In an examination of leadership and organizational culture, this Management Tip of the Week assumes a positive bent; that is, it discusses the well-being, self-efficacy, and productivity of employees. Employees with positive well-being will be more productive. Numerous theories have set out to explain how various individual or job characteristics influence well-being. According to conservation of resources theory, individuals seek to acquire and maintain resources, including physical objects, conditions, and energies.

A study by Heinitz et al focused on the concepts that potentially impact well-being, namely self-efficacy, optimism, and hope, while also evaluating the mediating effect of coping strategies. Mediating here refers to something that comes into play, either impeding or further amplifying the relationship between two other variables. Coping is the manner in which one deals with situations. In this case, the study authors looked at flexible goal adjustment as a coping mechanism, where one alters one’s goals dependent on life’s circumstances. The results taken from a large database representing a variety of industries showed a statistically significant and positive effect of self-efficacy and optimism on subjective well-being and an inverse relationship between optimism on depression, over the course of three years. All three predictors show a statistically significant relationship with flexible goal adjustment.

This study was really strong because it was conducted longitudinally. In other words, the effects were gathered over time, rather than collecting the data at one point in time. It shows that pharmacy managers must be realistic, truthful, and ethical. But this is one of several studies implicating the importance of positive energy; and more specifically, that a culture of hope and positivity has a favorable impact on the well-being of employees. Pharmacy managers can resort to any great number of tools to help promote self-efficacy, including positive performance feedback, delegation, and empowerment. Organizations would do well to provide coaching to pharmacy employees on how to employ effective coping strategies at work and in life. After all, people are our greatest assets not found on a balance sheet. Coping skills engender emotional intelligence that help people get along and at the same time be more effective at their jobs.

Additional information about Organizational Structure and Behavior in Pharmacy Management: Essentials for All Practice Settings, 5e.

¹Heinitz K, Lorenz T, Schulze D, Schorlemmer J. Positive organizational behavior: Longitudinal effects on subjective well-being. PLoS One; 2018; 13(6):e0198588.

Authored by:

Shane P. Desselle, RPh, PhD, FAPhA, Professor of Social/Behavioral Pharmacy at Touro University California