Abstract: In an era of intensifying talent competition and rapid business transformation, enterprises should build new human resource management practices that are people-centered and strengths-based. Existing research on leader strengths use fails to establish a unified conceptual definition and has yet to thoroughly examine its antecedents and consequences. This study conducts a comprehensive exploration of the conceptualization, antecedents, and multilevel effects of leader strengths use. First, from the perspective of social construction of leadership theory, this study proposes a conceptual framework for leader strengths use and further develops a measurement with good reliability and validity. Second, by employing fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, this study systematically deconstructs the configurational effects of factors across organizational, leader, and employee levels, thereby forming a multilevel understanding of the antecedents of leader strengths use. Third, employing the experience sampling method, this study traces the temporal trajectory in which leader strengths use fosters motivation, leading to increased subsequent strengths use, thus highlighting its dynamic nature. Finally, based on the leadership process model, this study explores how leader strengths use influences job performance at individual and team levels, as well as its boundary conditions. This study makes a substantial theoretical contribution by extending the framework of leader strengths use and offers new insights for the localization of leadership research. It also provides practical guidance for organizations in developing a strengths-based approach to human resource management.

Key words: leader strengths use, social construction of leadership theory, positive team processes, talent management, innovation