Week 4: Positive HR – Marianne van Woerkom & Jessica Kruijssen
Jessica works as an organizational advisor, trainer and coach at Tilburg municipality.
"Rather than fixing what's wrong, build what's strong!"
Our society is rapidly changing, therefore the work of our employees and management is changing as
well and requires different behaviour, attitude, knowledge and skills than before. To respond well to
this, it is increasingly important to make our organization more agile and use all the talents of people.
Jessica's link with positive psychology: 3 years ago when she wanted more fulfillment in life. She
started asking herself what she wants in life and how she can be more meaningful. She found she
had a deep desire to enhance knowledge about strength based coaching. She followed a training
where she first came across positive psychology and the work of Seligman.
"Just as the good life is something beyond the pleasant life, the meaningful life is beyond the good
life." - Martin Seligman.
Pleasant: as we know it, filled with joy and fulfillment.
Good life: when you know your talents and use that in work and life.
Meaningful life: using your talent in work and life for something bigger than yourself.
PERMA model
Positive Emotions
Engagement
Positive Relationships
Meaning
Accomplishments
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyl: "That state where you're fully immersed in an activity, feeling energized
focus, full involvement and enjoyment in the process."
Barbara Fredrickson: Broaden-and-Build Theory.
"Positivity opens us. The first core truth about positive emotions is that they open our hearts and
our minds, making us more receptive and more creative."
Jessica combines elements from positive psychology with theory about strength based approach.
Positive psychology at work: where to start?
Individual strength development
Strength based team collaboration
Strength based leadership
Strength based climate and culture
Strength based (HR) instruments
Team intervention 1: Strength based collaboration
Team members gain insight into their own talents, not talents and skills and competencies. As well as
each other's talents, the non-talents and the competencies and skills needed to deal with them well.
Team members learned how to deal with them and how they can make the most of their talents in
practice. Team members learn how to strengthen each other.
Identify, use and develop talent. Non-talent doesn't mean you're not good at something, but it
doesn't give you energy. The strength of the intervention lies within knowing your talent and then
Jessica works as an organizational advisor, trainer and coach at Tilburg municipality.
"Rather than fixing what's wrong, build what's strong!"
Our society is rapidly changing, therefore the work of our employees and management is changing as
well and requires different behaviour, attitude, knowledge and skills than before. To respond well to
this, it is increasingly important to make our organization more agile and use all the talents of people.
Jessica's link with positive psychology: 3 years ago when she wanted more fulfillment in life. She
started asking herself what she wants in life and how she can be more meaningful. She found she
had a deep desire to enhance knowledge about strength based coaching. She followed a training
where she first came across positive psychology and the work of Seligman.
"Just as the good life is something beyond the pleasant life, the meaningful life is beyond the good
life." - Martin Seligman.
Pleasant: as we know it, filled with joy and fulfillment.
Good life: when you know your talents and use that in work and life.
Meaningful life: using your talent in work and life for something bigger than yourself.
PERMA model
Positive Emotions
Engagement
Positive Relationships
Meaning
Accomplishments
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyl: "That state where you're fully immersed in an activity, feeling energized
focus, full involvement and enjoyment in the process."
Barbara Fredrickson: Broaden-and-Build Theory.
"Positivity opens us. The first core truth about positive emotions is that they open our hearts and
our minds, making us more receptive and more creative."
Jessica combines elements from positive psychology with theory about strength based approach.
Positive psychology at work: where to start?
Individual strength development
Strength based team collaboration
Strength based leadership
Strength based climate and culture
Strength based (HR) instruments
Team intervention 1: Strength based collaboration
Team members gain insight into their own talents, not talents and skills and competencies. As well as
each other's talents, the non-talents and the competencies and skills needed to deal with them well.
Team members learned how to deal with them and how they can make the most of their talents in
practice. Team members learn how to strengthen each other.
Identify, use and develop talent. Non-talent doesn't mean you're not good at something, but it
doesn't give you energy. The strength of the intervention lies within knowing your talent and then
