Examining the impact of employee core self-evaluations and organisational trust on work engagement

Anastasia  Katou

doi:10.23762/FSO_VOL6_NO3_6

Published : 2018-09-14

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2018)

Examining the impact of employee core self-evaluations and organisational trust on work engagement

Anastasia Katou

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23762/FSO_VOL6_NO3_6

Abstract

This study examines the impact of core self-evaluations (CSE) and organisational trust on work engagement through the intervening steps of employee pro-social voice and defensive silence during periods of financial and economic crisis. The research analysis is based on a sample of 1178 Greek employees working in 139 public and private organisations, which operate in the present context of the economic crisis. Data was obtained from multiple actors (senior managers, middle managers and employees). Using a comprehensive framework, the findings of the structural equation modelling suggest that the impact of personality on work engagement through employee pro-social voice and defensive silence is approximately equal to that of organisational trust, whilst the overall impact of organisational trust on work engagement is much stronger compared to that of personality. Furthermore, the study traces the dimensions of employee pro-social voice and defensive silence that have the most impact on work engagement in a labour context where unemployment is very high. Based on these findings, which underline the meaning of pro-social voice and defensive silence in turbulent times, the study has several theoretical and practical implications.

Keywords:

Core self-evaluations, organisational trust, pro-social voice, defensive silence, work engagement, Greece

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Katou, A. . (2018). Examining the impact of employee core self-evaluations and organisational trust on work engagement. Forum Scientiae Oeconomia, 6(3), 83–100. https://doi.org/10.23762/FSO_VOL6_NO3_6

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Anastasia Katou

akatou@uom.edu.gr

Affiliation:

University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece Greece

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Anastasia Katou is an Associate Professor of Organisational Strategy at the Department of Business Administration, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece. Her research interests include human resource management, organisational behaviour, and business strategies, with a focus on organisational performance. She received a BA and an MBA from the University of Sunderland, United Kingdom, and a PhD and a PgDip from Cardiff University, Wales, UK. She has published numerous articles in leading academic journals, such as the International Journal of Human Resource Management,Thunderbird International Business Review, Employee Relations, European Management Journal, European Journal of International Management, Personnel Review, Journal of World Business, and Human Resource Management.