Course Syllabus

Semester & Location:	Fall 2024 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Elective - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Psychology
Prerequisite:	One psychology course at university level.
Faculty Members:	Gitte Vonsild (current students please contact via the Canvas Inbox)
Program Contact:	Department email address psy.cns@dis.dk
Time & Place:	Tuesday & Friday 11:40-13:00 Classroom: N7-C23

Description of Course

Work settings have a significant impact on people’s lives, but what makes work life worth living?  How can we improve the effectiveness and quality of life in organizations? The field of Positive Organizational Psychology (POP) has been defined as “the scientific study of positive subjective experiences and traits in the workplace and positive organizations, and its application to improve the effectiveness and quality of life in organizations” (Donaldson & Ko, 2010). Guided by this definition, we will explore the science of positive psychology applied to work and organizations. Specifically we will emphasize topic areas such as positive organizational scholarship, positive organizational behavior, psychological capital, positive leadership, organizational virtuousness, coaching, and flow at work. Scandinavia and European cultural perspectives will also be considered.

Learning Objectives

Investigating the theoretical perspectives and research findings within the field of POP

Understand how to apply positive psychology theories and concepts to work and organizations

Devise pathways to improve people’s quality of life in organizations

Apply specific methods for development in the workplace, e.g. employing flow design, coaching, and facilitation techniques

Understand how leaders can create positive change in organizations 

 

Faculty

Gitte Vonsild

Gitte Vonsild, M.Sc. (Econ.), Master of Positive Psychology, Co-Active Coach (CPCC) is DIS lecturer in Positive Psychology, Organizational Psychology and the Psychology of Leadership. She is specialized in Applied Positive Psychology and her main interests lie at the intersection between motivation, performance, and well-being. She has an international leadership background as CFO for an international beverage producer with facilities in Denmark, the Baltics, and Germany. Self-employed coach and workshop leader since 2005. Assistant/associate professor in Coaching & Counseling at Metropolitan University College, 2008-2012. With DIS since 2011

Readings

Books:

Bakker, A.B. (ed.). (2013). Advances in Positive Organizational Psychology. Vol. 1. Erasmus University. Rotterdam. Netherlands

Donaldson, S.I and Chen, C. (Eds.  2021). Positive Organizational Psychology Interventions: Design and Evaluation. Wiley

Dutton, J.E. and  Spreitzer, G.M. (2014). How to be a positive leader. Insights from Leading Thinkers on Positive Organizations. Small Actions, Big Impact. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. San Fransisco.

 Selected articles:

Bakker, A. B., & Van Woerkom, M. (2018). Strengths use in organizations: A positive approach of occupational health. Canadian Psychology, 59, 38-46

Bakker, A.B. (2014). Top-down and bottom-up interventions to increase work engagement. In P.J. Hartung, M.L. Savickas & W.B. Walsh (Eds.), APA Handbook of Career Intervention (Vol. 2; pp. 427-438). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017) Job Demands–Resources Theory: Taking Stock and Looking Forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology . Vol. 22, No. 3, 273–285 

Berg, J. M. et al. (2010). Perceiving and responding to challenges in job crafting at different ranks: When proactivity requires adaptivity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31, 158- 186

Biswas-Diener, R. et al. (2017). Psychological Strengths at Work. In Oades, L.G. et al. (eds). The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Positivity and Strengths-Based Approaches at Work, pp.34-47

Bushe,.R. (2011). Appreciative inquiry: Theory and critique. In Boje, D., Burnes, B. and Hassard, J. (eds.) Ta.he Routledge Companion To Organizational Change. Pp. 87­-103. Oxford, UK: Routledge. 

Carmeli, A. et al. (2009). Learning behaviours in the workplace: The role of high-quality interpersonal relationships and psychological safety. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 26: 81-98.

Carmeli, A. et al.  (2015). Respect as an engine for new ideas: Linking respectful engagement, relational information processing and creativity among employees and teams. Human Relations, 68, 1021-1047

Carton, A.M. (2018). ‘‘I’m Not Mopping the Floors, I’m Putting a Man on the Moon’’: How NASA Leaders Enhanced the Meaningfulness of Work by Changing the Meaning of Work. Administrative Science Quarterly 2018, Vol. 63(2)323–369

Caza A. & Carroll, B.Critical Theory and Positive Organizational Scholarship. In Cameron, K.S. and Spreitzer, G. (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Scholarship. Oxford, 2013. pp. 965-978

Chancellor, J. et al. (2018). The propagation of everyday prosociality in the workplace. The Journal of  Positive  Psychology, 2018. vol. 13, no. 3, 271-283

Clifton, D.O. and  Harter, J.K. (2003), Investing in Strengths. In Cameron, K.S. et al. (Eds.). Positive Organizational Scholarship. Foundation of a New Discipline. Pp. 111-121

Cooper, C. D., & Sosik, J. J. (2012). Humor. In K. S. Cameron & G. M. Spreitzer (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of positive organizational scholarship (pp. 474–489). Oxford University Press

Deci, E. L. et al., (2017). Self-determination theory in work organizations: The state of a science. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 19-43

DeRue, D.S. and Workman, K.M. (2012). Toward a Positive and Dynamic Theory of Leadership Development. In Cameron, K.M. and Spreitzer, G.M. (eds.).The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship,  pp. 784-797

Donaldson, S. I., van Zyl, L. E., & Donaldson, S. I. (2022). PERMA+4: A framework for work-related wellbeing, performance and positive organizational psychology 2.0. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 6261

Dutton, J.E. et al. (2010). Pathways for Building Positive Identity Construction at Work: Four Types of Positive Identity and the Building of Social Resources. Academy of Management Review 2010, Vol. 35, No. 2, 265–293

Dutton, J. E., Workman, K. M., & Hardin, A. E., (2014). Compassion at Work. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1, 277-304

Froman, L. (2009). Positive Psychology in the Workplace. J Adult Dev (2010) 17:59–69

Fullagar, C.J.; Kelloway, K. (2009). Flow at work: An experience sampling approach. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 2009, 82, 595-615

Grant, A. M. & Campbell,E. M. (2007). Doing good, doing harm, being well and burning out: The interactions of perceived prosocial and antisocial impact in service work. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 80, 665-691.

Grant, A. M. (2007). Relational job design and the motivation to make a prosocial difference. Academy of Management Review, 32, 393-417

Grant, A.M. and Spence, G.B. (2010). Using Coaching and Positive Psychology to Promote a Flourishing Workforce: A Model of Goal-Striving and Mental Health. In Linley, A.P. et al. Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work. Oxford Library of Psychology.Pp.175-188.

Guckenheimer, D. Social Movements in Organizations. In Cameron, K.S. & Spreitzer, G. (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship. Oxford. 2013. Pp. 989-1000

Hakanen J.J. & Roodt, G. (2010). Using the damands-resources model to predict engagemet: Analysing a conceptual model. In Bakker A.B. & Leiter, M.P. (Eds.). Work Engagement. A Handbook of Essential Theory and Research. Psychology press pp. 85-101

Harter, J.K. & Blacksmith, N. (2010). Employee Engagement and the Psychology of Joining, Staying in, and Leaving Organizations. In Linley, P.A. et al. (eds). Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work. Oxford. Pp. 121-130

Hoffman, A.J. and Haigh, N. Positive Deviance for a Sustainable World. Linking Sustainability and Positive Organizational Scholarship. In Cameron, K.S. & Spreitzer, G. (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship. Oxford. 2013. Pp. 953-964

Ilies, R. et al. (2017). Flow at Work and Basic Psychological Needs: Effects on Well-Being. Applied Psychology:  An International Review, 2017, 66 (1), 3–24

Kroon, B. et al. (2017) Mindfulness as substitute for transformational leadership. Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 32 Issue: 4, pp.284-297

Ko, I., & Donaldson, S.I. (2011).  Applied positive organizational psychology: The state of the science and practice.  In S.I. Donaldson, M. Csikszentmihalyi, & J. Nakamura (Eds.). London: Routledge Academic, pp. 137-154

Luthans, F. and Avolio, B.,(2003). Authentic Leadership Development. In Cameron, K.S. et al. (eds.). Positive Organizational Scholarship. Foundations of a New Discipline. pp 241-258

Luthans, F. et al. (2010). The development and resulting performance impact of positive psychological capital. Human Resource Development Quaterly, 21(1), 41-67

Morris, D. and Garrett, J. (2010). Strengths: Your Leading Edge. In Linley, A. et al. (Eds.). Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work. Oxford Library of Psychology. Pp.95-105

Olafsen, A. H., et al., (2017). On the dark side of work: A longitudinal analysis using self-determination theory. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(2), 275-285

Salanova, M. et al. (2003). Flow at work: evidence for an upward spiral of personal and organizational resources. Journal of Happiness Studies (2006) 7:1–22

Salanova, M. et al. (2010). The gain spiral of resources and work engagement: Sustaining a positive worklife. In Bakker A.B. & Leiter, M.P. (Eds.). Work Engagement. A Handbook of Essential Theory and Research. Psychology press pp. 118-131

Spurlin, A. and Csikszentmihalyi (2017). Will Work Ever be Fun Again? In Fullagar, C. & Delle Fave, A. (Eds.). Flow at Work. Measurement and Implications. Current issues in work and organizational psychology. pp. 176-189 

Unnu, N. A. A. (2020). Boosting positivity and performance: A case study of organizational coaching. In E. Baykal (Ed.), Handbook of research on positive organizational behavior for improved workplace performance (pp. 34–54). Business Science Reference/IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-0058-3.ch003

Van Zyl, E.L. (2024). Positive Organisational psychology 2.0: Embracing the technological revolution. The Journal of Positive Psychology 2024, Vol. 19, No. 4, 699–711

Warren, S. (2010). What's Wrong with Being Positive? In Linley, P.A. et al. (Eds.). Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology at Work. Oxford. 2010. pp. 313-322

 

Additional selected cases and peer reviewed articles will be uploaded on Canvas

 

Approach to Teaching

The teaching in this course is based on experiential learning, so students will participate actively in exercises, reflection, presentations, discussion in class and on canvas as described below:

Discussion class on Tuesdays: Each week has a specific topic, that we will explore in relation to theory and research on Tuesdays, where you will participate in the class discussion and reflection activities as a well informed and prepared participant. A central part of your preparation is that you, based on the assigned readings, create and post a comment and a question, which you would like to discuss in class. Your comments and the discussion question must be up on Canvas no later than 8:00 am on Tuesdays. Your comments and questions count toward participation.

Research Presentations and Experiential Work Sessions with Students as Leaders on Fridays: On Fridays class will focus on deepening understanding and forward the action by students taking an active lead in teams of approximately two-three students. One team will present and lead a discussion on a relevant research, where after another team will be leading the ongoing "Students as Leaders: Putting Theory and Research into Action". You can find more information on Research Presentations and Students as Leaders: Putting Theory and Research into Action under Assignments.

Academic Accommodations

Your learning experience in this class is important to me.  If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter within two weeks from the start of classes. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support academicsupport@dis.dk

Expectations of the Students

In this course, each one of us has the equal and unique responsibility to facilitate the most optimal learning outcomes.

 

Students are expected to:

• complete all reading assignments prior to coming to class
• contribute actively in a constructive manner to class discussions and team activities
• be punctual and attend all classes; missing classes without a legitimate excuse will result in a lower final grade

 

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on their participation in class, on individual papers, and on student team assignments and research presentations. Emphasis in evaluation is on active and constructive engagement with the subject and with the rest of the class. Creativity and critical academic reflection is highly valued in your written work as well as in class.

 In all your papers and presentations I expect you to use high quality, credible and relevant sources and to cite all your sources in your text using APA style references. Please make sure that all statements and claims are supported by academic references.

Grading

Methods of Evaluation	How	Percentage
Engaged participation	Individual	15%
Research presentation	Team	20%
Students as Leaders: Putting Theory and Research into Action	Team	20%
Case:  Designing an evidence based positive organizational psychology intervention strategy to improve the effectiveness and quality of life in an organization	Individual	25%
Discussion paper	Individual	20%

 

Engaged participation (15%)

Your attendance and active participation are essential in all aspects of this course including: class sessions, course-related field studies, engagement in class discussions, team work, and general contribution to the progress of the class. In addition to the Discussion Class on Tuesdays and the Research Presentations and Experiential Work Sessions with Students as Leaders on Fridays, class meetings will involve lectures and experiential learning activities, movies, and guest speakers.  Please be aware that the comments and discussion questions you create based on the assigned readings for Tuesdays must be up on Canvas no later than 8:00 am on Tuesdays. 

Team Project 1: Research Presentation (20%)

In a team with your fellow classmates (teams of two-three students) you will present and lead a discussion on a research related to the topic you are presenting. At the beginning of the course we will form the presentation teams and allocate the weeks/topics to the teams.

The presentation team will summarize and present the research findings and lead a discussion about the important findings, especially in relation to implications for employees, leaders, and organizations.

Each presentation must include:

• Summary of research and findings

• Outline of the elements of the research

• Class discussion about the findings and their implications in relation to employees, leaders, and organizations

Presentations will be 25 minutes (including discussion).

Presentation Objectives:

• Find, analyze, and apply a relevant research article to the topic of the week and discussions

• Deliver a concrete and engaging review of material to the class

• Direct and support the class discussion

• Develop and refine teamwork skills

 

Team project 2: Students as Leaders: Putting Theory and Research into Action (20%)

 How can leaders use the theoretical frameworks and research findings within the field of positive organizational psychology to create and promote positive change? This is the point of departure question on Fridays, where one team will facilitate and lead the class through an application of theory and research related to the topic of the week. At the beginning of the course we will form the Students as Leaders teams (teams of two-three students) and allocate the weeks/topics to the teams.

This facilitated in-class activity will be 45 minutes, including a wrap-up discussion.

Each team will:

• Prepare, create, and organize an activity in the form of a practical application of theory and research related to the specific topic of the week
• Introduce the class to your activity and explain it with theory including relevant research findings
• Guide the class through your activity
• Facilitate a wrap-up discussion focusing on deepening the learning about the topic and the practical implications

 

Case assignment: Intervention design (minimum 22 slides incl. notes and excluding cover & reference slide pages. (25%)

Due: before 14:00

Based on a specific case analysis, students will use theory and research findings to design an evidence based intervention strategy to improve the effectiveness and quality of life in an organization.

For more specific instructions see assignment

 

Discussion paper: Maximum 5 pages. 1 1/2 spaced and excluding cover & reference page) (20%)

Due: before 12:00 noon

This paper is a discussion of the application of positive organizational theory and research. It should include a constructive and critical discussion of the pros and cons of applying Positive Organizational Psychology theory and research, emphasizing the implications to employees, leaders, and organizations. 

For more specific instructions see assignment

 

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

• Course Enrollment and Grading  
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code 

Class room policies

Late papers will not be accepted and the use of laptops or phones in class is not allowed.

 

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