MEDIATION EFFECT OF WORK ENGAGEMENT ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING AND EMPLOYEES’ PERFORMANCE IN KENYAN CONTEXT

PAUL THUMBI NJOROGE, DR. HANNAH BULA (PhD), DR. ROSEMARIE WANYOIKE (PhD)

Abstract


The objective of this study was to examine the mediating effect of work engagement on the relationship between organizational learning and employees’ performance in the context of hospitality firms in Kenya. Descriptive and explanatory research designs were adopted for determining the relationships between variables and establishing models of these relationships. Using stratified random sampling, a sample of 225 participants drawn from classified hospitality firms in Kenya was selected. A cross-sectional design was adopted for data collection using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed and interpreted using descriptive and inferential statistics. Multiple regression and correlation analyses were used to measure causal relationship between and among study constructs and test hypotheses. The findings of this study provide evidence that work engagement has positive correlational relationship with organizational learning and employees’ performance and has partial mediation effect on the relationship between organizational learning and employees’ performance. The study established that work engagement is connected to employees’ motivation, morale and job satisfaction. Therefore, firms should manage effectively job level elements such as decision making, scope of responsibility and autonomy in order to create a climate for engaged workers.

Keywords: Employees’ Performance, Organizational Learning, Work Engagement

CITATION:  Njoroge, P, T., Bula, H. & Wanyoike, R. (2021). Mediation effect of work engagement on the relationship between organizational learning and employees’ performance in Kenyan context. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 8 (2), 29 – 44.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Ajayi, O. M., Odusanya, K. & Morton, S. (2017). Stimulating employee ambidexterity and employee engagement in SMEs. Management Decision, 55 (4): 662-680

Anitha, J. (2014). Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 63(3): 308-323.

Anwar, R. & Niode, S. (2017). The effects of Learning Organization towards Employees’ Innovative Behavior Mediated by Work Engagement (A Study in Indonesia). Advances in Intelligent Systems Research, 131, 159-164

Argote, L. & Spektor, M.L. (2011). Organizational Learning: From Experience to Knowledge. Organization Science, 22(5):1123-1137

Argote, L. (2011). Organizational learning research: Past, present and future. Management Learning, 42(4), 439-446.

Argyris, C. (1992). On Organizational Learning, Cambridge, MA, Blackwell

Bajpai, N. (2011). Business Research Methods. India, Pearson Education.

Balducci, C., Fraccaroli, F. & Schaufeli, W. B. (2010). Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 26(2), 143-149.

Bandura, A. (2005). Evolution of social cognitive theory. In: Smith K.G. and Hitt M.A. (Eds.). Great minds in management, (9-35). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Banihani, M. & Syed, J. (2017). Gendered Work Engagement: qualitative insights from Jordan. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(6):1-7. DOI: 10.1080/09585192.2017.1355838

Baron, R.M., & Kenny, D.A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173-1182

Borman, W. C., & Motowidlo, S. J. (1993). Expanding the criterion domain to include elements of contextual performance. In N. Schmitt, & W. C. Borman, Personnel Selection in Organizations (71-98). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Campbell, J. P. (1990). Modeling the performance prediction problem in industrial and organizational psychology. In M. D. Dunnetee, & L. M. Hough, Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 687-732). Palo Alto: CA: Consulting Psychologists Press

Chiva, R., Alegre, J., & Lapiedra, R. (2007). Measuring organisational learning capability among the workforce. International Journal of Manpower, 28(3/4), 224-242.

Christian, M.S., Garza, A.S. & Slaughter, J.E (2011). Work Engagement: A Quantitative Review and Test of its Relations with Task and Contextual Performance. Personnel Psychology, 64: 89–136.

Cohen W. & Levinthal, D. (1990). Absorptive capacity: a new perspective on learning and innovation. Administration Science, 35(1): 128–152.

Cooper, D.R. & Schindler, P.S. (2013). Business Research Methods. 12th Edition, McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE: London, UK.

Crossan, M. M., Lane, H. W., & White, R. E. (1999). An organizational learning framework: from intuition to institution. Academy of Management Review, 24(3): 522-537.

Dhammika, K. (2013). Measuring Employees’ Performance in the Public Sector in Sri Lanka: Testing of Two Models. Kelaniya Journal of Human Resource Management, 8 (1): 1-21

Easterby-Smith, M. & Lyles, M. (ed.) (2011): Handbook of Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management. 2nd Edition. Chichester: Wiley.

Hair. J. F. Jr., RE. Anderson, R.L., Tatham & W.C. Black. (2012). Multivariate Data Analysis with Readings. New Jersey, Englewood Clifts, NJ: Prentice Hall

Huber, G. P. (1991). Organizational Learning: The Contributing Processes and the Literatures. Organization Science, 20(1), 88-115.

Hussain, I.A. & Ishak, N.A (2017). The Relationship between Organizational Learning and Employee Engagement, in the Perspective of Young Employees from Commercial Banks in Malaysia. Journal of Business and Economic Development. 2(1): 57-62

Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33: 692–724.

Kahn, W. A. (1992). To be fully there: Psychological presence at work. Human Relations, 45: 321–349.

Kim, W. & Park, J. (2017). Examining Structural Relationships between Work Engagement, Organizational Procedural Justice, Knowledge Sharing and Innovative Work Behaviour for Sustainable Organizations. Sustainability, 9(2): 205. DOI: 10.3390/su9020205

Lin, H & Lee, Y. (2017). A Study of the Influence of Organizational Learning on Employees’ Innovative Behavior and Work Engagement by a Cross-Level Examination. Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education, 13(7); 3463-3478

Luo, Z. X., Shi, K., Li, W. D., & Miao, D. M. (2008). Construct of Job Performance: evidence from Chinese military soldiers. Asian Journal of Social Psychology (11), 222-231.

Macey W, Schneider B. (2008). The meaning of employee engagement. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1, 3–30.

Macky, K. & Boxall, P. (2007). The relationship between high performance work practices and employee attitudes: An investigation of additive and interaction effects. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18, 537-567.

Malik, P. (2017). Learning organization and work engagement: exploring the nexus in Indian IT sector. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 9(3): 166-189

March, J.G., (1991). Exploration and exploitation in organizational learning. Organization Science 2 (1): 71–87.

Motowidlo, S. J., & Schmit, M. J. (1999). Performance Assessment in Unique Jobs. In D. R. Ilegen, & E. D. Pulakos. The Changing Nature of Performance. San Francisco: JosseyBass, 56-86

Motowidlo, S. J., & Van Scotter, J. R. (1994). Evidence that Task Performance Should be distinguished from Contextual Performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(4), 475-480.

Newman, D. A., & Harrison, D. A. (2008). Been there, bottled that: Are state and behavioral work engagement new and useful construct “wines”? Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1: 31–35.

Park, Y. K., Song, J. H., Song, S. W. & Kim, J. (2014). Learning Organization and innovative behavior: The mediating effect of work engagement. European Journal of Training and Development, 38(1/2), 75-94.

Rich, B. L., LePine, J.A. & Crawford, E.R. (2010). Job Engagement: Antecedents and Effects on Job Performance. Academy of Management Journal, 53(3): 617–635.

Sánchez, J. A., Vijande, M. L., & Gutiérrez, J. A. (2010). Organisational learning and value creation in business markets. European Journal of Marketing, 44(11/12), 1612-1641

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2009). Research Methods for Business Students. 5th Edition, Pearson Education Limited, Edinburgh, England

Schaufeli WB, Salanova M, Gonzalez-Roma V, Bakker AB. (2002). The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3: 71–92.

Senge, P (1990). The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization, London, Doubleday.

Vera, D., & Crossan, M. (2003). Organizational learning and knowledge management: toward an integrative framework. In M. a. L. Easterby-Smith, M.A. (Ed.), The Blackwell Handbook of Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management: 122-141. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Welbourne, T. M., Johnson, D. E., & Erez, A. (1998). The role-based performance scale: validity analysis of a theory-based measure. Academy of Management Journal, 41(5), 540-555.

Wright, P.M., & Nishii, L. (2004). Strategic HRM and Organizational Behaviour: Integrating Multiple Level Analysis, Paper presented at the ‘What Next for HRM’ Conference, Rotterdam.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v8i2.1966

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

PAST ISSUES:
20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014
Vol 11, No 2 [2024]Vol 10, No 4 [2023]Vol 9, No 4 [2022]Vol 8, No 4 [2021]Vol 7, No 4 [2020]Vol 6, No 4 [2019]Vol 5, No 4 [2018]Vol 4, No 4 [2017]Vol 3, No 4 [2016]Vol 2, No 2 [2015]Vol 1, No 2 [2014]
 Vol 11, No 1 [2024] Vol 10, No 3 [2023] Vol 9, No 3 [2022]Vol 8, No 3 [2021]Vol 7, No 3 [2020]Vol 6, No 3 [2019]Vol 5, No 3 [2019]Vol 4, No 3 [2017]Vol 3, No 3 [2016]Vol 2, No 1 [2015]Vol 1, No 1 [2014]
  Vol 10, No 2 [2023] Vol 9, No 2 [2022]Vol 8, No 2 [2021]Vol 7, No 2 [2020]Vol 6, No 2 [2019]Vol 5, No 2 [2018]Vol 4, No 2 [2017]Vol 3, No 2 [2016]  
  Vol 10, No 1 [2023] Vol 9, No 1 [2022]  Vol 8, No 1 [2021]Vol 7, No 1 [2020]Vol 6, No 1 [2019]Vol 5, No 1 [2018]Vol 4, No 1 [2017]Vol 3, No 1 [2016]   


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.