Perceived organisational support for strengths use: The factorial validity and reliability of a new scale in the banking industry

Abstract

Orientation: The perceived organisational support for strength use (POSSU) scale determines the extent to which employees perceive that their organisations support them to use their strengths in the workplace.

Research purpose: The purpose was to determine the validity and reliability of the new POSSU scale.

Motivation for the study: There are instruments and studies that aim to identify and describe individual strengths. However, no instruments measure whether employees perceive that their organisations use their strengths in the workplace.

Research design, approach and method: The authors used a cross-sectional field survey approach and an availability sample of employees (N = 165) who worked in the banking sector. They used exploratory factor analysis to test the factorial validity and to establish whether POSSU is an independent job resource. They performed regression analyses to examine whether POSSU is a significant predictor of outcomes.

Main findings: The findings indicated a clear one-factor model with strong item loadings(α = .97). When the authors included other resources, they identified a five-factor model, where all the items loaded onto the supposed factors. POSSU was a significant predictor of burnout and engagement after controlling for job resources and a deficiency-based approach.

Practical/managerial implications: A valid and reliable POSSU scale could lead to increased awareness about the use of employees’ strengths in organisations and help to determine their influence and value. Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the limited research available in South Africa on the measurement of whether employees perceive that their organisations use their (the employees’) strengths.