Supervisor-subordinate guanxi and work engagement: Self-efficacy as a mediator

Despite the increasing amount of research attention work engagement has received, there are still some gaps in understanding of its antecedents. We examined the relationships among supervisor-subordinate guanxi, employees' work engagement, and self-efficacy with a sample of 354 employees from six Chinese hotels. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. Results revealed that supervisor-subordinate guanxi was positively related to employees' work engagement and self-efficacy, and that self-efficacy was positively related to work engagement. This study is the first to find that self-efficacy is a mediating mechanism that transmits the effect of supervisor-subordinate guanxi to employees' work engagement, which highlights the importance of supervisor-subordinate guanxi and the mechanisms that contribute to enhancement of employees' work engagement. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.