Assessing the organisational and individual strengths use and deficit improvement amongst sport coaches

Page 1 of 13 Original Research Assessing the organisational and individual strengths use and deficit improvement amongst sport coaches Authors: Frederick W. Stander1 Karina Mostert1 Affiliations: 1 WorkWell Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, South Africa Correspondence to: Karina Mostert Email: Postal address: Private Bag X6001, Box 202, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa Dates: Received: 10 June 2013 Accepted: 22 July 2013 Published: 01 Nov. 2013 How to cite this article: Stander, F.W.S., & Mostert, K. (2013). Assessing the organisational and individual strengths use and deficit improvement amongst sport coaches. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology/SA Tydskrif vir Bedryfsielkunde, 39(2), Art. #1160, 13 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ sajip.v39i2.1160 Copyright: © 2013. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS OpenJournals. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Read online: Scan this QR code with your smart phone or mobile device to read online. Orientation: The orientation of this study is towards strengths use and deficit improvement and the relationship with engagement. Research purpose: To (1) determine whether adapted versions of the Strengths Use and Deficit Improvement Questionnaire (SUDIQ) and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) are valid and reliable, (2) determine the relationship of the SUDIQ dimensions in the nomological net, and (3) test a structural model. Motivation for the study: To gain a better understanding of the outcomes of following a balanced approach within a sport coaching context. Research design, approach and method: A cross-sectional research approach was used. An availability sample (N = 364) of teachers occupying roles as sport coaches from various schools across three provinces in South Africa was used. Structural equation modelling was used to test the factor structures and the structural model. Main findings: The results indicated a valid factor structure for the adapted SUDIQ and UWES. Relationships between the SUDIQ dimensions and job and personal resources were positive and significant. Individual strengths use was the strongest predictor of engagement. Individual deficit improvement and organisational strengths use were also significant predictors. Organisational deficit improvement did not significantly predict engagement. Practical/managerial implications: Evidence suggests the adapted SUDIQ and UWES can be utilised effectively in a sport coaching environment. Organisational strengths use is also important in managing engagement levels of sport coaches. Contribution/value-add: Valid and reliable measures were provided for use in a sport coaching environment. It substantiates the outcomes that can be gained by following a combined approach based on strength and deficit. Introduction In traditional organisational and people development approaches, the majority of organisations have focused their attention towards the improvement of employee deficits. These organisations have sought to secure insight into the so-called flaws and weak points of their people, as a means of identifying areas of insufficiency that need to be redressed and rectified (Buckingham & Clifton, 2001). The training and development functions of major corporations have long been sanctioned to design and convene intercessions to resolve areas of development identified in the organisation as a means of ensuring greater levels of performance and growth (Clifton & Harter, 2003). From an organisational perspective, this approach has come to be known as the deficit-based approach (DBA) and it has served assiduously in addressing key areas of shortage within organisations and individuals as a means of attaining goals and facilitating growth. Linley and Harrington (2006) have remarked that it is ultimately essential to be realistic about the shortcomings of an individual or organisation and to address these shortcomings in order to move towards a more favourable or desired state. Although the DBA has long served organisational and individual development, a modern perspective has emerged that promotes the idea of a more balanced predilection on which the strengths and potential of human beings are also focused (Linley, Joseph, Harrington & Wood, 2006; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Wood, Linley, Maltby, Kashdan & Hurling, 2011). Known as the strength-based approach (SBA), this predilection has the aim of accentuation of talents and virtues of people (Buckingham & Clifton, 2001). Strengths can be described as positive personality traits, inimitable to every person (Seligman, 2002). Peterson and Seligman (2004) have described the SBA as an exertion towards sustainable well-being through the identification and execution of human being character strengths and qualities. The SBA is a key enabler of optimal human functioning (Kaiser & White, 2009). This approach is very much in line http://www.sajip.co.za doi:10.4102/sajip.v39i2.1160 Page 2 of 13 Original Research with the modern field of positive psychology, a movement that has championed for recognition and development of positive emotions, traits and characteristics, as opposed to the traditional psychology focus that so rigorously sought to rectify human abnormality, deficiency and flaws (Cravens, Oliver & Stewart, 2010). perspective, limited work has thus far investigated structural paths in facilitating desired outcomes. In this study, the strength and deficit approaches’ potential role in creating work engagement will be explored. These structural paths will be investigated in the context of a sport environment, and more specifically the context of sport coaching. Both the DBA and SBA have been associated with positive outcomes. For example, Linley and Harrington (2006) have established that the absence of a DBA will render an organisation unable to move towards a more desirable state and to achieve organisational goals. In the case of SBA, Wood et al. (2011) have found optimal development possible only when human potential and strengths are also part of the equation. Bouskila-Yam and Kluger (2011) describe a positive relationship between adopting a SBA and organisational motivation and job performance, whilst Sienstra (2010) has indicated that a positive relationship exists between following an SBA and task performance amongst employees. The objectives of this study are therefore: (1) to test the factorial validity and reliability of the adapted versions of the SUDIQ and the UWES in the sport coaching environment, (2) to investigate the relationship of the four SUDIQ dimensions in the nomological net (including job and personal resources and work engagement), and (3) to test a structural model with the four SUDIQ dimensions predicting work engagement. The importance of achieving high levels of task performance has long been part of the sport coaching profession, a trade that is characterised by severe levels of pressure and demands (Olusuga (...truncated)