Strengths-Based Leadership and Employee Psychological Well-Being: A Moderated Mediation Model

Abstract

Drawing upon ability-motivation-opportunity model, the present study attempts to inspect the association of strengths-based leadership with employee psychological well-being and the mediational role of employee strengths use and the moderating role of job autonomy in the linkage. Data were gathered using a three-wave survey from a sample of 308 employees working in a wide variety of organizations in China. Results of multiple regression analyses with bootstrapping procedure revealed that strengths-based leadership positively relates to employee psychological well-being even after controlling for employee core self-evaluation. In addition, employee strengths use was found to partially mediate the relationship of strengths-based leadership with employee psychological well-being, and this study demonstrated job autonomy to positively moderate the direct relationship of strengths-based leadership with strengths use of employee and the indirect association of strengths-based leadership with employee psychological well-being through employee strengths use. The present study advances strengths-based leadership and psychological well-being theories and research.

Strengths-Based Leadership and Turnover Intention: The Roles of Felt Obligation for Constructive Change and Job Control

“…This finding is consistent with previous study suggesting that strengths-based leadership has a negative relationship with employee turnover ( Burkus, 2011 ). The negative relationship of strengths-based leadership with employee turnover intention can be elaborated by the fact that strengths-based leaders can build a positive climate contributing to employees’ task performance ( Ding et al, 2020 ), innovative behavior ( Ding and Yu, 2020a ), and even psychological well-being ( Ding and Yu, 2021b ), thereby increasing employees’ work engagement and reducing their turnover intention ( Burkus, 2011 ). Therefore, this study offers a new piece of empirical evidence for the relationship between strengths-based leadership and employee turnover intention.…”

“…We used 10 items of strength-based leadership scale developed by Ding and Yu (2021b) . One sample item was “My leader is good at using my strengths.” The Cronbach’s α was 0.918.…”

“…Thus, strengths-based leadership focusing on the identification, development, and deployment of strengths in leaders and followers may negatively relate to employee turnover intention. On the other hand, strengths-based leadership behaviors, such as aligning employees’ strengths with work tasks and devoting more time and energy to their strengths ( Rath and Conchie, 2008 ), can create a positive climate to improve employees’ task performance ( Ding et al, 2020 ) and innovative behaviors ( Ding and Yu, 2020a ) and even psychological well-being ( Ding and Yu, 2021b ), which have a negative effect on employee turnover intention ( Oi et al, 2015 ). Therefore, based on the above reasoning, the following hypothesis was derived:…”

“…Strengths-based leadership represents a positive leadership style that leaders seek to promote the identification, development, and deployment of strengths in their own and their followers in order to improve individual and organizational performance ( Ding and Yu, 2021b ). Extant study has demonstrated that strengths-based leadership encourages employees to use their own strengths at work ( Ding and Yu, 2021a ), so as to improve their task performance ( Ding et al, 2020 ) and innovative behaviors ( Ding and Yu, 2020a ) and contribute to employee psychological well-being ( Ding and Yu, 2021b ). These findings provide promising evidence for the relationship between strengths-based leadership and employee turnover intention.…”

“…Specifically, when employees perceive that their leaders give them more autonomy to deploy their strengths at work, their need for autonomy can be fulfilled ( Kong and Ho, 2016 ). The increased job autonomy can lead individuals to believe that their work product is a function of their own decisions and efforts, thus enhancing their feeling of obligation for their work product ( Hackman and Oldham, 1980 ; Ding and Yu, 2021b ) and ultimately forming greater intrinsic work motivation, greater job satisfaction, and greater concern about the quality of their work ( Fuller and Hester, 2010 ). Hence, it is feasible to expect that strengths-based leadership has a negative association with employee turnover intention via felt obligation for constructive change.…”