Validation of the PCQ-5: A Short Form to Measure State Positive Psychological Capital

Positive psychological capital (PsyCap) is a key measure of workplace positivity, yet its organizational impact may be somewhat limited by current measurement practices. Given its state-like and malleable nature, organizations need accurate yet brief measures to allow for repeated measurement of Psy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Group & organization management 2024-02, Vol.49 (1), p.215-245
Main Authors: Szerdahelyi, Miklós, Paterson, Ted A., Huang, Lei, Martos, Tamás, Komlósi, László
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Helping behavior
Job performance
Job satisfaction
Measurement
Optimism
Positive emotions
Reliability
Resilience
Self-efficacy
Workplaces
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Summary:Positive psychological capital (PsyCap) is a key measure of workplace positivity, yet its organizational impact may be somewhat limited by current measurement practices. Given its state-like and malleable nature, organizations need accurate yet brief measures to allow for repeated measurement of PsyCap. A very short PsyCap instrument could be used in various ways by organizations to measure and track employee positivity, thus enabling management to make decisions with more insight. Similarly, for researchers, a much shorter scale could dramatically improve research efficiency and response rate, opening up new perspectives in PsyCap research. In this paper, initial evidence is provided for the validity of a short PsyCap measure across multiple samples of working adult populations (N = 1331 in total) from four different countries (United States, China, Germany, and Hungary). Consistent with prior research, we propose a five-item PsyCap measure, the PCQ-5, consisting of one item from the dimensions of self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism and one item for each facet of the hope dimension (agency and pathways). The proposed PCQ-5 shows internal consistency reliability and good fit for a single factor global PsyCap model across all samples. Moreover, like the PCQ-24, the PCQ-5 is associated with meaningful workplace outcomes such as job performance, job satisfaction, OCBs, voice, and helping behaviors, and it is negatively related to deviant behaviors like CWBs.
ISSN:1059-6011
1552-3993
DOI:10.1177/10596011221127383