Bringing Carl Rogers Back In: Exploring the Power of Positive Regard at Work
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12247 |
| Published date | 01 January 2018 |
| Author | Natalie Shefer,Abraham Carmeli,Ravit Cohen‐Meitar |
| Date | 01 January 2018 |
British Journal of Management, Vol. 29, 63–81 (2018)
DOI: 10.1111/1467-8551.12247
Bringing Carl Rogers Back In: Exploring
the Power of Positive Regard at Work
Natalie Shefer, Abraham Carmeli 1,2 and Ravit Cohen-Meitar
Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel,1Coller School of
Management, Tel Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978,Israel, and 2University of Surrey, UK
Corresponding author email: avic@post.tau.ac.il
Wedraw on Carl Rogers’ client-centred therapy theory and the theoretical lens of positive
work relationships to explain why and how positive regard can be a powerful source for
the development of employees’ sense of vitality, job performance and organizational cit-
izenship behaviours (OCBs). We theorize that when employees experience relationships
characterized by a high level of regard with their co-workers they are likely to develop
a sense of vitality, which in turn results in enhanced job performance and OCBs. These
relationships are examined in both experimental and field studies. The results of these
multiple studies provide general support for the powerof positive regard in augmenting a
sense of vitality and enhancing both job performance and citizenship behaviours.
Relationships form the fabric of human
(Berscheid, 1999) and organizational life (Eby and
Allen, 2012) and provide ‘a rich new interdisci-
plinary domain of inquiry’ (Ragins and Dutton,
2007, p. 3). Relationships can be high quality
or corrosive in nature and have a significant
impact on individuals, groups and organizations
(Dutton, 2003). Whereas psychologists have
long underscored the key role of interpersonal
relationships in fulfilling various needs such as the
need to belong (Baumeister and Leary, 1995) and
achieving personal growth and life satisfaction
(Berscheid, 1999; Reis and Gable, 2003), there is
a need for more research on how relationships
can be translated into desired behaviours and
performance outcomes (Ragins and Dutton,
2007). This is crucial given the increasing recogni-
tion on the part of managers of the importance of
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the
Fourth World Congress of the International PositivePsy-
chology Association in Lake Buena, Florida, 25–28 June
2015. We wish to thank the editor and three anonymous
reviewers for their very constructive comments and sug-
gestions, as wellas Sharon Toker forher helpful feedback.
We also acknowledge the editorial comments of Esther
Singer.
interpersonal relationships forcreating an eective
work environment (Beauregard, 2010).
In attempts to unpack the essence of inter-
personal relationships at work, most studies
have drawn on social exchange theory (Blau,
1964; Homans, 1958) to explain why and how
reciprocal relationships, which involve a series of
interactions that generate obligations (Emerson,
1976; in Cropanzano and Mitchell, 2005, p. 874),
emerge and influence employees’ behaviours and
performance. However, studies have shown that
various types of relationships can be formed in
the workplace, including friendship and men-
toring (Campbell and Campbell, 2012). More
importantly, not all relationships are reciprocal in
nature; they can also be generative and life-giving
(Baker and Dutton, 2007; Dutton and Heaphy,
2003; Ragins and Dutton, 2007; Stephens,Heaphy
and Dutton, 2011).
Following this line of thinking, we focus here
on regardful relationships (Rogers, 1951) which we
see as humane and generative in nature. Unlike
relationships in which people cater to their self-
interests when interacting with others (Blau, 1964),
regardful relationships are characterized by un-
conditional acceptance and love (Rogers, 1951,
1957). Generative work relationships serve ‘as a
© 2017 British Academy of Management. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4
2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA, 02148, USA.
64 N. Shefer, A. Carmeli and R. Cohen-Meitar
Positive Regard Vitality
Job
Performance
Organizational
Citizenship Behaviors
(OCBs)
H1
H2a / H3a
H2b / H3b
Figure 1. The hypothesized research model
Note. Weassessed OCB-O in Studies 1 and 2 and expanded this examination in Study 4 to also evaluate the influence on OCB-I.
force that propels and motivates actions’ (Dutton
and Workman, 2012, p. 402); they are ‘endoge-
nously resourcing individuals’ (Carmeli, Dutton,
and Hardin, 2015, p. 1022). This form of relation-
ships enables people to tap vital resources (Ragins
and Dutton, 2007) and engage in work behaviours
(Owens et al., 2016).
This paper aims to contribute to this emerging
stream of research by expanding on a theoretical
perspective that views relationships as more hu-
manizing, non-judgemental and generative in na-
ture (Raginsand Dutton, 2007). By humanizing we
refer to interactions in which a participant sends a
message of positive regard to another person such
that he or she arms the other person’s self and
worth as a human being. Specifically, we direct at-
tention to the concept of positive regard, which
was originally developed by Rogers (1951) to char-
acterize genuine relationships between therapists
and patients in which therapists develop a non-
judgemental approach towardspatients which cul-
tivates a sense of acceptance.
Rogers (1957) considered positive regard as a
necessary condition for an eective therapeutic re-
lationship to unfold. Dutton and Heaphy (2003)
suggested that when people arein high quality con-
nections in the workplace they experience a high
level of positive regard (Rogers, 1951). Stephens,
Heaphy and Dutton noted that ‘being regarded
positively denotes a sense of feeling known and
loved, or being respected and cared for in a con-
nection’ (2011, p. 386). Experiencing positive re-
gard signals a sense of acceptance by others who
play a significant role in these people’s lives which
contributes to their sense of vitality and thereby
facilitates behaviours and enhances outcomes
(Rogers, 1951).
Our focus here is on level of regard which is con-
ceptualized in terms of being liked or loved (not in-
timately) by other members in a social group and
thus developing a sense of inclusion (Rogers, 1951,
1957). People spend many hours at work and seek
purpose and meaning there (Dik, Byrne and Ste-
ger, 2013) and one key ingredient of their experi-
ence is associated with the relationships they build
with others at work. As Sandelands and Boudens
pointed out, ‘When people talk about work they
talk primarily about other people.They talk about
relationships’ which are the key shaping mecha-
nism of feelings at work (2000, p. 50). How one
feels at work, in turn, influences one’s behaviours
and outcomes (Brief and Weiss, 2002). Wepropose
and test a conceptual model, shown in Figure 1,
which posits that when experiencing a high levelof
regard between co-workerspeople develop a sense
of vitality which in turn drives both job perfor-
mance and organizational citizenship behaviours
(OCBs).
The importance of positive regard in the
workplace
Carl Rogers developed a theory of personality de-
velopment grounded on the assumption that ev-
ery human being has a natural tendency to self-
actualize, i.e. to fulfil his or her potential and
achieve goals, wishes and desires in life (Rogers,
© 2017 British Academy of Management.
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