Pelho, Katariina (2024) The Impact of Psychological Safety on Work Engagement and Work Withdrawal: Exploring the Mediating Role of Affective Commitment. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
This study investigates the impact of psychological safety on employee work engagement and work withdrawal, with a focus on the mediating role of affective organizational commitment. Drawing upon Social Exchange Theory (SET) and the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, the study develops a comprehensive framework to understand the dynamics between these variables. The research was conducted using an online questionnaire, and the sample size was 124. The findings reveal that psychological safety is significantly positively related to work engagement and negatively related to work withdrawal. Mediation analyses show that affective organizational commitment fully mediates the relationship between psychological safety and work engagement, while it partially mediates the relationship between psychological safety and work withdrawal. These results contribute to the JD-R model by highlighting psychological safety as an additional job resource that enhances positive work attitudes and mitigates negative ones. Additionally, the findings support SET by demonstrating how psychological safety fosters reciprocal positive behaviors in organizations. However, the study's cross-sectional design, reliance on self-report measures, and use of a convenience sample from smaller or family-owned firms present limitations that may affect the generalizability of the results. Future research should employ longitudinal designs and diverse samples to further explore these relationships and validate the findings. The practical implications suggest that organizations should prioritize creating psychologically safe environments to enhance employee engagement and reduce withdrawal behaviors. Keywords: psychological safety, affective commitment, work engagement, work withdrawal, Social Exchange Theory, Job Demands-Resources model.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Graso, M. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology (WOP) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Dec 2024 10:24 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Dec 2024 10:24 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4471 |
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