A Conceptual Examination about the Correlates of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) among the Saudi Arabian Workforce

Abstract

Psychological capital (PsyCap), which is considered a higher-order construct, is composed of hope, efficacy, optimism, and resilience. The importance of PsyCap stems from the fact that it has the propensity to motivate individuals in their accomplishment of organizational tasks and goals. The concept is related to many behavioral concepts including: subjective well-being, social capital, employee engagement, and emotional intelligence. The majority of the research literature on PsyCap has originated from the West, and limited literature exists about its antecedents and consequences among the Saudi population. Studies undertaken in Saudi Arabia must take into account unique cultural aspects. The present work attempts to identify the contribution that could emerge from the relationship of PsyCap, with constructs like subjective well-being, social capital, and employee engagement, considered through the prism of culture. It also recognizes the influence of, and upon, the external environment. Going beyond the replication of earlier studies, the present work considers the constructs to have a yin-yang relationship. The study presented a model of comprehensive framework emerging from the relevant literature to bring out the complex connections between PsyCap and other constructs. It also emphasized the importance of culture on the identified constructs, and its implication on contribution and performance. The proposed framework needs to be further tested by academics, researchers, and practitioners to confirm its practical implications in industry.

Positive Organizational Practices, Life Satisfaction, and Psychological Capital in the Public and Private Sectors

“…However, no significant differences between the groups were observed in hope, resilience, or overall psychological capital scores. These studies align with prior research on psychological capital in public [57,[106][107][108][109] and private [110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119] sectors. However, it is unclear why the employees in public and private sectors differed in self-efficacy and optimism, but they did not differ in hope, resilience, or overall psychological capital.…”

“…Research of the psychological capital in the public sector has evidenced its' numerous benefits [57,[106][107][108][109]. Similarly, the studies on psychological capital in the business, entrepreneurial, or marketing contexts demonstrated the added value of psychological capital and its interventions for the private sector organizations [110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119].…”

A Study on How Psychological Capital, Social Capital, Workplace Wellbeing, and Employee Engagement Relate to Task Performance

“…Probably this is one of the few studies that has examined the relationship of PsyCap and WWB with a Saudi sample. There is abundant scope to examine the consequences of PsyCap, as there is scarce and inconsistent evidence about it (Alkahtani et al, 2021). The significant positive relationship between WWB and WE is also in line with earlier studies (Schuck et al, 2011).…”

“…The tool has four dimensions—Efficacy with three items, Hope with four items, Resilience with three items, and Optimism with two items. The PCQ 12 has reported good reliability and validity and is a widely used measure (Alkahtani et al, 2021; Kamei et al, 2018; Luthans et al, 2015; Wernsing, 2014 ). A sample item is “I can think of many ways to reach my current work goals.”…”

“…The tool has four dimensions-Efficacy with three items, Hope with four items, Resilience with three items, and Optimism with two items. The PCQ 12 has reported good reliability and validity and is a widely used measure (Alkahtani et al, 2021;Kamei et al, 2018;Luthans et al, 2015;Wernsing, 2014 ) All the measuring instruments were on a five-point Likert format-strongly agree to disagree strongly. The questionnaire also a demographic section that elicited details like gender, age, marital status, experience, and organization type.…”