The Effect of Impostor Syndrome on Job Involvement with Mediating Role of Structural Empowerment regarding the Employees of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

Empowerment allows health managers to make a conscious choice to improve the quality of care. On the other hand, one of the factors that may affect psychological aspects of employees and decrease job participation of employees is imposter syndrome. The main goal of this research was to determine the effect of imposter syndrome on job involvement with the mediating role of structural empowerment of employees.

This was a descriptive-analytical study conducted cross-sectionally in 2021. The statistical population of the present study included all employees (1300) working in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The sample size was estimated to be 297 people through Cochran method and stratified random sampling method. Data collection tools included the standard imposter questionnaires of Klans and Ames (1987), Shafli et al.'s job involvement questionnaire (2006), and Maleki et al.'s structural empowerment questionnaire (2012). Face validity was confirmed by professors and experts, convergent validity with a mean variance of greater than 0.5, and divergent validity was confirmed using Fornell and Larker methods. Also, the reliability of the instrument was confirmed with the Cronbach's alpha of greater than 0.7. Data analysis was done with descriptive and inferential statistical tests using structural equation method and SPSS 22 and PLS 3 statistical software.

Based on the analysis of research variables, imposter syndrome had a negative and significant effect (P < 0.001) on job involvement and structural empowerment of employees with path coefficients of - 0.349 and - 0.856, respectively. There was a positive and significant correlation (P < 0.001) between structural empowerment of employees' job involvement and a path coefficient of 0.452. Finally, self-destructive syndrome with the mediating role of structural empowerment had a significant and negative effect (P < 0.001) on job involvement of employees with a path coefficient of - 0.386.

Structural empowerment is associated with higher work efficiency and engagement among employees. Accordingly, structural empowerment may increase work engagement by stimulating employees' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. But the presence of employees with imposter syndrome leads to the opposite effect.