Work Engagement by Alejandro Arias

Original Article | Kubicek Bettina et al. Figure 1. Reciprocal Model of Job Resources and Work Engagement. Job control t1

0,12*[0,16; 0,07]

0,57** [0,63; 0,07]

Job control t2

0,26** [0,23; 0,05]

Esteem t2

0,32**[0,19; 0,04]

0,14*[0,09; 0,04]

Esteem t1

0,19**[0,25; 0,08]

0,20**[0,17; 0,04] 0,37**[0,16; 0,03] 0,44**[0,50; 0,07]

Job securityl t1

0,15*[0,11; 0,05]

0,41** [0,50; 0,08]

Job securityl t2

0,15**[0,25; 0,08]

0,27**[0,21; 0,05]

Work engagement t1

Work engagement 0,57** t2 [0,58; 0,04]

Note: N = 559; *p < 0,05, **p < 0,01; broken lines represent non-significant paths; unstandardized estimates and standard errors of measurement are depicted in brackets; manifest variables and autocorrelations among variables are not displayed; job control is measured with three items; esteem and job security each use two items as manifest indicators; work engagement is measured with nine items.

Discussion Using longitudinal data of 559 eldercare workers, we tested reciprocal relationships between job resources and work engagement. It was postulated that job resources are both antecedents and consequences of work engagement. In further developing earlier longitudinal studies on this topic9,20,21, we distinguished between taskrelated (job control), interpersonal (esteem reward), and organizational (perceived job security) resources, instead of applying a composite measure of job resources. By using structural equation modeling, we were able to show that both job control and job security at Time 1 affected work engagement at Time 2. Further, work engagement at Time 1 affected esteem rewards and perceived job security at Time 2. Hence, a reciprocal relationship between work engagement and perceived job security was confirmed.

Theoretical considerations

In general, the study results comply with the few comparable longitudinal studies which were recently published on the relationship between work engagement and job resources.9,20,21 Further, they are consistent with both conservation of resources theory10 and broaden-and-build theory12 insofar as positive effects of resources on work engagement and of work engagement on resources were shown over time. Our longitudinal study advances the results of previous studies by examining different facets of job resources, as recently suggested by Weigl and colleagues.8 We separately investigated task-related (job control), interpersonal (esteem rewards), and organizational (job security) resources. For job control, a positive relationship with work engagement, but no 58

reversed effect, was found. If one takes into consideration that the job demands of eldercare workers (e.g., the number of patients, service obligations, and time for each patient) are relatively stable over time, the observed effect seems quite plausible. A job control – work engagement – job control upward spiral would entail increases in personal work engagement empowering individuals to reorganize their tasks. Though this assumption is conceivable from a theoretical perspective, it may take some time for eldercare workers to establish more job autonomy at their ward. For the interpersonal job resource esteem reward, an opposite effect was observed. Esteem rewards did not affect work engagement, but were affected by work engagement. Again this result seems quite plausible because esteem reward—as an interpersonal resource—may be gained if coworkers or supervisors recognize employees’ work engagement and consequently give positive feedback. In contrast to job control, esteem rewards may follow relatively promptly from work engagement, suggesting a reversed effect. A full reciprocal effect—resources affecting work engagement and vice versa—was observed for the organizational resource, job security. In explaining and understanding this effect one should take into consideration that data collection for this study commenced shortly after the onset of the global economic crisis. For the first time in their personal employment histories, eldercare workers had to face downsizing because of cost reductions in healthcare. Thus, and somewhat contradicting the assumptions of broaden-andbuild theory12, one may speculate that the job security-work engagement part of the reciprocal relationship was also triggered by negative emotions. On the other hand, and in line with this theory, the work engagement-job resources relationship may be explained by a broadening of employee thought-action repertoires based on positive emotions. Further, the development of a reciprocal cycle between work engagement and job security may represent an active coping process in an unstable economic situation. Given the divergent relationships between the various facets of job resources and work engagement revealed in this study, one might argue that the underlying theoretical models need refining in future studies. Conservation of resources theory and broaden-andbuild theory may be useful as general frameworks, but they are somewhat limited in explaining specific job resources-work engagement relationships. In further complicating this picture, temporal factors in causal relationships need to be considered. As Frese and colleagues39,40 pointed out, linear models may not always be appropriate to represent cause-and-effect relationships. And different types of resources may need divergent timelines to develop in response to employee work engagement. Job characteristics, for example, tend to have more inertia than do esteem rewards or perceptions of job security. In order to increase one’s level of job control, structural changes pertaining to the work team or the organization may be required, rendering modification within a 15-month timeframe difficult. Going beyond the assumption of reciprocal relationships, both conservation of resources theory10 and broaden-and-build theory12 postulate gain spirals. For one of the three facets of job resources, namely job security, we were able to confirm normal and reversed causation as a first prerequisite for upward spirals.31 The second precondition of gain spirals—consecutive increases in both resources and work engagement over time—was, however, not met. Only two of the three job resources (esteem rewards and job control) increased over the 15-month observation period. Job security remained stable, while mean values of work engagement

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