Exploring Positive Relationships at Work: Building a Theoretical and Research Foundation

Front Cover
Jane E. Dutton, Belle Rose Ragins
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2007 - Business & Economics - 421 pages

This edited volume brings together a select group of leading organizational scholars for the purpose of developing a foundation-setting book on positive relationships at work. Positive Relationships at Work (PRW) is a rich new interdisciplinary domain of inquiry that focuses on the generative processes, relational mechanisms and outcomes associated with positive relationships between people at work. This volume builds a solid foundation for this promising new area of scholarly inquiry and offers a multidisciplinary exploration of how relationships at work become a source of growth, vitality, learning and generative states of human and collective flourishing. A unique feature of the book is the use of a connecting commentator chapter at the end of each section. The Commentator Chapters, written by preeminent scholars, uncover and discuss integrative themes that emerge within sections.

The editors approach the topic from multiple levels, each level providing critical, valuable insights into the dynamic process underlying positive relationships at work. These levels are arranged in five parts:

  • an introduction to positive relationships at work;
  • Individuals and Dyads;
  • Groups and Communities;
  • Organizations and Organizing; and
  • a conclusion that offers an engaging invitation and multi-level map for guiding future research.

This volume will appeal to academics and practitioners, as well as scholars and graduate students in organizational psychology, management, human resources, and inter-personal communications.

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About the author (2007)

Jane E. Dutton is the William Russell Kelly Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan. Her research interests  include thriving at work, high quality connections, compassion, and job crafting. She is a founding member of the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship (http://www.bus.umich.edu/Positive/). She is the recipient of best paper awards from the Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and the Journal of Management Inquiry. She has received the Distingusihed Scholar Award from the Organization and Management Theory Division. At the Univeristy of Michigan she has received the Researcher of the Year Award and the Senior Scholar Award. She is a fellow of the Academy of Management and chairs the Management and Organizations Department at the Ross School of Business.  
Belle Rose Ragins is a Professor of Management at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Research Director of the UWM Institute for Diversity Education and Leadership (IDEAL). Her research interests focus on mentoring and diversity in organizations. She has received a number of national awards for her research, including the Sage Life-Time Achievement Award for Scholarly Contributions to Management, the Academy of Management Mentoring Legacy Award, the American Society for Training and Development Research Award, the American Psychological Association Placek Award, and five Best Paper Awards from the Academy of Management. She is an elected Fellow of the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology, the American Psychological Society, the Society for the Psychology of Women, and the American Psychological Association.

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