Original Research
Employees’ work engagement and job commitment: The moderating role of career anchors
Submitted: 17 July 2013 | Published: 15 August 2014
About the author(s)
Melinde Coetzee, Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of South Africa, South AfricaDries Schreuder, Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of South Africa, South Africa
Rebecca Tladinyane, Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of South Africa, South Africa
Abstract
Research purpose: The objective of the present study was to assess whether individuals’career anchors (measured by the career orientations inventory) significantly moderate therelationship between their work engagement (measured by the Utrecht work engagementscale) and job commitment (measured by the organisation-related commitment scale).
Motivation for the study: Although the literature review suggests that people’s workengagement and job commitment may be influenced by their career anchors, there seems to bea paucity of research examining the interaction effects between these three variables.
Research approach, design and method: A cross-sectional quantitative survey approach wasused. A non-probability purposive sample of adults (N = 318) employed in a human resourcecapacity in the South African service industry participated in the study. Stepwise hierarchicalmoderated regression analysis was performed to achieve the objective of the study.
Main findings: The results showed that the work engagement-job commitment relationshipwas generally stronger for high career anchor preferences than for low career anchorpreferences.Practical/managerial implications: The results of the study can be useful when human resourceinterventions for enhancing employees’ engagement and commitment are developed.
Contribution: The results of the study add new insights to the career literature by showing thatpeople’s career self-concepts (as reflected by their career anchors) are important to consider inenhancing their work engagement and job commitment.
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Crossref Citations
1. Career agility for purposive career exploration: Role of adult learners’ career orientations and digital-era world of work awareness
Melinde Coetzee
African Journal of Career Development vol: 4 issue: 1 year: 2022
doi: 10.4102/ajcd.v4i1.54