Exploring the relationship between employee engagement and its antecedents: the moderating role of smartphone use

Abstract

Purpose

This study empirically verified employee engagement (EE) as an outcome of organizational communication and confirmed that the formation of EE is strengthened when smartphone use (SU) is at a higher level.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach was used in this research, whereby 408 valid samples were collected with an online survey. The hypotheses of direct effects were tested using the structural equation modeling (SEM) procedure, and the moderating effects were tested using the unconstrained product indicator method and the PROCESS macro.

Findings

The results showed that EE was significantly influenced by person–organizationvalue fit (POVF), transformational leadership (TFL) and job autonomy (JA), and the effects of POVF and TFL were moderated significantly by SU. Although the influence of social support (SS) on EE was insignificant in the full model, SU moderated the effect of SS. The evidence also showed that work–family conflict (WFC) had no negative impact on EE.

Research limitations/implications

The participants of this study were restricted to a local area.

Practical implications

Organizations should develop job designs via two-way communication to bring up EE and SU can facilitate the process.

Originality/value

Previous research has identified EE as an outcome of organizational communication, but this concept has not yet been empirically verified. This research provides evidence to verify the above-mentioned concept and additionally confirms the moderating role of SU.

Citation

Lin, S.-W., Liu, Y.-H. and Huang, E.Y. (2021), "Exploring the relationship between employee engagement and its antecedents: the moderating role of smartphone use", Information Technology & People, Vol. 34 No. 3, pp. 1200-1228. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-05-2019-0251