The Mediating Effect of Perceived Organizational Support on The Relationship Between Employee Commitment, Job Engagement and Job Performance. A Case of ZESA Holdings

Abstract

The challenging economic environment in Zimbabwe currently and the changing organizational context require higher commitment from employees to survive, grow, and acquire competitive advantage. An engaged and committed workforce is results-oriented and productive. This research study sought to determine the mediating effect of perceived organisational support on the relationship between employee commitment, job engagement, and job performance. The study took a positivist stance which aligns with the quantitative approach and informed the use of a correlational design. The target population is drawn from employees in ZESA. Out of the 210 structured questionnaires distributed, a total of 203 were returned, giving a response rate of 97%. The Perceived Organisational Support Scale, Organisational Commitment Scale, Utrecht Work engagement scale, and Individual Employee Job Performance scale were used as scales to collect data on Perceived Organisational Support Scale, Employee Commitment, Job engagement, and Job performance respectively. Data was analyzed using SPSS 24 and SmartPLS. It was found that there indeed perceived organisational support mediates the relationship between employee commitment, employee engagement and job performance. The study recommends that employers ensure that employees feel valued at the workplace so as to keep them dedicated, committed, and engaged. This results in improved job performance. It is further recommended that future researchers consider extending the scope surrounding the mediating effect of perceived organizational support on the three variables since this study has only focused on a specific industry