The Importance of Perceived School Climate and Personal Strengths Use for Psychological Functioning among High School Students

The aim of this study was to determine the importance of high school students’ personal strengths use and the perceived school climate on their psychological functioning. The sample of 258 students from a gymnasium filled in measures for adolescent psychological functioning, strengths use and perceived school climate. Contrary to what was expected, the results revealed that personal strengths use did not moderate the relationship between students’ perceived school climate and their psychological functioning. However, both factors – perceived school climate and strengths use – independently of each other, significantly predicted students’ psychological functioning. Therefore, in order to achieve more positive developmental outcomes, it is not enough to create a good climate at school, it is also important to create opportunities for students to use their personal strengths.

The Effectiveness of a Job Crafting, Strengths Use, and Deficit Correction Intervention on Employee Proactive Behaviors and Well-Being: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The present study evaluates the effectiveness of a mixed job crafting, strengths use, and deficit correction intervention on the proactive behaviors, work engagement, life satisfaction, and work-life balance of employees working in a home office setting. A two-armed (intervention vs. wait-list control group) randomized controlled trial with three measurement moments (pre-, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up) was designed to reach the study's goal. A sample of 80 participants part of a large multinational pharmaceutical company was randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 45) or wait-list control condition (n = 35). Mixed factorial analyses of variance showed that the combined job crafting, strengths use, and deficit correction intervention positively impacted life satisfaction (d = .47) and seeking challenging job demands (d = .44) in the short-term. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding the other proactive behaviors, work engagement, or work-life balance. Moderator analyses revealed that autonomy and workload were moderators of the relationship between the intervention effectiveness and several outcomes (e.g., the intervention had a positive effect on the work-life balance of participants with low autonomy). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

How and when does follower strengths-based leadership contribute to follower work engagement? The roles of strengths use and core self-evaluation

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship of follower’s strengths-based leadership (FSBL) with follower work engagement. Additionally, this study also examined the mediational effect of employee strengths use and the moderating effect of core self-evaluation (CSE) on the relationship between FSBL and follower work engagement. Data were garnered at two points in time with a time lag of 2 months. Moderated-mediation path analysis with a total of 238 employees working in a research and design institute in Beijing was deployed to examine our hypotheses. As hypothesized, FSBL was a statistically significant predictor of work engagement, and strengths use acted as a mediator in the FSBL-work engagement relationship. In addition, we also found that CSE significantly and negatively moderates the direct effect of FSBL on strengths use and the indirect effect of FSBL on work engagement through strengths use. This study advances the FSBL theory and research and provides a new insight into the driving force of work engagement.

Growth Opportunities and Entrepreneurial Performance: Testing Strengths Use and Meaning-Making as Moderators of the Relationship

The present study investigates how developable behavioral (strengths use) and cognitive (meaning-making) mechanisms moderate the relationship between personal growth opportunities and entrepreneurial performance. We relied on a cross-sectional design. Data were gathered from 208 Romanian entrepreneurs and analyzed via hierarchical multiple linear regressions. The employed moderators boost the investigated relationship, both separately and interactively. The three-way interaction shows that entrepreneurs have to employ strengths use and meaning-making concomitantly to be able to capitalize on growth opportunities effectively. Consequently, this will enable entrepreneurs to rate their business performance more positively because they will perceive they have the necessary resources to invest in the business. Conversely, at low levels of strengths use and meaning-making, the presence of growth opportunities erodes entrepreneurial performance. This study identifies strengths use and meaning-making as vital psychological tools that allow an increase in entrepreneurial performance thus altering business-related investment and continuance decisions.

A Cross-Level Examination of the Relationship of Strengths-Based Human Resource System With Employee Performance

Given the great significance of employees’ strengths to employees’ optimal functioning, strengths-based human resource (HR) system has gradually reaped HR researchers’ attention. However, to date, there remains a lack of evidence supporting the effectiveness of strengths-based HR system. Therefore, this article aimed to bridge the gap in the literature by empirically testing the cross-level relationships between strengths-based HR system, employee strengths use, and supervisor-rated employee performance (i.e., task performance and innovative behavior). Data from 205 employees working in 56 organizations in China were collected at three points in time from different sources. The results of multilevel path analysis showed that strengths-based HR system has a positive relationship with employee strengths use, and employee strengths use is positively related to supervisor-rated employee task performance and innovative behavior. More importantly, strengths-based HR system had a positive relationship with employee task performance and innovative behavior via employee strengths use.

Strengths use and work-related flow: an experience sampling study on implications for risk taking and attentional behaviors

PurposeUsing positive psychology theories, the authors build a model to test whether episodic fluctuations in strengths use coincide with changes in flow experiences and further predict risk-taking behavior and attentional performance.Design/methodology/approachA field study covering five working days was conducted among 164 Chinese employees; twice a day, they were asked to complete questionnaires regarding their strengths use and flow experiences during the previous hour (N = 938 observations). Immediately afterward, their risk-taking behaviors and attentional performance were tested using computerized tasks.FindingsMultilevel analyses showed that when employees used their strengths more often in the previous hour, they also reported an increase in flow. Episodic fluctuations in flow were positively associated with risk taking and negatively related to attentional performance.Practical implicationsEmployees should be encouraged to use their strengths more at work, as this might increase their flow experiences. At the same time, they should pay attention to the downsides of flow (i.e. less attention after flow) at an episodic level.Originality/valueThe authors add to previous studies by using a more objective approach, namely employing computerized tasks on risk-taking behavior and attention to capture the behavioral outcomes of work-related flow.

The role of supervisor support for strengths use in promoting perceived employability and career satisfaction

PurposeThis study aims to examine how perceived supervisor support for strengths use (PSSSU) directly and indirectly facilitates career satisfaction and perceived employability as mediated by strengths use behavior.Design/methodology/approachA two-wave questionnaire survey was administered to nurses (n = 221) and analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsResults indicated that PSSSU directly enhanced career satisfaction and indirectly enhanced perceived employability through strengths use behavior.Research limitations/implicationsAs the sample was limited to nurses in a Japanese hospital, it is possible that the characteristics of the national culture and occupation affected the results.Practical implicationsSupport for strengths use is important especially in stressful work environments in order to retain professional employees by enhancing their employability and career satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study extends the literature by identifying the different effects of PSSSU on the two types of career-related well-being. The present research is the first study to show the mediating role played by strengths use behavior in linking PSSSU to perceived employability.