Character strengths and persuasion skills of employees with protector roles: Three studies to identify useful starting points to foster well-being and job performance in GRC professionals
Background and Aims of the Research Project
We all wish to live a happy, healthy, content, successful, and meaningful life (i.e., a “good” life). Character strengths are core inner determinants of a good life (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). Numerous studies have shown systematic relations of character strengths and signature strengths use with various indicators of the “good” life such as life satisfaction (Baumann et al., 2020; Harzer, 2016; Park et al., 2004; Proyer et al., 2013; Schutte & Malouff, 2019), physical and mental health (Bertisch et al., 2014; Peterson et al., 2006; Waters et al., 2022), school success and vocational interests of young people (Proyer et al., 2012; Tang et al., 2019; Weber & Ruch, 2012).
Professional activity is a considerable part of the day for most adults; thus job performance and work-related well-being can be seen as further relevant indicators of a good life. Results of studies examining the relations of character strengths and signature strengths use with work-related outcomes highlighted the positive role of character strengths in the workplace for task performance (Harzer & Ruch, 2014; Harzer et al., 2017; Harzer et al., 2021; Littman-Ovadia & Lavy, 2016), organizational citizenship behavior (Harzer & Ruch, 2014; Harzer et al., 2017; Littman-Ovadia & Lavy, 2016), low counterproductive behaviors (Littman-Ovadia & Lavy, 2016; Harzer et al., 2021) and work-related well-being (Wagner et al., 2020) like job satisfaction and low stress (Harzer & Ruch, 2015, 2016; Peterson et al., 2009). However, most research has focused on the general effects of character strengths and signature strengths use as samples with employees from various job groups were studied. Little is known about the role of character strengths in specific job groups. For example, research showed that interpersonal strengths like social intelligence are more important for successful sales personnel (Peterson & Park, 2007) and for coping with stress in nurses (Harzer & Ruch, 2015).
Employees with protector roles (here labeled as Protectors) have not been studied yet despite being a very relevant group. They work in governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC) and have been tasked with preventing misconduct, mistakes, and miscalculations that destroy values up to $1 trillion each year (OCEG, n.d.). Nevertheless, creating a strong business case for GRC projects is difficult because some executives fail to understand how this type of work helps achieve business goals. It takes a systematic and sustained effort from employees with protector roles to engage the target audience using ethical and scientifically proven principles of persuasion, storytelling, and visual communication (OCEG, n.d.). Given that, strengths-based interventions have shown efficacy in performing well and becoming satisfied at work (Pang & Ruch, 2019). It is speculated that strengths-based persuasion techniques may be more valuable in accomplishing difficult tasks such as helping Protectors make a compelling business case and persuade others. The question arises to what extent and how character strengths and signature strengths use can help employees with protector roles to do their jobs at best. To answer these questions, three sequential studies are proposed.
- Study 1: Psychosocial Indicators of Workplace Well-being, Job Performance, and Career Success in Protectors: A Cross-Sectional Study is aimed at (a) assessing the distribution and prevalence of character strengths among Protectors, (b) examining the relations between character strengths, persuasion skills, job performance, career success, and workplace well-being of employees with Protector roles, (c) investigating differences between high (successful) persuaders and low persuaders on character strengths, and (d) examining differences between high performers and low performers on character strengths.
- Study 2: The JD-R Triad: Investigating Organizational Performance through Organizational Support, Strengths Use, and Role Overload – A Replication and Extension Study intends to (a) replicate a recent study by Mubashar and Harzer (2023) taking participants with Protector roles and (b) to extend Study 1 by evaluating the role of strengths-relevant predictors along with job demands for perceived organizational performance.
- Study 3: Development and Implementation of a Strengths-Based Persuasion Intervention to Enhance Job Performance and Well-Being of Protectors: Based on the findings of the first two cross-sectional studies and extensive literature on the favorable role of strengths use for different work-related outcomes, Study 3 will aim to develop and implement a strengths-based persuasion intervention specifically designed for Protectors. The prime aim of the intervention study is to answer how (signature) strengths use boosts the persuasion skills of Protectors to enhance their job performance and workplace well-being.