A Framework of Antecedents and Consequences of Employee Work Engagement: A Knowledge Sharing Perspective in the Developing Country Context

Abstract

Since its widespread adoption by businesses around the world a decade ago, the concept of employee work engagement has garnered significant attention from academics and researchers. It has been established that when employees are emotionally invested in their work and their organization, their performance tends to improve. Engaged personnel derive satisfaction from their jobs and the challenges they entail, actively participate in corporate activities and events, demonstrate a strong understanding and acceptance of the organization’s core values, and generally exhibit a positive attitude towards their employment. Moreover, engaged employees are more likely to provide guidance and share best practices with their team members and colleagues while also actively seeking out opportunities for career advancement within the company. However, the impact of information/knowledge sharing, which is a key resource employed by organizations to maintain their competitive edge, on employee engagement remains largely unexplored. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess how information sharing influences employee work engagement, with a particular focus on the mediating effects of innovative work behavior (IWB), as conceptualized within the framework. Data was collected through survey instrument administered to a randomly selected sample from employees of garment and textile industries of Pakistan. This study represents one of the pioneering efforts to investigate how organizations can enhance employee work engagement through effective knowledge/information sharing practices, thereby enabling them to build and sustain their competitive advantages.