Mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between job resources and personal resources with turnover intention among female nurses

Abstract

Background

One of the latest models proposed with regard to work engagement is the detailed model put forward by Bakker and Demerouti (2007). The present study aims at investigating the effect of job resources and personal resources on turnover intention with the mediator role of work engagement among female nurses at Isfahan Alzahra Hospital. In the current study, job and personal resources were considered as the predictors of job turnover and work engagement was considered as the mediator variable among predictive and criterion variables.

Method

The data of the present study were collected from 208 female nurses who were selected by systematic random sampling. As for the analysis of the collected data, structural equations model, normal distribution method, and Bootstrap method in Macro, Preacher and Hayes, (2004) program were deployed.

Finding

The findings showed that the personal resources affect the turnover intention both directly and indirectly (through work engagement); however, job resources are just associated with turnover intention with the mediating role of work engagement.

Conclusion

The results of the study have important implications for organizations' managers about improving work engagement.

Introduction

A growing bulk of research is indicative of the high rate of burnout among nurses (Hsu et al., 2010, Sundin et al., 2011, Sprinks, 2015). The existing burnout among nurses is associated with absence, turnover intention, continuous delays, various psychological complaints, interpersonal conflicts with colleagues and decrease in job satisfaction and patients care quality(Fotios and Dimitris, 2010, Khazaei et al., 2006, Meeusen et al., 2010, Poghosyan et al., 2010, Yoon and Kim, 2010). According to Maslach and Leiter (2008), work engagement is the opposite concept of burnout and is located on opposite end of the continuum related to work. Contrary to burnout, work engagement refers to a positive and practical concept associated with work. Besides, work engagement is argued to include three dimensions namely, vigor, absorption and self dedication. Vigor consists of great energy levels and the ability of resilience of staff mind while working. Dedication can be conceived of as one's intense engagement with work, sense of significance, enthusiasm, and challenge. Absorption, finally, includes concentration on and satisfactory engagement with the job such that time passes fast for the person and leaving the job is difficult for him/her (Bakker et al., 2008, Bakker and Lieter, 2010). The importance of work engagement in organizational studies can be attributed to the fact that enthusiastic employees often experience more positive affections and emotions such as happiness, enjoyment, ecstasy and rejoice, have better physical and mental health, and can transfer their work engagement to others (Bakker & Schaufeli, 2008). To sum up, it can be argued that enthusiastic staff has high level of energy and they are eager to carry out their job. Further, they are often immersed in their job such that they don't notice the passage time (May, Gilson, & Harter, 2004).

Various models and frameworks have been put forward to pan out work engagement, its predicators, and outcomes. To name just a few of them, one can refer to Maslach and Leiter, Schaufeli or Kohn’s working engagement model, or Pana and Shirum’s model. However, the latest model proposed in this connection is the comprehensive work engagement model proposed by Bakker and Demerouti (2007). This model claims that all findings and evidence representing the predictors and outcomes of work engagement can be captured in a comprehensive and universal model. In this model, it is maintained that job resources, highly affect the organizational outcome by affecting work engagement. Job resources refer to those physical, psychological, social, or organizational aspects of the job that (1) reduce job demands and the associated physiological and psychological costs; (2) are functional in achieving work goals; or (3) stimulate personal growth, learning and development (e.g. social support, performance feedback, supervisory coaching, autonomy, etc.) (Hobfoll, 2002). Bakker and Demerouti’s model, furthermore, argues that job resources create a motivational process leading to work engagement and, consequently, improved performance (Bakker and Demerouti, 2008, Bakker and Lieter, 2010, Nahrgang et al., 2011, Bakker, 2011).

Further development of this model, suggested that besides job resources, personal resources can also be an independent predictor for the work engagement (Bakker, 2011, Weigl et al., 2010, Xanthopoulou et al., 2007). Personal resources are defined as some aspects of the person which are often followed and associated with resilience and represent the personal feelings of the ability to control their environment and successfully affect the environment (Hobfoll et al., 2003, Bakker, 2011, Bakker and Lieter, 2010). Resilience, self-efficacy, optimism and self-esteem are among the most important personal resources having positive effects on work engagement (Bakker & Demerouti, 2008). Therefore, the employees getting high scores in optimism, self-efficacy, resilience and self-esteem, are able to facilitate their job resources and generally are more enthusiastic about their jobs. The results of other studies indicate that personal resources can predict positive self evaluation, setting goals, motivation, performance, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, work stress, burnout and depression among nurses (Luthans and Jensen, 2005, Shakernia and Mohammahd-poor, 2010, Larrabee et al., 2010).

Finally, it can be argued that job and personal resources are of paramount importance in predicting work engagement. Job resources decrease the intensity of the pressure of job demand and are effective in achieving work goals and lead to great development, learning and motivational potential to face job demands (Crawford et al., 2010, Luthans et al., 2008). Moreover, it has been revealed that, compared with other variables, personal resources are more related to work engagement and can be deployed to explain and account for the variance of work engagement scores among people. In this connection, numerous studies have indicated the relationship between personal resources as well as job resources with work engagement (Bakker et al., 2008). For example, the results published by previous researchers are indicative of the fact that self-efficacy, organizational self-esteem and optimism as personal resources and performance feedback, social support, organizational support and psychological climate, as job resources, can affect work engagement (Hashemi Sheikh Shabani et al., 2011, Schaufeli and Bakker, 2004, Zargaran-Moghadam and Sha'emi, 2010). In the present study resilience, hope, optimism and self-efficacy have been considered as personal resources. Furthermore, besides variables such as supervisory and colleagues’ support and reward satisfaction which were conceived of as job resources in the previous studies (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004), organizational justice and its sub-scales, also, are regarded as job resources.

In the literature, resiliencies are construed as positive and successful adaptation to unpleasant and adverse conditions. Indeed, resilience does not refer to passive resistance against damages or threatening conditions; rather, a resilient person is an active participant who makes and controls his surrounding environment (Waller, 2001). Hope is defined as a motivational state which is the consequence of considering clear goals for the life. On the one hand, hope can be construed as the motivation to pursue and achieve goals. On the other hand, it can be regarded as the investigation of suitable pathways to achieve the hidden objectives (Snyder, Rand, & Sigmon, 2002). Optimism is defined as having positive expectations for the results and outcomes, and these outcomes are considered as stable, general and internal factors (Peterson, 2000). As for self efficacy, it is argued that it is indicative of a person's evaluation of his/her performance in different situations, while taking his/her own skills into consideration. Further, organizational justice refers to employee's level of perception of justice in organizational events. Generally speaking, organizational justice is an area of psychological investigations which points to justice perception at work.

Turnover intention is considered as one of the organizational outcomes which is the closest predictor for the real turnover and it is often the last stage preceding turnover (Griffeth, Hom, & Gaertner, 2000) which has harmful outcomes and great costs for the organization (Firth, Mellor, Moore, & Loquet, 2004). Even if the employees don't leave their current job because of the problems of looking for a new one, high levels of turnover make themselves manifest in the form of withdrawal from participating at work, aloofness, delay, absence, preventive behavior and poor performance. Therefore the importance of attending to work engagement and the outcomes such as turnover can be greatly important for the organization and it can lower the organizational costs (Hayes et al., 2006).

The results of previous studies indicate that job resources and its component such as social support, job autonomy and innovation in decision have direct negative effect on turnover intention (Hansung and Madeleine, 2008, Knudsen et al., 2009). In addition, personal resources subscales (hope, resilience, optimism and self-efficacy) are related positively to intentions to stay (Luthans & Jensen, 2005) and negatively to intentions to quit (Avey, Luthans, & Youssef, 2010). Other researches are also suggestive of the mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between job resources and turnover intention (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004).

The present study aims to investigate the relations between personal resources, job resources, work engagement and turnover intention. Using structural equations method, the direct effects would be analyzed and as for the analysis of the mediator role of work engagement, mediation analysis will be used. The schematic model of this research is depicted in Fig. 1.

According to the above-mentioned facts, the following research hypotheses can be formulated as:

• Job resources have direct negative effect on turnover intention.

• Personal resources have direct negative effect on turnover intention.

• Job resources have direct positive effect on work engagement.

• Personal resources have direct positive effect on work engagement.

• Work engagement has direct negative effect on turnover intention.

• Work engagement mediates the relation between job resources and turnover intention.

• Work engagement mediates the relation between personal resources and turnover intention.