Enhancing work engagement public amidst change: the role of perceived organizational support, psychological capital and acceptance of change

Purpose Work engagement in public service organizations has received little attention from researchers, especially during public organizational changes. This research aims to examine the relationships among perceived organizational support (POS), psychological capital (PsyCap), acceptance of change and work engagement in the context of Indonesian government policy implementation. Using the Job-Demands Resources (JD-R) model, the study also investigated the role of the acceptance of change as a mediator variable in the association between POS and PsyCap on work engagement. Design/methodology/approach This study distributed modified online questionnaires to civil servants in Indonesia. A total of 1,301 civil servants from across Indonesia participated in completing the questionnaire. Data from the questionnaires were then analyzed quantitatively using the partial least squares (PLS-SEM) with a variance-based SEM analysis. Findings The findings indicated that POS and PsyCap were antecedents of work engagement. This research also demonstrated that the association between POS and PsyCap on work engagement was partially mediated by acceptance of change. Based on this findings, organizational change should be accompanied by employees' acceptance of change for achieving work engagement. Finally, this research consistently revealed that the impact of POS and PsyCap within government organizations on work engagement is similar to that of POS and PsyCap within private organizations. Originality/value Based on the JD-R model theory, this study introduces a new mediating variable (acceptance of change) in the association between job and personal resources (POS and PsyCap) and work engagement in the context of public organizational changes.