The Effect of Trait Core Confidence on the Relationship Between Job Characteristics and Engagement

Due to current demographic trends, many organizations may soon face a drain of organizational knowledge and a shortage of qualified employees to fill vacant leadership roles, increasing the importance of a fully engaged workforce in achieving critical business outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of trait core confidence on the relationship between selected job characteristics and work engagement in the context of the Job Demands-Resources model. In a sample of 378 employees and supervisors across three organizations, we found trait core confidence, autonomy, feedback, responsibility, and certain cognitive demands have a positive influence on work engagement. In addition, feedback may have a greater impact on work engagement for employees with lower trait core confidence, while job complexity and responsibility may have a greater impact on work engagement for employees with higher trait core confidence. By understanding how different job characteristics impact engagement for different people, managers may be able to maximize engagement in a diverse workforce.