6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

Reinvigorating Gender Research Using A Positive Work And Organizations Perspective (#107)

Meg A Warren 1
  1. Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States

An extensive body of literature utilizes a positive work and organizations perspective. This perspective has the capacity to augment problem-focused gender research, yet contributions that utilize such a perspective are sparsely spread across nearly two decades’ time, and dozens of journals. Conversely, past reviews have noted that over-reliance on long-standing theoretical paradigms may have limited avenues for new gender research and stifled practice innovations (e.g., Joshi, Neely, Emrich, Griffiths, & George, 2015).  This paper aims to reinvigorate gender research in management research by consolidating insights that have emerged through application of the positive perspective. In this presentation, I will share findings from a systematic review of articles published in 21 management and psychological journals between 2001 and 2016. Four main themes emerged as drivers of gender research from a positive perspective: performance, social integration, well-being, and justice/moral matters. The contributions within these themes highlight pathways to organizational flourishing through positive diversity and inclusion behaviors and practices. Finally, this presentation will provide a conceptual map for navigating and planning further scholarship.