From Spiritual Climate to Social Workers’ Job Performance: A Serial Mediation Model of Organisational Commitment and Work Engagement

Abstract

Abstract The significance of the spiritual climate in enhancing job performance is acknowledged, yet there exists a notable lack of empirical understanding regarding mechanisms, particularly in the social work profession. This study aims to address this gap by examining the serial mediation effect of organisational commitment and work engagement in delineating the relationship between spiritual climate and job performance. A sample of 1,023 social workers from H City, China, was procured using a multistage cluster random sampling approach. The results of the serial mediation analyses show a direct positive effect of spiritual climate on job performance (b = 0.130, p < 0.001) and significant indirect effects through organisational commitment (b = 0.640, p < 0.001) and work engagement (b = 0.516, p < 0.001), underscoring the crucial roles these variables play in mediating spiritual climate’s influence on job performance. Findings reveal a sequential mediating pathway from organisational commitment to work engagement, operating between spiritual climate and job performance. This research clarifies the complex mechanisms linking spiritual climate and job performance, augmenting the limited empirical knowledge within the social work profession. Additionally, it offers practical implications for meeting social workers’ spiritual needs at work.