JOB AUTONOMY, MANAGEMENT SUPPORT, AND DIGITAL COMPETENCE EFFECTS ON PRODUCTIVITY: ENGAGEMENT MEDIATION

Abstract

The paper has discussed how employee engagement acts as an intermediary to the inter-relations between job autonomy, managerial support, digital competence, and employee productivity. Based on Job Demands Resources theory, Social Exchange Theory, and the Human Capital Theory, a composite mediation model was developed and tested. The survey design used was a cross-sectional quantitative survey and the number of employees who were able to give data was 364. The analysis of data was done with SPSS and SmartPLS in accordance with the guidelines of the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The findings showed that job autonomy (=.26), managerial support (=.21), and digital competence (=.50) significantly influenced the productivity of the employees. Managerial support and job autonomy were important predictors of employee engagement, whereas digital competence was not. The engagement of employees showed a tremendous positive value with regards to productivity (22). The pattern of mediation found in the analyses per managerial support showed full mediation due to engagement, job autonomy showed partial mediation, and digital competence mediation was not supported. The model explained 88 percent variance in engagement and productivity. The results not only contribute to the theoretical knowledge on motivational mechanisms between job resources and performance outcomes, but also present evidence-based recommendations on organizational interventions that can be used to improve the productivity of the workforce through optimal resource allocation and engagement development.