Relationships of individual and organizational support with engagement: examining various types of causality in a three-wave study

Amanda Biggs*, Paula Brough, Jennifer P. Barbour

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The challenges associated with facilitating an organizational environment that promotes work engagement and is supportive of employee psychological well-being are well documented. This study focused on the longitudinal relationships between work engagement and three supportive job resources: supervisor support, colleague support and individual perceptions of the wider resource of work culture support. The sample comprised 1196 employees of an Australian state police service, both police officers and civilian staff, who completed self-report surveys across three waves of data collection. Work culture support predicted higher supervisor support, colleague support and work engagement over time lags of 12 and 18 months. Furthermore, work engagement was a significant predictor of work culture support over the two time lags. Significant indirect relationships were also observed. With the large volume of work-related factors potentially influencing work engagement, the results of this research assist in clarifying the specific supportive job resources that impact upon work engagement over time. The paper discusses practical implications for the promotion of support and work engagement within high-stress occupations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)236-254
Number of pages19
JournalWork and Stress
Volume28
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Relationships of individual and organizational support with engagement: examining various types of causality in a three-wave study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this