본 연구는 최근 관심이 증대되고 있는 심리적 임파워먼트에 영향을 미치는 선행요인들을 검토하고, 이들 선행요인들이 직무성과에 영향을 미치는 직접 효과와 더불어 이들 간의 관계에 있어 심리적 임파워먼트의 매개 효과를 실증적으로 검증하였다. 심리적 임파워먼트와 선행변수들 간의 관계와, 심리적 임파워먼트와 직무성과 간의 관계를 보다 정교하게 이해하기 위해서 심리적 임파워먼트를 의미, 역량, 자기결정과 영향력의 네 가지 하위차원별로 구분해 분석하였다. 선행변수들로는 기존 연구에서 많이 다루어진 직무특성 뿐만 아니라 개인특성과 사회적 관계특성이 임파워먼트 지각에 미치는 영향을 통합적으로 분석하였다. 이를 위해서 8개 기업의 종업원 177명을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하였다.
실증분석 결과, 첫째, 리더-구성원 교환관계가 심리적 임파워먼트의 자기결정 차원에 미치는 영향을 제외하고, 직무특성, 통제위치, 리더-구성원 교환관계는 심리적 임파워먼트의 각 차원에 모두 유의한 정의 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 심리적 임파워먼트의 각 차원 중에서 역량과 영향력 차원만이 직무성과에 유의한 정의 영향을 주고 있음을 발견하였다. 마지막으로, 심리적 임파워먼트는 직무특성과 통제위치가 직무성과에 미치는 영향을 부분적으로 매개하는 것으로 나타났고, 심리적 임파워먼트는 리더-구성원 교환관계가 직무성과에 미치는 영향을 완전 매개하는 것으로 나타났다. 하위차원별로 살펴보면, 심리적 임파워먼트의 역량과 영향력 차원만이 직무특성과 통제위치가 직무성과에 미치는 영향을 부분적으로 매개하는 것으로 나타났고, 리더-구성원 교환관계가 직무성과에 미치는 영향을 완전 매개하는 것으로 나타났다.
이러한 연구결과는 심리적 임파워먼트가 직무성과를 향상시키는데 중요하지만, 직무성과가 종업원의 임파워먼트 이외에 다른 요인들에 의해서도 설명되기 때문에 심리적 임파워먼트 외에 다른 변수들(예를 들어, 종업원의 역량)에 대한 고려를 할 필요가 있음을 말해준다. 또한, 심리적 임파워먼트 연구에서 역량과 영향력 차원에 보다 많은 관심을 기울일 필요가 있음도 시사한다. 이러한 논의를 포함한 본 연구의 시사점과 향후 연구방향을 제시하였다.
This study empirically tackles the influencing factors of employee’s psychological empowerment, and analyzes the direct effect of each factor on the job performance of employee, and the mediating effect of psychological empowerment on the relationship between each factor and job performance. This study divides employee’s psychological empowerment into four dimensions: meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact. Spreitzer(1995)’s construct definitions is used to understand the relationship in detail. Meaning refers to ‘the value of a work goal or purpose, judged in relation to an individual's own ideals or standards.’ Competence means ‘an individual’s belief in his or her capability to perform activities with skill.’ Self-determination is ‘an individual’s sense of having choice in initiating and regulating actions.’ Impact refers to ‘the degree to which an individual can influence strategic, administrative, or operating outcomes at work.’ In sum, psychological empowerment is used as a motivational construct which reflects an active, rather than a passive, orientation to a work role. The influencing factors include job characteristics, locus of control, and leader-member exchange(LMX). Job characteristics model, as suggested by Hackman & Oldham(1975), encompasses job characteristics which motivate workers: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. Locus of control is used as an individual characteristic of worker, and refers to the extent to which individuals believe that they can control events that affect them (Rotter, 1996). LMX is included as an relational characteristic between leader and worker. While prior studies have usually tackled the relationship between job characteristics and the job performance of employee, they have rarely examined the relationship between locus of control and job performance or LMX and job performance, and the mediating effects of psychological empowerment on these relationships.
Based on prior literature, this study derives following hypotheses.
H1:Job characteristics will be positively related to the perception of psychological empowerment of employee.
H2:Internal locus of control will be positively related to the perception of psychological empowerment of employee.
H3:LMX will be positively related to the perception of psychological empowerment of employee.
H4:Perception of psychological empowerment will be positively related to the job performance of employee.
H5:Perception of psychological empowerment will mediate the relationship between job characteristics and the job performance of employee.
H6:Perception of psychological empowerment will mediate the relationship between locus of control and the job performance of employee.
H7:Perception of psychological empowerment will mediate the relationship between LMX and the job performance of employee.
To test these relationships, we have conducted a survey of Korean firms. Questionnaires are sent to 204 employees in eight firms. After excluding unanswered and untrustful items questionnaires, the final sample size for this study is 177 employees in eight firms. This sample consists of 134 males(75.7%) and 43 females(24.3%). The average age and tenure of employees are 36.1 years old and 9.3 years, respectively.
Hierarchical regression analysis is used to analyze the relationships based on Baron & Kenny(1986). Sobel test is used to test the significance of the mediating effects of psychological empowerment. The results of analyses reveal that (1) job characteristics(H1), locus of control(H2), and leader-member exchange(H3) are positively associated with each dimension of psychological empowerment, excluding the relationship between leader-member exchange and self-determination dimension.
(2) Competence and impact dimension of psychological empowerment are positively associated with the job performance of employee(H4). However, meaning and self-determination dimension have no relationship with job performance.
(3) Psychological empowerment has the partial mediating effect on the relationship between job characteristics and job performance(H5), and on the relationship between locus of control and job performance(H6). And psychological empowerment plays as a full mediator on the relationship between leader-member exchange and job performance(H7). Only competence and impact dimension of psychological empowerment have the mediating effect on the relationship between each influencing factor and job performance.
Based on these findings, implications of the research findings are discussed, and recommendation for future research are provided.