Why individual employee engagement matters for team performance?

Abstract

PurposeAdopting a multi-level research approach, this study aims to investigate the impact of employee engagement on team performance. It further explores the mediating effects of employee commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour on the employee engagement–team performance relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe study follows a quantitative method. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire survey using snowball and convenience sampling. Descriptive statistics and bi-variate correlation analyses were conducted using SmartPLS 2 and SPSS 20 software, and subsequently, a structural equation model was developed.FindingsThe study suggests that better employee engagement could improve team performance in organizational contexts. Organizational commitment and citizenship behaviour played a mediating role in the employee engagement–team performance relationship. Further research on the meditating effects of demographic factors is suggested to advance knowledge in the employee engagement domain.Research limitations/implicationsBased on premises of the social exchange theory and the employee stewardship theory, the study integrates multi-level variables to impact of individual employee engagement on organizational team performance. The findings of the study contribute to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence of the impact of individual-level variables on team-level performance. It reiterates the need for multi-level modelling of organizational behavioural research.Originality/valueThe study used a multi-theoretical approach to investigate team performance in organizational contexts, i.e. individual employee engagement, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour. This integrated model using predictors from multiple levels demonstrates that team performance could be enhanced from interactions of different factors of individual behaviour.