The Mediating Effect of Psychological Capital on Work Engagement

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1229/tecempresarialjournal.v20i2.591

Keywords:

Psychological Capital, Work Engagement, Human capital, Work-Life Balance, Unweight Least Squares

Abstract

The objective of this research is to examine the mediating effect of psychological capital between human capital, work and life balance, and employee work engagement within the organization.  A cross-sectional design was applied under a quantitative approach, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was used.  The study population consisted of administrative employees from the private sector in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador.  The survey was conducted among 255 private sector employees, selecting as the sample master’s degree students from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences at the University of Guayaquil who are currently employed in that sector.  The estimation method employed was Unweighted Least Squares (ULS-SEM).  The main findings indicated that, in the mediation model, the direct effects of work and life balance and human capital on work engagement were not significant.  These effects became significant only through psychological capital, thus confirming a full mediation model.  The main limitation of the study is that it focused exclusively on administrative personnel in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador.  In addition, due to the cross-sectional design, it is not possible to explore variations in perceptions over time or across different populations.

Author Biographies

José Morales, Universidad de Guayaquil

Ph.D. in Strategic Business Administration from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.  Associate Full Professor of the Managerial Information Management Program.  Co-Evaluation Coordinator of the Managerial Information Management Program at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, University of Guayaquil.

Karen Balladares, Universidad de Guayaquil

Ph.D. in Economic, Business, and Legal Sciences from the University of Almeria, Spain.  Associate Full Professor of the Accounting and Auditing Program.  Accreditation Coordinator of the Accounting and Auditing Program at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, University of Guayaquil.

Arturo Ordóñez, Universidad de Guayaquil

Ph.D. in Public and Private Planning.  Professor and Academic Staff Coordinator of the Accounting and Auditing Program at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences.

Johanna Tutivén, Universidad de Guayaquil

Ph.D. in Management from the University of Tumbes, Peru. Full Professor of the Accounting and Auditing Program at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, University of Guayaquil.

Bismark Torres, Universidad de Guayaquil

Ph.D. in Engineering and Applied Sciences from the University of Barcelona, Spain. Full Professor at the University of Guayaquil.

   

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Published

2025-08-24

How to Cite

Morales Vergara, J. R., Balladares Ponguillo, K. A., Ordóñez Peña, A. F., Tutivén Campos, J. L., & Torres Ruilova, B. O. (2025). The Mediating Effect of Psychological Capital on Work Engagement. TEC EMPRESARIAL, 20(2), 420–434. https://doi.org/10.1229/tecempresarialjournal.v20i2.591