| dc.description.abstract | Abstract
This thesis aims to investigate the two positive outcome variables: work engagement and work ability, in relation to several antecedent variables. Work engagement is a concept that has been focused on in the past years as it contributes to organizational success. Work ability is a relatively new term in Norway. However, maintaining the work ability of all employees has been a relevant topic. This study aims to understand how work engagement and work ability are related. Furthermore, the aim is to investigate to what extent the individual dimensions (openness, job satisfaction, weekly working hours, gender, and age), the team dimension (organizational climate), and the organizational dimensions (LMX, autonomy, predictability) predict work engagement and work ability. Furthermore, to what extent the patterns of relationships are similar for work engagement and work ability when predicting from the three levels.
A quantitative method was used to collect data from 1531 participants representative of the Norwegian workforce. Reliability and validity were tested by a factor and a reliability analysis. Furthermore, a Pearson’s bivariate correlation analysis and multiple hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. The results showed a moderate relationship between work engagement and work ability; thus, these two concepts reflect two desirable characteristics of the workforce that are only partly overlapping. All the independent variables were positively and significantly correlated with, and predictors of, work engagement. For work ability, LMX was a significant predictor only in the first step of the regression analysis, while predictability was a significant predictor in the first and second step, and therefore the hypotheses for them were partially supported. However, the hypothesis on gender and work ability was rejected. A high percentage of the total variance for work engagement was explained by the predictors (41 %), while a modest portion of the work ability variance was explained by the same predictors (23%). Except for age, the patterns of the relationships between predictor variables and the dependent variables were almost identical, reflecting the positive relationship between the two. To the extent that the observed relationships between the independent and the dependent variables reflect underlying causal mechanisms, improvements in the independent variables should affect work engagement and work ability. The results suggest further research on LMX, predictability, gender, and work ability. | |