Oral Presentation 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

Character Strengths At Work And Strengths-Related Person-Job Fit (#388)

Claudia Harzer 1 2
  1. Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
  2. Department of Psychology, TU Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany

Within the scope of this talk, firstly, a brief overview of the theoretical foundations of the associations of character strengths and character strengths-related person-job fit (i.e., regular use of signature strengths at work) with work-related performance and well-being broadly construed will be presented. Secondly, relevant empirical results of various studies utilizing different research designs (e.g., cross-sectional survey, diary study, intervention study, self- and peer-/supervisory ratings) will be summarized. Results will be presented on the role of character strengths in employees and leaders. For example, repeatedly, employees’ character strengths (e.g., creativity, teamwork) and strengths-related person-job fit were meaningfully correlated with various dimensions of job performance (e.g., task performance, organizational citizenship behavior, proactivity). An increase in the use of signature strengths at work facilitated by an intervention, led to an increased perception of the job as a calling and global life satisfaction. Further, leaders who were able to use their signature strengths in everyday work, were more engaged and less stressed. This also had a positive impact on their subordinates’ work-related well-being. Theoretical and practical implications of the presented results will be discussed. An outlook on future studies will be presented while considering limitations and open research questions.