Work and Organizations

The IPPA Work and Organizations (W&O) Division is a forum for academics, researchers, practitioners, and anyone interested in studying and applying positive psychological concepts in work or organizational settings including those relatively new to positive psychology.

Scholars and Practitioners engaged in industrial or organizational psychology, organizational behavior, organizational design and development, leadership development, culture, and change
Managers and Corporate Leaders
Human Resources (HR) professionals
Executive Coaches
Business Advisors and Consultants
Trainers (and corporate trainers)
And more

More Info

Leadership Team

What Does the Division Do

The division provides researchers and practitioners a forum to discuss and collaborate in the development and application of positive psychology principles aimed to improve individual, team and organizational well-being and performance across various contexts and cultures. Current offerings include:

Regular virtual “meet-ups” where members discuss a specific topic of interest
Quarterly “Digests and Dialogues” Series featuring brief research digests, expert interviews, and recorded discussions between both a researcher and practitioner
A Positive Organizational Intervention Challenge (POIC) – a design program challenge where Division members pitch and develop a research-based intervention for the workplace for judging
A curated publication featuring research and practice briefs
Access to a member directory and discussions in the online members’ community, IPPA Engage
Access to an online library with hundreds of video recordings, research, slides decks, and presentations
Exemplary Research to Practice Award provided at the World Congress
Connecting members through the Communities of Practice Venture

Division Advisors

Arnold Bakker, Ph.D.

Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Kim Cameron, Ph.D.

William Russell Kelly Professor Emeritus of Management & Organizations, Ross School of Business and Professor Emeritus of Higher Education, School of Education, University of Michigan

Robert Easton, MAPP, MBA, MDefSt

CEO, Probe CX

Jim Harter, Ph.D.

Chief Scientist of Workplace and Wellbeing, Gallup

Fred Luthans, Ph.D.

University and George Holmes Distinguished Professor of Management Emeritus, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Chris Murchison, M.Ed.

Creative Thought Partner, Consultant, and Positive Organization Coach, Murchison Consultant Group

Visiting Business Leader, Center for Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business

Marisa Salanova, Ph.D.

Full Professor in Work & Organizational Psychology, Jaume I University

Mission & Charter

The IPPA Work and Organizations Division’s mission is to serve as a bridge between research and practice and facilitate collaboration to increase the incorporation of positive psychology in academic research related to organizations and the practice of positive psychology in the organizational context, thereby positively transforming the way the world works.

Following a meeting at the Third World Congress on Positive Psychology (WCPP), held in Los Angeles, CA (USA), during June of 2013, a group of dedicated volunteers formed a launch committee and worked with IPPA Leadership to draft an initial vision and charter for the IPPA Work & Organizations Division. In May 2014, Division members elected their inaugural President, President-Elect, and Secretary to the Division leadership team.

Purpose

The Division acts as a member-driven international forum for academics, researchers, practitioners, and organizations from around the world to discuss research and applications to transform organizations and the experience of work. This forum allows practitioners and researchers to discuss and collaborate in the development and application of positive psychology principles aimed to improve individual, team and organizational well-being and performance across various contexts and cultures. The overarching purpose of the Division is to empower individuals and organizations across the globe to create and shape environments that enable them to thrive and flourish.

Vision Statement

The Work and Organizations Division of IPPA will be one of the most important visionary international go-to forums for debate, exchange, collaboration, and best practices on the integration of positive psychology in the world of work. We will accomplish this by focusing on the following five objectives:

Identify existing or needed research to address and engage real world organizational issues and opportunities (e.g., increasing employee engagement because disengagement costs the US economy $300B). Critical to this is actively engaging researchers across various disciplines (e.g. business, management, economics, public policy and administration, organizational and social sciences) interested in using a positive lens to study constructs, processes or outcomes (e.g. positive leadership, positive work relationships, flow at work, identity in the workplace) relevant to the organizational context. Equally crucial is gaining the support and cooperation of prominent leaders of organizations and institutions interested in applying positive psychology principles and methods in their contexts.)
Translate research into practical, evidence-based solutions
Test the impact of positive psychology interventions on organizations, including the impact on individual, team and organizational goals and metrics.
- Act as a “learning lab” for sharing resources on how best to implement evidence-based practices from the growing body of positive psychology theory and research.
- Via collaborative studies and evaluation, help influence the research and application of positive psychology in organizations.
Collaborate and communicate to publish results and promote best practices for positive organizational psychology with an international focus.
Represent organizational interests to IPPA. Positively influence future policy development, initiatives, and development of IPPA.
Like other Divisions within IPPA, this Division’s objectives are aligned under the three strands of IPPA’s overall strategy:
- To promote the science of positive psychology and its research-based applications
- To facilitate collaboration among researchers, teachers, students, and practitioners of positive psychology around the world and across academic disciplines
- To share the findings of positive psychology with the broadest possible audience

Membership

The Division was initially formed by a volunteer-led launch committee4. Our desire is to grow a strong membership base with a productive mix of academics, researchers, and practitioners. Moving forward, there will be two levels of division participation with the following responsibilities and benefits:

Division Membership (Open to all Members, Associates, and Students of IPPA; must participate in at least one committee or topic group during their membership, thus sharing and building knowledge in a particular practice area; Eligible to vote in division elections and contribute to ongoing dialogue about division activities; Division members who wish to join committees must commit to participating in at least 50% of committee meetings
Division Mailing List (IPPA Affiliates – along with Members, Associates, and Students who do not wish to participate as division members – can sign up for a mailing list to receive regular updates and access publicly available Division resources)

Leadership Positions

Three 2-year elected officer positions will head the responsibilities for the Division, in addition to a non-voting Immediate Past President:

President
President-Elect • Secretary

Elected officers are expected to add additional positions.

Election Process

With the support of the IPPA Leadership, the launch committee invites nominees from the IPPA Membership base. Members must opt to join the Work & Organizations Division as a Division member prior to submitting their nomination. We believe this will ensure not only an engaged election process, but will build a strong membership base with which to begin our Division’s work. Candidates will be asked to indicate whether they work primarily in scholarship or practice, and they must submit a one-paragraph biography and statement of purpose5 by the identified deadline in order to be considered. These submissions will be shared with all Division members for a period of time before voting, wherein members may submit questions via a general forum for candidates to respond. Once the Division’s officers have been elected, these leaders will have the opportunity to finalize this charter and put it to a vote by members to ratify or provide any final commentary.

Meetings

Thus far, the launch committee has held two (monthly) meetings to discuss and outline the group’s proposed mission and goals. Moving forward, we propose that meetings are convened as follows:

Monthly meetings to share and discuss progress made towards the Division’s vision, coordinated and sanctioned by elected officers
Quarterly report to IPPA Leadership and Board of Directors by the President (see Appendix A for details)
A meeting of the Division to be held at the bi-annual IPPA conference
Committee-specific meetings may be held outside of the general Division meetings Communication Our primary means of communication between members has been via direct email. A group list-serve or Division-specific webpage are future potential possibilities.

Resources and Support Available:

The main area of support IPPA will provide the Division is with access to membership and the Board. Depending on available resources and as appropriate, IPPA Leadership will help to promote the opportunities and activities of the Division to members and contact lists, encouraging greater participation. IPPA will also help make appropriate introductions to relevant researchers and scholars on the Board or within its network. Where possible, IPPA will share access to existing communication systems. IPPA will also work with the Division to determine the best way to house information online, whether on the IPPA website or via a new cross-linked website.

For more information, please download the Division charter for review by clicking here.

Intervention Design Challenge

Image of POIC logo

The Positive Organizational Intervention Challenge (POIC) gives students, practitioners, and researchers an opportunity to innovate positive psychology interventions for the workplace.

The Work and Organizations Division holds the competition in the year leading up to the bi-annual World Congress, where finalists present their interventions.

Competition Process

Call for submissions
Round 1: Initial vetting of submissions by Division Leadership
Round 2: Online discussion and voting – open to members
Finalists announced
Finalists present at WCPP

Proposal Guidelines

Submissions for the Challenge are invited from all IPPA Work & Organizations Division members. Individuals or small teams of up to three (3) people are invited to submit a POIC proposal. Submit your proposal as a reply to the Discussion entry at the top of the Work & Organization Division’s Engage landing page.

Please read the following guidelines carefully. Submission not meeting these guidelines will not be considered.

Format
Cover page + no more than three (3) pages
1-inch margins
Double-spaced
12 point, Times New Roman font
APA format

Authorship
Up to three authors
All authors must be members of IPPA’s WOD

Eligible Interventions
The POIC is intended to spur conversation and innovation through the integration of recent research findings and innovative field application into the intervention design process, so submissions are restricted to:

Untested interventions currently under design
Interventions that have or will have (by the WCPP) undergone uncompensated testing, either internal trials (“alpha” tests) or trials with “friendly” externals (“beta” tests)

Ineligible Interventions
The POIC is not a venue for getting feedback on interventions that have or will have (by the WCPP) undergone commercial field applications or compensated trials.

Proposal Elements
Identify and describe a common organizational issue that positive psychology could have a role in addressing
Identify established research findings that indicate a course of action for alleviating the issue
Describe an organizational intervention that applies the research findings to an organizational setting

Evaluation of Proposals
Submissions will be evaluated by Work & Organizations Division members and advisors based on the following criteria.

Case for Intervention
Call for Positive Approach: how does a positive approach add value that traditional approaches do not?
Breadth of Issue: how wide-ranging is the presenting problem?
Importance, Impact and Outcomes: What outcomes are at stake for the organization?

Integration of Positive Psychology
Theory: What theory or theories offer the initial indication that a positive approach will add unique value?
Research Findings: What evidence from research findings indicates that the intervention will have a significant effect?
Creativity: Does the proposed intervention apply positive psychology in a novel way?

Intervention Design
Does the intervention design provide:
A description of specific and relevant actions …
… in a specific order …
… over a specified time frame?
Achievable and measurable outcomes?

Where flexibility in the intervention along any of the above criteria is called for, the range of possible design choices is appropriate. Such ranges and a discussion of how a specific design element is determined should be included in the proposal.

Positive Psychology Communities of Practice

The International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) is excited to announce the continued development of our Positive Psychology Communities of Practice (CoP). Following a successful one-year pilot in 2022-23, and another successful year in 2023-24, this initiative has now entered its third year, providing a robust platform for professionals, researchers, and practitioners to engage in meaningful exchanges and collaborative learning within the field of Positive Psychology.

What Are Communities of Practice?

A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common interest, profession, or passion and come together to deepen their understanding, share knowledge, and improve their skills related to that area. The community collaboratively engages in regular interactions, discussions, and activities, fostering both individual and collective learning.

Communities of Practice (CoPs) are groups of individuals who share a common passion or profession and come together to deepen their knowledge, share expertise, and advance their practice. These communities are characterised by three core elements:

Domain: The shared interest or field in which the members of the community seek to advance their understanding.
Community: A group of individuals who engage in regular interactions, fostering relationships, and creating opportunities for collective learning.
Practice: The shared experiences, tools, and techniques that members use to improve their professional expertise and impact within the domain.

In CoPs, learning happens through active participation, where members draw from their collective knowledge and experience to support one another’s growth and development.

Positive Psychology Communities of Practice: A Unique Venture

The Positive Psychology Communities of Practice within IPPA are distinctive in their focus on enhancing the knowledge and practice of Positive Psychology. These communities provide a space for members to discuss emerging research and practical applications, and the latest trends in Positive Psychology. Participants collaborate to tackle challenges, create innovative strategies, and share successes in applying Positive Psychology principles and interventions in diverse settings. The insights gained from these communities contribute to the broader Positive Psychology movement, helping to shape its future direction while fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose.

Goals of Positive Psychology Communities of Practice

The overarching aim of our Positive Psychology CoPs is to:

Advance knowledge and expertise: Facilitate the exchange of cutting-edge research and practical insights in Positive Psychology.
Foster collaboration: Create a supportive environment where members can form professional networks, share ideas, and co-create new initiatives.
Enhance application: Provide practical strategies and techniques that members can apply in various fields.
Promote global and regional perspectives: Encourage discussions that reflect both the global reach of Positive Psychology and the unique needs of different cultural and regional contexts.

Looking Ahead: Expanding Our Communities

Building on the success of the past two years and the learning gained, we are pleased to announce that in 2025, we are expecting to continue our current Positive Psychology Communities of Practice – East Coast US/CA, West Coast US/CA, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Asia-Pacific. These regional CoPs are designed to accommodate time zones and cultural differences while fostering international collaboration. We aim to establish more communities as the demand grows and our network of Positive Psychology professionals continues to expand.

The forthcoming cohort of Communities of Practice will open in January 2025 and will run until November 2025 (9 monthly sessions altogether). All meetings are carried out virtually. We invite you to join us in this exciting journey of collaborative learning and growth. Whether you are a researcher, practitioner, or student of Positive Psychology, our Communities of Practice offer a unique opportunity to deepen your engagement with this vibrant field.

We are immensely grateful to our Directors of Communities who have led and managed the project since it was launched and to our Community of Practice leaders who have put many hours of voluntary work into making this project a success: Dr Rona Hart, Liz Corcoran, Duncan Ferguson and Luis Marrero.

For more information please contact the current Director of Communities: Dr Rona Hart at rona.hart@Sussex.ac.uk.

Regular virtual “meet-ups” where members discuss a specific topic of interest
Quarterly “Digests and Dialogues” Series featuring brief research digests, expert interviews, and recorded discussions between both a researcher and practitioner
A Positive Organizational Intervention Challenge (POIC) – a design program challenge where Division members pitch and develop a research-based intervention for the workplace for judging
A curated publication featuring research and practice briefs
Access to a member directory and discussions in the online members’ community, IPPA Engage
Access to an online library with hundreds of video recordings, research, slides decks, and presentations
Exemplary Research to Practice Award provided at the World Congress
Connecting members through the Communities of Practice Venture