Enhancing Employee Performance through Positive Psychology and Targeted Development Strategies
Imagine you are a learning and development director focusing your work on industrial-organizational psychology at a hospital with several locations in your city. The hospital requires its HR managers to conduct annual performance reviews for employees.
After conducting the performance appraisals, the senior manager determined that employee performance was below the standard for many employees. The manager has asked you to consult on ways to enhance employee performance.
Homework help – Write a 700-to 1,050-word proposal for how employee performance can be enhanced at the hospital. Include psychological research to support the methods you propose.
Include the following in your proposal:
The impact of employing positive psychology and individual employees’ positive individual traits
3 specific strategies/methods for employee performance enhancement
Analysis of how each strategy will achieve performance enhancement
Provide 2 examples for each strategy/method of how employee performance will be enhanced for a specific job.
Support each of your 3 strategies/methods with psychological research.
Reference a minimum of 3 sources on these topics.
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Enhancing Employee Performance through Positive Psychology and Targeted Development Strategies
Introduction
As the Learning and Development Director for ABC Hospital, I have been asked to consult on improving employee performance after the annual reviews revealed substandard ratings for many employees. Research shows that employing positive psychology and focusing on employees’ strengths can boost performance. This proposal outlines three targeted strategies supported by psychological research that aim to do just that.
The Impact of Positive Psychology
Positive psychology emphasizes individuals’ strengths and positive emotions rather than focusing solely on weaknesses or problems (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). When applied in organizations, positive psychology has been shown to increase employee engagement, satisfaction, and performance (Avey et al., 2008). At ABC Hospital, managers should adopt a strengths-based approach when conducting reviews and setting goals. Rather than just addressing areas for improvement, reviews should identify two to three strengths for each employee and help them leverage these strengths in their roles. For example, for a nurse with strong interpersonal skills, the manager could partner them with new hires to help onboarding. Focusing on strengths boosts self-efficacy and motivation, driving better performance (Luthans et al., 2007).
Strategy 1: Implement Goal Setting and Feedback
Goal setting with specific, measurable targets and regular feedback on progress is one of the most effective performance management techniques supported by decades of research (Locke & Latham, 1990). For ABC Hospital, I propose implementing the following:
Managers work with each employee to set one to two quarterly goals that are directly tied to role responsibilities and organizational objectives. Goals should be specific and measurable (e.g., “Complete 15 patient intake forms per day” rather than “Be more efficient”).
Employees meet with their manager every four to six weeks for feedback on progress. Managers should provide constructive feedback focused on behaviors rather than personal attributes. For example, for a nurse not meeting targets, the feedback could be “You seemed rushed in three of your last five patient interactions based on my observations. Let’s problem-solve how to address this” rather than “You’re too slow.”
At these meetings, managers and employees should also discuss any barriers to goal achievement and ways to overcome them. For instance, a nurse struggling to finish forms on time may need additional training on the new electronic system or help from support staff to enter data more efficiently.
Regular goal-setting and feedback increases clarity and accountability while empowering employees to self-monitor and make adjustments to improve performance (Locke & Latham, 2013). For ABC Hospital, this strategy will lead to quantifiable performance gains for roles across departments that can be easily measured and monitored.
Strategy 2: Provide Targeted Training and Development
The second strategy involves assessing training needs and providing targeted development opportunities to address skill or knowledge gaps. Research shows training is most effective when it is specific, practice-based, and directly applicable to an employee’s role (Arthur et al., 2003). For ABC Hospital, I propose:
Conducting a training needs analysis through employee surveys and manager input to identify common development areas across departments or for specific roles. For example, nurses may need more training in a new electronic records system.
Developing and delivering quarterly half-day workshops focused on these high-priority needs. Training should be hands-on and allow for practice and feedback. For the electronic records example, a training session could provide a demonstration followed by structured time for nurses to practice entering sample patient notes with a trainer available to answer questions.
Following up trainings with additional reference materials, online modules, or coaching sessions so employees can continue developing the skills over time. For instance, a training on conflict resolution could be supplemented with role-playing scenarios employees practice with their manager on a bi-weekly basis.
Targeted, practice-based training directly linked to performance needs will upskill employees to meet goals and standards more effectively. For ABC Hospital, this strategy will result in competence development to enhance individual and team performance.
Strategy 3: Foster an Engaging Work Environment
A supportive work environment has also been tied to increased employee motivation, satisfaction and performance (Bakker & Demerouti, 2008). For ABC Hospital, fostering engagement could involve:
Implementing mechanisms for employees to provide anonymous feedback and ideas for improving their specific work units or the hospital overall. Managers should actively solicit input quarterly and close the feedback loop by communicating actions taken.
Developing opportunities for employees to have a voice and feel valued such as participating in hospital-wide committees or special project teams. For example, rotating frontline staff onto a new electronic health record selection committee or a patient experience task force.
Promoting social interaction and connection through initiatives like monthly department lunches planned by a staff social committee or an annual hospital-wide community service day.
Research shows that when employees feel involved, heard and supported by their organization, it satisfies their basic psychological needs leading to increased discretionary effort and performance (Baard et al., 2004). For ABC Hospital, cultivating an engaging work environment will motivate higher achievement of goals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this proposal outlined three evidence-based strategies—goal setting and feedback, targeted training, and fostering engagement—that ABC Hospital can implement to enhance employee performance using a positive psychology framework. Regular goal-setting tied to clear expectations, upskilling employees through applicable training, and cultivating a supportive work environment empower employees and satisfy their basic psychological needs, driving quantifiable performance gains. These strategies are applicable across departments and can be easily monitored for success. Implementing a comprehensive, research-backed approach as proposed here will help ABC Hospital achieve its performance objectives.
References
Avey, J. B., Luthans, F., & Youssef, C. M. (2010). The additive value of positive psychological capital in predicting work attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Management, 36(2), 430-452. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206308329961
Arthur, W., Bennett, W., Edens, P. S., & Bell, S. T. (2003). Effectiveness of training in organizations: A meta-analysis of design and evaluation features. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(2), 234–245. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.2.234
Baard, P. P., Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2004). Intrinsic need satisfaction: A motivational basis of performance and well‐being in two work settings. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34(10), 2045-2068. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2004.tb02690.x
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2008). Towards a model of work engagement. Career Development International, 13(3), 209-223. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430810870476
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1990). A theory of goal setting & task performance. Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2013). New developments in goal setting and task performance. Routledge.
Luthans, F., Avolio, B. J., Avey, J. B., & Norman, S. M. (2007). Positive psychological capital: Measurement and relationship with performance and satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 60(3), 541-572. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2007.00083.x
Seligman, M. E., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5
