Psychological Science ›› 2014, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (1): 140-145.

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The Effects of Supervisor-Group Fit in Work Engagement on Group Performance: The Influence of Group Satisfaction Climate

Shan-Shan ZHANG1, 2   

  1. 1. Tianjin University of Technology and Education
    2.
  • Received:2012-09-10 Revised:2013-10-01 Online:2014-01-20 Published:2014-01-20

领导-团队投入匹配对团队绩效的影响:团队满意度氛围的作用

张珊珊1,张建新2   

  1. 1. 天津职业技术师范大学
    2. 中国科学院心理研究所
  • 通讯作者: 张建新

Abstract: The work engagement of employees has received increasing attention in the industry and organization psychology literature with the development of “positive psychology”. However, very few empirical studies have addressed the issue in the group level, and no studies examined the effect of supervisor’s engagement on group efficacy. Meanwhile, work engagement is contagious within work groups and may be communicated from supervisor to subordinate, and vice versa. Therefore, this study examines the effect of congruence between supervisor’s work engagement and group engagement climate on group performance. Based on supervisor-group fit theory, we expected that when group supervisors’ work engagement and group engagement climate are in congruence will be have a reinforcement effect on group performance. We also hypothesized that group satisfaction climate had the mediating role on the relationship between supervisor-group engagement fit and group performance. Data were collected from 133 group supervisors and 645 group members using questionnaire survey. The average group size was 4.85(SD = 2.73) with a minimum of three and a maximum of 14 members per group. The group members were asked to complete a questionnaire package assessing group performance, work engagement and job satisfaction. We aggregated the individual-level indices into the group-level variables based on referent-shift consensus model. Their immediate supervisors were asked to rate their work engagement. Theoretical hypotheses were tested by quadratic polynomial regression with response surface technology to analyze the matched sample, and estimated confidence intervals for the linear and nonlinear mediate effects of group satisfaction climate by bootstrapping 20000 samples. The results showed that the levels of group performance will be higher when group supervisors and group members’ engagement are in congruence rather than in dis-congruence. The group performance was maximized in the condition that work engagement between group supervisors and group members are in congruence and high. Meanwhile, group satisfaction climate partly mediated the linear relation between supervisor-group engagement congruent fit and group performance, but didn’t mediate the nonlinear relation between supervisor-group engagement dis-congruent fit and group performance. The present study provided robust evidence for the optimum engagement matching model for group effectiveness by investigating the fit and misfit between group supervisors and group members. Furthermore, this study highlighted the mediating effect of group satisfaction climate, and it expanded the existing literature about the specific mechanism through which group-level process of satisfaction influences group performance. Moreover, it contributes to the literature of work engagement and provided new perspectives for the group-level engagement studies.

Key words: supervisor’s work engagement, group engagement climate, congruent fit, dis-congruent fit, group satisfaction climate

摘要: 基于领导-团队匹配的视角,研究以133名领导和645名成员的团队配对数据,采用二次多项式回归与响应面分析对领导工作投入与团队投入氛围的一致性匹配和不一致性匹配,以及团队满意度氛围如何影响团队绩效进行了探讨。结果发现:领导工作投入与团队投入氛围一致与不一致相比,团队绩效较好;并且一致性匹配具有加强效应,即当领导工作投入与团队投入氛围一致时,团队绩效随着双方投入的增加而提高;同时,团队满意度氛围在领导-团队投入的一致性匹配与团队绩效的线性关系中起到部分中介作用。

关键词: 领导工作投入, 团队投入氛围, 一致性匹配, 不一致性匹配, 团队满意度氛围