Psychological Empowerment and Job Outcomes - Underlying Mechanism and Individual Differences

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the direct effects of psychological empowerment on psychological capital, employees’ job attitudes and behaviors and the direct effects of psychological capital and employees’ job attitudes and behaviors. This study further examined the mediating role of psychological capital between psychological empowerment and employees’ job attitudes and behaviors. In addition, the study also examined the moderating role of Core-self-evaluation on the relationship between psychological empowerment and psychological capital, whereas psychological contract types (relational and transactional contract) were moderators between psychological capital and employees’ attitudes and behaviors. Longitudinal research design was used in the current study and data were collected from employees working in different telecom sector organization. The data on psychological capital, psychological empowerment and psychological contract types (relational and transactional contract) were collected at time 1, after approximately two months data on CSE, employees’ attitudes and behaviors were collected at time 2 and whereas supervisory based employees performance data was also collected at time 2. The total sample size for analysis was 411. The findings revealed that psychological empowerment had a positive effect on psychological capital, employees’ attitudes, employees’ behavior and employees’ performance. However, psychological capital were also found to be positively related to employees attitudes, employees behaviors and employees performance. In addition, psychological capital mediated the relationship between psychological empowerment and employees satisfaction, employees commitment, employees turnover intension, counterwork productive behaviors, organization citizenship behavior and in-role performance. The result further shows that core-self-evaluation moderated the relationship between psychological empowerment and psychological capital. The results revealed that psychological contract types (Relational Contract and Transactional Contract) moderated the relationship between psychological capital and turnover intension, counterproductive work behavior and commitment of employees, whereas their as non-significant relationship of interactive effect psychological contract types (Relational Contract and Transactional Contract) and psychological capital was found with OCB, employees’ satisfaction and in-role performance. Future direction and implication of the study are also discussed. Key Words: Psychological Empowerment, Psychological Capital, Psychological Contract, Core-Self Evaluation, Job Attitudes and Behaviors