Don’t Curb Your Enthusiasm! The Role of Work Engagement in Predicting Job Performance

Abstract

Substantial evidence supports the idea that engaged workers reach high performance levels. Nevertheless, most research does not take into account that job performance is multidimensional. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between work engagement and performance (task performance, contextual performance, counterproductive work behaviors, and adaptive performance) and determine whether work engagement provides incremental validity over the Big Five personality traits in the prediction of performance. A questionaire with the variables of interest was filled in by 365 workers. Regression analyses revealed that work engagement plays a role in all dimensions of job performance. Results also revealed the differential functioning of work engagement dimensions, with vigor as the main predictor of task performance and the second predictor of adaptive performance, even when considering personality. High absorption decreases task performance but increases contextual performance, while dedication mediates between personality (i.e., agreeableness and extraversion) and CWB.

Keywords

• work engagement
• big five
• task performance
• contextual performance
• counterproductive work behaviors
• adaptive performance