Uyo City of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development: 1-10.
Oreg, S. (2003). Resistance to change: Developing an individual differences measure. Journal of Applied psychology, 88: 680–693.
Paolillo, A., Platania, S., Magnano, P. & Ramaci, T. (2015). Organizational Justice, Optimism and Commitment to Change. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191: 1697-1701.
 Popper, M., Amit, K., Gal, R., Sinai, M. & Lissak, A. (2004). The capacity to lead: major psychological differences between ‘leaders’ and ‘non leaders”. Military Psychology, (16) 4: 245-63.
Punia, B. (2005). A study of social and emotional intelligence. Impact of demographic /variables on Emotional Intelligence and Leadership behavior of Corporate Executives. Journal of Organizational Behaviors 4: 7-22.
Ryan, R.M. & Deci, E.L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development and well-being. American Psychologist, 55 (70).
Smith, P., Caputi, P. & Crittenden, N. (2013). Measuring optimism in organizations: development of a workplace explanatory style questionnaire. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14(2): 415-432.
Tamer, I. (2015). The Effect of Positive Psychological Capital on Emotional Labor. International .Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 4(2): 20.
Turner, J. C., Hogg, M. A., Oakes, P. J., Reicher, S. D., & Wetherell, M. S. (1987). Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization theory. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
Usher, E. L., & Pajares, F. (2008). Sources of self-efficacy in school: Critical review of the literature and future directions.  Review of Educational Research, 78: 751–796.
Vandenberg, R. J. & Lance, C. E. (2000). A review and synthesis of the measurement invariance literature: Suggestions, practices, and recommendations for organizational research .Organizational Research Methods, 3: 4–69.
Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S. & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34(1): 89-126.