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The relationship between leader-member exchange and work engagement in social work: A mediation analysis of job resources
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Abstract Introduction: The working environment of social workers has become an important concern in research. Whereas studies typically focus on negative aspects of these environments, this study investigates the possibility of creating a positive environment by examining whether and how high-quality leader-... view more
Introduction: The working environment of social workers has become an important concern in research. Whereas studies typically focus on negative aspects of these environments, this study investigates the possibility of creating a positive environment by examining whether and how high-quality leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships are related to social workers' work engagement. It is hypothesized that particularly relevant job resources mediate the relation between LMX and social workers’ work engagement. Method: To identify those job resources that are particularly important to social workers, a qualitative preparatory study was first conducted with social workers and social work executives. Based on that, study data were collected by administering an online survey among social workers. Both parts of the study were realized at twenty different advice centers for pregnancy issues of a leading social organization in Germany. The dataset for statistical analyses comprised 43 social workers in total. Regression analysis with parallel mediation was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Results: Social workers in high-quality LMX relationships operate in working environments with more abundant social and structural job resources: they experience the team atmosphere more positively and have greater work control. Further, it was found that experiencing a positive team atmosphere was associated with higher work engagement, with team atmosphere fully mediating the relationship between LMX and work engagement. Notably, high-quality LMX relationships do not seem to promote work engagement directly. Discussion: The study underscores the relevance of high-quality LMX relationships in fostering a resourceful work environment. This, in turn, contributes significantly to a high level of work engagement. Organizations and managers in social work should therefore strengthen managerial relationships and create resourceful environments.... view less
Keywords
executive; performance monitoring; social work; resources; social worker; Federal Republic of Germany; labor relations
Classification
Management Science
Social Work, Social Pedagogics, Social Planning
Free Keywords
leader-member exchange; work engagement; job resources; team atmosphere; ZIS 23
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 1-8
Journal
Heliyon, 8 (2022) 1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08793
ISSN
2405-8440
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0