This study uses self-report measures completed by one hundred and twenty three (123) undergraduate of 24 character strengths embodied in six core virtues. Using exploratory factor analyses we found, that an exact convergence of the character strengths was explicitly absent with the six-virtues. In our study, analyzing the data which is further compared to a similar empirical study available for analyzing structural as a recommendation for future research.

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Purpose Positive psychology views organizational virtuousness (OV) and psychological capital (PsyCap) as significant external and internal variables. From a research perspective, both OV and PsyCap have indicated a positive relationship with employee performance. However, the underlying mechanism of the causal relationship needs to be explored. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a cross-sectional design. The sample was collected through snowball technique from (n = 122) Indian bank employees from the public (51 per cent) and private sector (49 per cent). Findings OV and PsyCap reveal a positive effect on self and supervisor-rated performance of the Indian bankers. OV predicts PsyCap. Overall, OV and PsyCap impacts supervisor-rated performance. Research limitations/implications Our study demonstrates that organizations can develop employee OV to enhance their PsyCap. It is essential to improve their perceptions of OV. Moreover, this relationship also empowers employee performance, thereby emphasizing the importance of OV among employees, managers and organizations. Study findings seem robust, but other researchers should extend this work into other sectors and with larger sample sizes. Originality/value Our study is the first to explore the relationships between OV and PsyCap. Also, it assesses the variable’s impact on self and supervisor rated performance. The results of our study provide insights into banking employees' performance that managers can use in their daily operations.

Many studies investigated cultural differences in values, most notably by Hofstede and Schwarz. Relatively few have focused on virtues, a related and important concept in contemporary social science. The present paper examines the similarities and differences between nations, or blocks of - culturally related - nations on the perceived importance of virtues. Adults (N = 2.809 students) from 14 countries were asked to freely mention which virtues they found important to practice in daily life, and next to rate a list of 15 virtues, which reflect the most frequently mentioned categories in The Netherlands, as found in a previous study. The 14 nations included the United States, Mexico, nine European and three Asian nations. For the free-listed virtues, we compared the top-ten lists of most frequently mentioned virtues across the nations. We used a correspondence analysis on the frequency table to assess the relationships between the virtues and nations. For the 15 virtues ratings, a MANOVA, and follow-up ANOVA’s were used to examine effects of nation, age, gender and religion. We found strong evidence for relationships between nations and blocks of culturally related nations and the importance attached to various virtues. There appear to be some country specific virtues, such as generosity in France, but also some relatively universal virtues, most notably honesty, respect, and kindness.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-223) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

PurposeTime and again, scholars have emphasized the vitality of mental toughness for success in performance-oriented contexts. Despite the awareness about the significance of mental toughness, there is ambiguity in the conceptual consensus of the factors that comprise of the construct in an organizational setup. Second, there is a dearth of a psychometrically sound measure that assesses mental toughness among employees.Design/methodology/approachThe study follows a multi-method approach to develop a mental toughness questionnaire. First, to arrive at a consensus of the factors that construe mental toughness, a meta-ethnography was done. Subsequently, a measure of mental toughness was developed and tested following scale development norms.FindingsDrawing from the results of qualitative inquiry, four factors of mental toughness were derived, namely, perseverance, control, challenge and commitment. Then, the scale development process was followed. Results of psychometric testing using three samples were above the acceptable range, justifying the use of developed scale for academic and professional purposes.Originality/valueThis study is a novel attempt in the literature to extract factors of mental toughness through meta-ethnography and consequently develop a scale.

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Purpose The current study aims to explore the relationship between time perspective and knowledge hiding at the workplace. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts a cross-sectional design. Data were collected using purposive sampling technique from (n = 425) employees representing five sectors of companies. Findings Holding onto negative experiences of the past (past negative TP) and perceiving that one cannot control the outcomes of a circumstance (fatalistic TP) predict all three types of knowledge hiding. Staying in a perspective of working towards achieving a goal (futuristic TP) was negatively (although insignificantly) associated with knowledge hiding. Practical implications If organizations focus on shifting the time perspective of employees towards the future, KH can be curtailed. Consequently, knowledge management can be enhanced. Originality/value A decade of research has focused upon identifying dynamics of knowledge hiding at multiple levels, yet, the influence of TP on knowledge hiding is a novel empirical contribution to literature.

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