Fall seven times and stand up eight: grit, ethical idealism and work engagement

Purpose This study aims at refining theory of work engagement by predicting the role of grit in the relationship between employees’ ethical idealism and work engagement in Lebanon. Grit, a significant personality trait, is a driver of achievement and success, independent of and beyond what talent and intelligence contribute, and, therefore, the investigation of its role in enhancing employee performance is vital. Design/methodology/approach A survey questionnaire, translated from English into Arabic, was administered to 317 employees in organizations in Lebanon. Regression analysis was employed to test the mediating effect of both dimensions of grit, namely consistency of interest and perseverance of effort, on the relationship between ethical idealism and work engagement. Findings The results indicate that the impact of ethical idealism on both perseverance of effort and consistency of interest is positive. Also, the impact of perseverance of effort on work engagement is positive. In addition, the perseverance of effort dimension was found to fully mediate the relationship between ethical idealism and work engagement. Originality/value As a good predictor of grit and work engagement, employees’ level of ethical idealism should be included in employees’ selection criteria.