The effects of autonomous work environment and positive psychological capital on self-directed employee behavior: evidence from Korea
Self-directed employees are often regarded as the key resource for making continual organizational success in business. In the 21st century workplace, the importance of self-directed employee behavior is increasing because the nature of work quickly changes, information and communication technology rapidly advances, and global integration deepens. In recent years, a few leading business organizations have introduced and implemented autonomy supporting human resource practices. However, not all business organizations have been able to reap the benefits of autonomy supporting HR practices, and some fail in drawing positive outcomes. The purpose of this study is to identify and understand the role and impact of perceptions of autonomous work environments and personal positive psychological capital that affect self- directed behavior in a non-western cultural context. To achieve this purpose, this study investigates the relationships between employee perception of autonomous work environment (AWE), positive psychological capital (PsyCap), and self-directed behavior (SDB) in large Korean automotive parts manufacturing companies. 331 surveys from 43 teams in six organizations were gathered and analyzed by using simple OLS regression, Sobel test, and SEM analysis. Results indicated that the effects of autonomous work environment (AWE) and positive psychological capital (PsyCap) varied by sources of data (self-reported data and other-reported data) and perspectives of role in the organization. The positive effects of AWE and PsyCap on self-reported self-directed employee behavior (SDB) were found both in subordinate and supervisor populations. PsyCap significantly mediated the relationship between AWE and SDB when using self-reported data. However, these effects were not significant when using other- iireported SDB data. Several implications of these findings, limitations, and future research suggestions are discussed.
self-directed behavior, psychological capital, autonomous work environment, manufacturing, international study, Korea
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign