Relationships Among Perceived Supervisor Support, Psychological Empowerment and Employee Engagement in Indian Workplaces

Abstract

This research examines the impact of perceived supervisor support and psychological empowerment on employee engagement. Social exchange theory and job demands-resources model of work engagement are used for explaining the association between these constructs. Data for the sample was collected from 177 employees in three service sector organizations in Central Kerala, South India. Regression analyses were performed to test the hypotheses. The results showed that perceived supervisor support and psychological empowerment positively influenced employee engagement and perceived supervisor support positively influenced psychological empowerment. Also, it was found that psychological empowerment fully mediated the relationship between perceived supervisor support and employee engagement. This research adds to the current body of literature by providing insight into the influence of perceived supervisor support and psychological empowerment on employee engagement in the Indian context.

KEYWORDS:

• perceived supervisor support (PSS)
• employee engagement
• psychological empowerment
• social exchange theory (SET)
• job demands-resources (JD-R) model
• India

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank Beverly Younger, R. Paul Maiden and the anonymous reviewers for their support and helpful comments on earlier drafts of the article.