
How to identify when you have morale problems
No leader wants their team to suffer from bad morale, but sometimes problems can be hard to see from the C-suite. It pays to understand signs that your team leaders may need...
by Shlomo Ben-Hur Published 4 July 2021 in Brain circuits • 3 min read
In order to achieve sustained change in employees’ behaviour, managers should also use the key levers summarized in the MAPS model: motivation, ability, psychological capital and supporting environment. In part two we looked at motivation. In this segment we will look at psychological capital.
Developing psychological capital
Psychological capital refers to the crucial inner resources a person needs to thrive and succeed. It affects a wide range of work-related outcomes, such as job performance, work satisfaction, citizenship, absenteeism and stress. Personality and self-esteem are also crucial elements, which managers can significantly strengthen through support and creating the right work environment.
The four elements of psychological capital are self-confidence, optimism, willpower and resilience.
Self-confidence refers to one’s belief and level of trust in oneself and one’s abilities. Confident people are more likely to work hard and keep going; achieve behavior change; react positively to training; and learn practical and complex interpersonal skills.
Self-confidence is directly related to internal locus of control – when something goes well, a person believes it is because they have done well. An increasing internal locus of control therefore makes behavior change last longer.
Managers can help their subordinates build confidence in several ways:
Optimism focuses on positive thinking, taking credit for good events and viewing bad events as temporary. Pessimists tend to over-generalize, personalize and have an “all or nothing” attitude. Optimists cope better with setbacks and are more likely to sustain change, but they may underestimate risks and be underprepared for setbacks.
Willpower is the capacity to exercise self-control, to start, continue or stop doing something. Willpower can be built by encouraging people to look after themselves (enough sleep, healthy eating, less stress), to practice simple self-discipline (keeping a diary, good posture, developing the non-dominant hand) and to stop distractions and build focus (via positive, motivational or instructional self-talk and mindfulness).
Resilience is the ability to cope with adversity and grow stronger, to develop alternative ways of doing things when faced with difficulties and failures. It can be built in three ways:
In part four we will look at how to create an environment that supports change.
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Professor Shlomo Ben-Hur works on the psychological and cultural aspects of leadership, and the strategic and operational elements of talent management and corporate learning. He is the Director of IMD’s Changing Employee Behavior program and IMD’s Organizational Learning in Action, and author of the books Talent Intelligence, The Business of Corporate Learning, Changing Employee Behavior: a Practical Guide for Managers and Leadership OS.
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