Positive Psychology at Work:

Key Themes of the Book

As I have researched and written this book a number of themes have emerged. These are threaded through the chapters. The reference to an ethical basis for science shared and advice given has already been mentioned. Throughout the book we shall be treating organizational change as an ethical and moral act.

You will also find continual references to the power of positivity, or ‘feeling good’. It is worth reiterating that positivity is not a brand of positive thinking. It is not about pretending bad things don't happen or that people never feel down. Rather, it refers to the balance of positive emotions against negative ones in people's lives. It is becoming clear that this ratio profoundly affects both individual and organizational wellbeing. The more positive emotions are studied, the clearer it becomes that they are hugely important and powerful factors in human wellbeing. Interestingly, one of the most powerful approaches to organizational change, Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider et al., 2001), which developed independently of the school of positive psychology (although they are now coming much closer together), incorporated an early recognition of the power of positivity in achieving organizational change: one of the key principles of Appreciative Inquiry is the principle of positivity.

Appreciative Inquiry is another theme that is present in this book, along with other whole-system interventions. When I started to write I didn't appreciate quite how much ...