Positive Psychology at Work:

Introduction

What are good working relationships? How do they add value to an organization? What is positive team working? What characterizes positive work relationships? In this chapter we shall look at what characterizes positive team working and how organizations manage to foster a sense of community and connection in more transient working conditions. We shall look at how investing in the generation of positive working relationships helps increase organizational capability and capacity in a sustainable way.

Positive relationships not only feel good, they are good for us at a deep and fundamental level. The presence of good quality, positive relationships affects us at a physiological level in a way that reduces our vulnerability to stress and enhances our general health and wellbeing. They have this impact through their effects on our hormonal, cardiovascular and immune systems. Positive relationships aid recovery from illness and correlate with increased longevity. Through the action of oxytocin, the ‘bonding’ hormone associated with the most intimate aspects of life such as childbirth, breastfeeding and orgasm, positive relationships are associated with substantial increases in trust. Through their effect on the immune system, they offer protection against some respiratory infections. They also offer protection against some prostate diseases (Cameron, 2008a).

Positive relationships also have good effects for us at work, being linked to increased career mobility, access to ...