Transforming Shame in the Workplace, Leadership and Organisation: Contributions of Positive Psychology Movements to the Discourse

In the twenty-first-century workforce, shame seems to be an often unconscious and neglected topic which is hardly addressed on micro-, meso- and macro-levels in different cultural contexts. Shame is generally viewed as a negative emotion which impacts negatively on the self within the context of others. Previous research has shown that shame affects individuals in organisations and needs to be addressed and transformed to impact constructively on leaders, employees and the organisation. This chapter presents an overview on relevant aspects of shame in the workplace and places it into the discourse of positive psychology (1.0) and the second wave of positive psychology (2.0).