Psychological Capacity SIG (PsyCap SIG)

Building the Internal Capacity to Navigate Work, Change, and Life

You can have the right skills. The right experience. The right training. And still struggle to apply it when it matters most.

That’s not a skill problem.

It’s a capacity problem.

Right now, many L&D professionals are navigating real pressure—career transitions, uncertainty, shifting expectations, and the emotional weight that comes with it.

At the same time, organizations are asking you to help others perform, adapt, and stay engaged.

So, the question becomes: How do you help others build resilience…when you’re being asked to access it yourself?

This 6-part Special Interest Group introduces Psychological Capital SIG (PsyCap SIG) - an evidence-based framework developed by Fred Luthans that focuses on four measurable internal capacities:

HERO

• Hope (pathways + agency)
• Efficacy (confidence in action)
• Resilience (ability to recover and adapt)
• Optimism (constructive explanatory thinking)

Sessions will be held on the First Friday of each month, 12:00-1:00 PM MT, via Zoom:

SEP 4: Introduction to PsyCap and the HERO Model

OCT 2: Hope - Creating Pathways When You Feel Stuck

NOV 6: Efficacy - Rebuilding Confidence That Drives Action

DEC 4: Resilience - Responding Instead of Reacting

JAN 8: Optimism - Shaping How You Interpret Reality

FEB 5: Integrating HERO into L&D Life

What Makes This SIG Different:

This is not a lecture series. Every session is: Immediately applicable, Grounded in real-life challenges, Designed for you first, then your organization

You will:

• Build your own internal capacity to navigate uncertainty and pressure
• Experience practical exercises you can reuse in training, coaching, and leadership development
• Learn how to embed PsyCap into learning programs that actually change behavior

The Outcome:

By the end of this series, you won’t just understand PsyCap. You’ll know how to:

• Apply it in your own life immediately
• Use it in your work with leaders and teams
• Design learning experiences that build human capacity—not just skills

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Participants will be able to:

• Explain the concept of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and the HERO model
• Identify how internal capacity impacts performance, behavior, and engagement
• Apply PsyCap principles to navigate personal and professional challenges
• Use evidence-based exercises to build Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, and Optimism
• Translate PsyCap into learning design, coaching, and leadership development
• Develop strategies to support behavior change in individuals and organizations

ATD Capability Model –

To learn more about this model see: https://capability.td.org/

Building Personal Capability: Emotional Intelligence and Decision-Making

Developing Professional Capability: Instructional Design, Training Delivery and Facilitation and Coaching

Impacting Organizational Capability: Performance Improvement