Work engagement is found to be positively associated
with job resources; that is, to those aspects of the job
that have the capacity to reduce job demands, are functional
in achieving work goals, and may stimulate personal
growth, learning, and development [4]. For instance,
work engagement tends to be positively related to social
support from co-workers and from one’s superior, as
well as to performance feedback, coaching, job control,
opportunities for growth and development, task variety,
and training facilities [5-14]. Hence, the more job
resources are available, the more likely it is that employees
feel engaged.
Work engagement has also been found to be positively
related to personal resources, such as self-efficacy [15],
which according to Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) is the
“belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the
courses of action required to produce given attainment”
[16]. Quite interestingly, it seems that self-efficacy may
precede as well as follow engagement [13,17,18]. This
may point to the existence of an upward spiral: selfefficacy
fuels engagement, which, in turn, increases efficacy
beliefs, and so on [19]. This is in line with SCT
[20], which holds that there are reciprocal relationships
between self-efficacy and positive affective-cognitive outcomes
such as work engagement. Moroever, this reciprocal
relationship is also compatible with the notion of
so-called “gain spirals” as described by the Conservation
of Resources (COR) theory [21].