The trickle-down effect of strengths use support: examining the linkage between “support from superiors” and “support for subordinates”

Purpose Although strengths use support (SUS) has been shown to facilitate employee strengths use and work engagement, little is known about how senior managers’ SUS affects middle managers’ SUS. The purpose of the present research was to examine the trickle-down effect of SUS from superiors on SUS for subordinates. Design/methodology/approach A two-wave questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from middle managers ( n  = 228) at a global manufacturing firm in Japan. Findings The results of structural equation modeling indicated that (1) SUS from superiors indirectly promoted SUS for subordinates mediated through middle managers’ strength use, and (2) SUS from superiors indirectly promoted SUS for subordinates mediated through middle managers’ strength use, and subsequently through their work engagement. Research limitations/implications As the respondents were middle-level managers at a manufacturing firm in Japan and were all Japanese nationals, indigenous culture and traditional work mentality may have affected the results. Practical implications To create a supportive learning culture in an organization, human resource (HR) managers need to encourage senior-level managers to provide SUS for middle managers through HR systems such as training, appraisal, and survey feedback. Originality/value This study may be the first to clarify how SUS from superiors is linked to SUS for subordinates by identifying the mediating effects of strength use and work engagement, based on the Job-Demand Resources model, the Social Cognitive theory, and the trickle-down effect.