Testing additive versus interactive effects of person-organization fit and organizational trust on engagement and performance
Abstract
Purpose
To date, most research has assumed an additive relationship between work-related predictors and engagement. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the refinement of engagement theory by exploring the extent to which two predictors – person-organization fit and organizational trust – interact to influence employees’ engagement, which in turn, positively influences their task performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A test of moderated mediation was conducted using survey data collected from 335 employees and matched performance records from the Human Resource department in a support services organization in the UK.
Findings
Engagement was best predicted by the interactive model, rather than the additive model, as employees who felt a close fit with their organization and who trusted their organization were most engaged with their work. Further, engagement mediated the relationship between the interaction and task performance.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to a refinement of engagement theory by presenting and testing a model that explains the synergistic effect of work-related factors on engagement.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding to support membership of the Employee Engagement Consortium was received from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a number of organizations in the public and private sectors, including the organization on which this paper is based. The funding was not provided in relation to any products or interests. Organizations that were members of the consortium granted access for data to be gathered by the research team from employees via surveys and interviews, and then attended meetings and conferences at which the findings were discussed. Members agreed to the publication of academic papers based on the data collected in anonymised form.
Citation
Alfes, K., Shantz, A. and Alahakone, R. (2016), "Testing additive versus interactive effects of person-organization fit and organizational trust on engagement and performance", Personnel Review, Vol. 45 No. 6, pp. 1323-1339. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-02-2015-0029
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited