The Wind Beneath My Wings: Effects of Social Support on Daily Use of Character Strengths at Work

Shiri Lavy, Hadassah Littman-Ovadia, Maayan Boiman-Meshita

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Using character strengths at work has been associated with desirable feelings, attitudes, and functioning. However, factors promoting strengths use at work have rarely been studied. In the present study, we focused on social support, a key contributor to employees’ functioning and well-being, and examined the effects of supervisor and colleague support on employees’ strengths use. Participants (N = 120) completed daily measures of their supervisors’ and colleagues’ support, and their use of strengths at work, over 10 workdays. Results indicated that supervisor support (but not colleague support) on a given day predicted increased strengths use on the following day. These results point to the potentially unique role of supervisors (and not colleagues) in promoting employees’ fulfillment of their potential at work and call for examination of strengths use as a mechanism underlying desirable effects of supervisor support on employees’ attitudes and behaviors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)703-714
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Career Assessment
Volume25
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Nov 2017

Keywords

  • colleague support
  • daily diary study
  • strengths at work
  • strengths deployment
  • strengths use
  • supervisor support

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