The relationship between positive psychological capital and job satisfaction in service industry

The purpose of this thesis is to determine the relationship between positive psychological capital and job satisfaction among employees. For this purpose, a quantitative survey technique was performed. The sample of this study consisted of 295 participants selected by convenience sampling method from the blue and white collar employees of organizations in service industry in Bursa. Data collection tools were Demographics Form developed by the researcher, "Positive Psychological Capital Scale" developed by Luthans et al. (2007) and "Minnesota Job Satisfaction Scale" developed by Weiss et al. (1967). Pearson correlation analysis and lineer regression analysis were used for data analysis. Findings of the study have shown that the level of hope and self-efficacy of blue and white collar employees in the service sector were higher than optimism and psychological resilience levels. In addition, it was found that if the level of hope and self-efficacy of the employees increases, then job satisfaction of the employees also increases. Higher levels of hope and self-efficacy results in higher quality of service delivery, increased customer satisfaction, promotion, premiums and acceptance by colleagues and management, and ultimately satisfaction with the work done. Therefore, it is suggested that, in addition to the employee satisfaction of the employees, the applications for increasing the employees' positive psychological capital will create positive results such as higher commitment levels of employees who are satisfied as the internal customers, decreased the turnover rate, increased organizational success and competition level. Keywords: Psychological capital, positive psychological capital, job satisfaction