Social challenge stressors and work engagement: the moderating role of political skill

Abstract

This study offers a counterpoint to the generalization of positive and linear effects resulting from challenge stressors in the workplace. The guiding objective was to verify whether social challenge stress impacts individuals' work engagement positively or negatively, according to the political skill degree available by professionals. We used moderation analysis and hierarchical regression to assess these relationships. The sample comes from civil servants of a Brazilian federal institution (N = 606). The results indicate that political skill moderates the relationship between social stress and engagement positively, except in cases where such skill is low, a situation in which the interaction becomes negative. The evidence also reveals that a positive curvilinear association better explains the association between social stress and work engagement. The findings suggest that the Challenge-Hindrance Stress Framework (CHF) has an application conditioned by the possible abilities that a given stressor demands to be evaluated as an obstacle or a challenge. We intended to extend the theory on stressors and contribute to the human resource management practice by elucidating conditions or portions of professionals in which the CHF does not apply or lacks contextualization.