Over recent decades, there has been a shift from focusing on problems within individuals and organizations to emphasizing strengths and positive attributes. This study explored how organizational citizenship behavior – such as helping others and speaking up with ideas – explains the relationship between psychological capital (PsyCap) and social network positions. PsyCap is a positive psychological state comprising self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience. Individuals with high PsyCap believe in their ability to succeed, expect positive outcomes, and recover quickly from setbacks. Using social exchange theory, we hypothesized that individuals with higher PsyCap, due to their increased citizenship behaviors, would be viewed as more attractive social exchange partners, resulting in greater social network centrality. Network centrality is crucial as it correlates with career success through enhanced access to information, resources and opportunities. Findings revealed that individuals with higher PsyCap engaged more in helping and voice behaviors. PsyCap was positively linked to network centrality in social support networks but not in advice networks. Helping behaviors mediated the relationship between PsyCap and network centrality across both network types. These findings suggest that fostering PsyCap can enhance an individual’s integration and influence within social support networks, with helping behavior playing a key explanatory role. Understanding factors influencing network positions has implications for leaders and organizations. High PsyCap individuals may be in greater demand as social exchange partners because they require fewer resources, leading to greater network centrality. Organizations may benefit from having high PsyCap employees because greater levels of citizenship behaviors enhance team and organizational efficiency and productivity. Investing in PsyCap development can provide a competitive advantage for both individuals and organizations.
