A cross-national study of work engagement as a mediator between job resources and proactive behaviour

TLDR

The study investigates whether work engagement mediates the relationship between job resources (control, feedback, variety) and proactive behavior at work. The mediation was examined using structural equation modeling on two independent samples: 386 Spanish technology employees and 338 Dutch telecom managers. Results show that work engagement fully mediates the effect of job resources on proactive behavior, with invariant mediation paths across both national samples.

Abstract

This study investigates the mediating role of work engagement (i.e. vigour and dedication) among job resources (i.e. job control, feedback and variety) and proactive behaviour at work. This mediating role was investigated, using Structural Equation Modelling in two independent samples from Spain (n = 386 technology employees) and the Netherlands (n = 338 telecom managers). Results in both samples confirmed that work engagement fully mediates the impact of job resources on proactive behaviour. Subsequent multigroup analyses revealed that the strengths of the structural paths of the mediation model were invariant across both national samples, underscoring the cross-national validity of the model