Women’s Optimism: Role of Psychological Climate and Psychological Capital

Abstract

Background: Psychological capital is considered as the basis of sustainable competitive advantage in today’s organizations and can be developed and managed with minimal costs compared to tangible assets and can lead to significant results. Objectives: This quantitative research was carried out to determine the direct and indirect impact of psychological capital on female’s organizational optimism with psychological climate acting as the meditating variable. Methods: This study was a descriptive correlational research that included 45 females, who were employed at Farhangian University between the academic year of 2016 and 2017. A sample of 45 was determined using the census method. Data were collected using a standard questionnaires, including psychological capital questionnaire, psychological climate questionnaire, and organizational optimism questionnaire. The reliability of the instruments was measured using Cronbach’s alpha, combined reliability and factor load, and the validity of the instruments was determined using a convergent and divergent validity method. Cronbach’s alpha test obtained a value of 0.98, 0.96, and 0.93. The data were analyzed by the structural equation modeling and Smart PLS2 software. Results: The results indicated that the female’s organizational optimism had a mean value of 3.46 ± 0.75. Also, on average, the participants were 35 ± 0.43 years old and had 25 ± 0.38 years of work experience. Psychological capital and female’s organizational optimism are antecedents and consequences of psychological climate among students, respectively, and psychological climate has a significant mediating role on the relationship between psychological capital and female’s organizational optimism; 53% of the total effect of female’s organizational optimism was indirectly explained by the psychological climate (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The findings suggest the need of implementing programs, which strengthen women’s psychological capital in order to improve psychological climate and achieve a greater organizational optimism.