Map each person's character strengths so roles, teams, and growth conversations start from what energises people.
Moral Fabric uses the framework — 24 universal character strengths backed by twenty years of positive-psychology research, free to take, available in 40+ languages. Character strengths are the positive qualities that feel natural to you, energise you, and you reach for without being asked. They sit alongside skills (learned, like accounting) and talents (innate, like a musical ear) — but they describe how you show up, not what you can do.
Your are your . They feel effortless and authentic, contribute most to your wellbeing, and tend to map onto the work you naturally do well.
— Creativity, Curiosity, Judgment, Love of Learning, Perspective — Bravery, Perseverance, Honesty, Zest — Love, Kindness, Social Intelligence — Teamwork, Fairness, Leadership — Forgiveness, Humility, Prudence, Self-Regulation — Appreciation of Beauty, Gratitude, Hope, Humor, Spirituality
View your ranked 24 strengths.
We're working on hosting the assessment directly inside Moral Fabric so the import step disappears. Until then, the manual paste is the path.
your top strengths, in order, with the date you imported them.
the strengths the team shares, the gaps, and the virtue mix. Useful for spotting where the team is strong, where it's thin, and which roles might be under-resourced.
A future release will suggest role matches from accountabilities — e.g. a Strategy role asks for Judgment, Perspective, and Curiosity, and we'd surface the people whose signature strengths overlap.
We store only the strengths you choose to share — names and rank, nothing else. No question responses, no scores, no VIA account data. Visibility follows the same rules as the rest of your workspace: see Who can see your data . You can update, re-import, or delete your strengths at any time. VIA recommends re-taking every 12–18 months.
Character-based rather than performance-based, free and accessible globally, decades of peer-reviewed research, and a natural fit for self-managed, mission-driven work. The framing is who you are, not what you produce.
Strong tool, but $50/person, management-oriented vocabulary, no public API, and built around traditional hierarchies. Right for large corporates with training budgets — less so for the orgs we work with.
Limited research backing, little nonprofit-sector adoption, and a performance-optimisation framing.
- Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. Oxford University Press. The reference text — defines and validates all 24 strengths, with cross-cultural analysis.
- Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). "Strengths of character and well-being." Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23(5), 603–619. Links strengths to life satisfaction; validates the 24-factor structure.
- McGrath, R. E. (2015). "Character strengths in 75 nations: An update." The Journal of Positive Psychology, 10(1), 41–52. Cross-cultural validity across 970,000+ participants.
- Harzer, C., & Ruch, W. (2012). "When the job is a calling: The role of applying one's signature strengths at work." The Journal of Positive Psychology, 7(5), 362–371. Using signature strengths at work raises job satisfaction and sense of calling.
- Littman-Ovadia, H., & Steger, M. (2010). "Character strengths and well-being among volunteers and employees." The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(6), 419–430. Strengths use predicts work engagement — particularly relevant for mission-driven work.
The VIA Institute on Character is a non-profit research organisation in Cincinnati, Ohio, collaborating with universities globally and maintaining the assessment for public benefit. Ongoing research at viacharacter.org/research . No. Optional, recommended.
That happens. Ask: are these strengths you use naturally, or ones you want to use? Talk to your coach or team lead, and re-take in a few months if life has shifted.
No. All 24 are valuable. The point is knowing yours.
Yes — especially middle-ranked ones. Signature strengths (top 5–7) tend to be more stable but can shift with major life changes or intentional development.
Easy collaboration, but watch for blind spots. Consider rotating perspectives in for the work that needs strengths you collectively lack.
- VIA Institute — assessment and primary research
- Character Strengths and Virtues — Peterson & Seligman (2004), the foundational handbook
- Authentic Happiness — Martin Seligman (2002), popular introduction to positive psychology
- The Power of Character Strengths — Niemiec & McGrath (2019), practical applications