Signature Paper

Following the lead of positive psychology, that is, “what is good about life is as genuine as what is bad and therefore deserves equal attention (Peterson, 2006,”) is the recently emerging field of positive organizational behavior. Just as positive psychology does not claim to have discovered the importance of positivity to people, positive organizational behavior also recognizes that over the years there have been many positive constructs in organizational research such as positive affectivity, positive reinforcement, job satisfaction and commitment, pro-social and organizational citizenship behaviors, and many others.

SAS once stood for “statistical analysis system,” and began at North Carolina State University as a project to analyze agricultural research. As demand for such software grew, SAS founded in 1976 to help all sorts of customers from pharmaceutical companies and banks to academic and governmental entities (“SAS Institute”, 2011.) The vision of SAS is “transforms the way the world works, giving people THE POWER TO KNOW (“SAS Institute”, 2011.) SAS’s values are captured in every company relationship from long-standing customer engagements to the strong and focused employee community. The values are approachable, customer-driven, swift and agile, innovative, and trustworthy. SAS CEO Jim Goodnight’s philosophy is simple, but effective: Treat employees like they make a difference and they will (“SAS Institute,” 2011.) For the past 14 years, SAS has ranked in FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to work for; just in 2011, they ranked No. 1. The work environment of SAS inspires employees, allowing them to build long-term relationships with customers and focus on solving their business problems. In the face of economic uncertainty and market consolidation, SAS continues its 35-year history of growth and profitability (“SAS Institute,”2011.) SAS fosters and encourages the integration of the company’s business objectives with employees’ personal needs. The turnover...