The Relationship between Psychological Capital and Job Performance: The Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment

This study investigated the relationship between psychological capital and job performance by focusing on the mediating role of psychological empowerment.

The present study used a correlational method through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). In order to do so, 204 employees were selected through the stratified sampling method. To collect data, the study drew on such instruments as Luthans and Colleagues’ Psychological Capital Questionnaire, Paterson's Job Performance Questionnaire, and Spreitzer and Mishra’s Psychological Empowerment Questionnaire. The data were analyzed with reference to correlational statistics and inferential statistics processed in SPSS-23 and Lisrel-8.5 software. Analyses of the SEM confirmed that the proposed model fit the data.

The findings revealed that psychological capital had a significant effect on both job performance (%35) and on psychological empowerment (%69). Furthermore, the effect of psychological empowerment on job performance (%54) was significant. The effect of psychological capital on job performance through the mediation of psychological empowerment was also significant (%37).

As the results showed, it can be argued that organizations could reinforce their competitive status by investing on and paying attention to the positive psychological features of their Human Resources (HR), and by taking the necessary measures to enhance these characteristics, as they could contribute to organizational performance and productivity.