Positive Psychology Knowledge Knibble

Network News Issue 10

One aspect of HR Network membership that members tell us they really value is our Knowledge Knibbles. These bite-sized 90-minute sessions, run at your office location for groups of up to twenty people, are an engaging way for your team to dive into a subject and stimulate new thinking. The range of subjects covered is extensive, so we thought members might find it useful to read a bit more about the background to our more popular Knowledge Knibbles, and what they can expect. This time around, we’re focusing on the ‘Introduction to Positive Psychology’…

Positive Psychology has had a spectacular launch into public awareness since its championing by the America psychologist Martin Seligman from 1998 onwards. It can be traced back to Abraham Maslow in the 1950s and some argue even further back to William James in the 1800s. Yet since Martin Seligman made it a key priority of his term as president of the American Psychological Association, it has experienced a breathtaking proliferation of theory and research evidence and a place in public consciousness which has led to almost all of us knowing at least something about this topic.

The sheer volume of knowledge and evidence across the many areas of positive psychology requires HR practitioners to keep a cool head and a steady hand to know where best to start on introducing its benefits into the workplace and how to steer through to the most useful aspects of the burgeoning field. IES’s ‘Introduction to Positive Psychology’ Knowledge Knibble is one way to dip some toes into the water and get a feel for the scope and potential of applied positive psychology, and how its benefits might be realised in the workplace.

The session is necessarily selective as the field of Positive Psychology is vast, so the focus is on more high-profile positive psychology areas, for which there is good evidence of impact. It includes concepts that people may have heard a little about but perhaps have less idea of what the evidence says and how it might be introduced at work.

The Knibble includes:

• A brief history of Positive Psychology and how it differs from what came before.
• A look at the breadth of areas now being researched under the banner of Positive Psychology.
• An introduction to four key areas for the workplace:
• Happiness theory and research.
• The ‘Broaden and Build’ theory of positive emotions.
• Strengths.
• Growth mindset.
• A consideration of a few practical ways in which HR practitioners can start to think about using the evidence base to bring benefits to employees and their organisations.

The ‘Introduction to Positive Psychology’ Knowledge Knibble has recently been delivered to line managers and HR practitioners at several network member organisations. Feedback indicates that participants arrived with varying degrees of pre-existing knowledge and some were brand new to the field, but everyone took away something of interest to them and which related to their own personal or working lives.

In the next issue, Penny Tamkin will explore another of our more popular Knowledge Knibbles: Performance Management. Knowledge Knibbles we’ve recently run have included not only positive psychology and performance management but also employee engagement and reward. Have a look at our list – the number of topics to choose from is extensive.

You can see the full range on our website: Knowledge Knibbles

If you’re interested in learning more about the values a Positive Psychology Knowledge Knibble could bring to your organisation, or you think that a Knowledge Knibble or Masterclass on any subject could bring benefits, do feel free to get in touch. Don’t forget, they’re likely to be included in your existing membership package.