A ripple effect in strengths use? Linking principals' use of personal strengths with teachers' strengths use and engagement

Abstract

PurposeEvidence has indicated plausible effects of employees' use of their personal strengths at work on their attitudes, performance and well-being. Although the use of personal strengths was also expected to benefit others in the organization, such effects have rarely been examined. Here we studied associations of principals’ use of their personal strengths with principals’ own engagement and with the strengths use and engagement of teachers under their supervision, anticipating that principals’ and teachers’ strengths use and engagement would be associated with students’ achievement.Design/methodology/approachWe surveyed 92 Israeli principals and 474 of their teachers. Measures included self-reported strengths use and engagement of the participants’ and schools' student matriculation achievements.FindingsThe findings generally supported the hypotheses. HLM analyses indicated that principals' use of their personal strengths was associated with their own engagement and with teachers' strengths use and work engagement and teachers’ engagement (but not their strengths use) was associated with student achievement.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings suggest the beneficial impact of principals' use of their personal strengths on teachers, with practical implications for fostering principals’ and teachers’ flourishing and creating and supporting humanizing schools, by building on principals’ and teachers’ strengths and fostering their use at work.Originality/valueThis is the first study about the potential effects of principals’ strengths use on their own engagement and on others in the school. The significant associations found propose a promising path forward for principals’ positive impact on teachers and students.