Abstract
Orientation: The positive psychology paradigm suggests a balanced focus on employee strengths and deficits. However, an overemphasis on strengths has raised questions regarding the value of a focus on strengths use, deficit improvement or a combined approach with a balanced focus on both.Research purpose: The primary objective was to examine whether perceived organisational support (POS) for strengths use, POS for deficit improvement or a combined approach would be the strongest predictor of work engagement, learning, job satisfaction and turnover intention.Motivation for the study: In the literature, there is little empirical evidence to support an approach where both employees’ strengths are used and their deficits improved.Research design, approach and method: This study was conducted among 266 teachers from four public schools in the Western Cape. A cross-sectional survey design was used.Main findings: The results suggest that both strengths use and deficit improvement are important predictors of work engagement, learning, job satisfaction and turnover intention. Learning was higher and turnover intention lower for individuals experiencing a combined approach compared to those believing that their school did not support them in either using their strengths or improving their deficits. Furthermore, a combined approach was associated with higher job satisfaction than a strengths-based approach, and a deficit-based approach was shown to be associated with higher levels of work engagement and lower turnover intentions compared to an environment where neither employees’ strengths nor deficits were addressed.Practical or managerial implications: The results urge organisations to invest an equal amount of resources in their employees’ strengths and deficits, as opposed to neglecting either one. Such a combined approach may be associated with increased work engagement, learning and job satisfaction and lower turnover intention.Contribution: This study provides empirical evidence that supports a combined approach where both employees’ strengths are used and their deficits developed.
Highlights
Scholars in the field of positive psychology are promoting an equal focus on individuals’ deficits and strengths (Seligman, 2002; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000)
To test whether perceived organisational support (POS) for strengths use and POS for deficit correction were significant predictors of our outcome variables, separate structural models were tested for each of these outcome variables. Both POS for strengths use and POS for deficit correction were included, but three competing models were tested for each outcome variable:
In Model C, paths from both POS for strengths use and POS for deficit correction were specified to the outcome variable
Summary
Scholars in the field of positive psychology are promoting an equal focus on individuals’ deficits and strengths (Seligman, 2002; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). In their research, Van Woerkom et al (2016) refer to perceived organisational support (POS) for strengths use to indicate the extent to which employees believe that their organisations are supportive of them applying their strengths in the workplace. POS for deficit correction refers to the extent to which employees perceive their organisation as supportive of them in developing their deficits. Van Woerkom et al (2016) and other scholars promote a combined approach, studies usually focus on either strengths or deficits and rarely on a combined approach where both constructs are included.
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