Does basic need satisfaction foster engagement by serving as a personal demand? A mediation model based on a self-determination perspective

PurposeTaking job demand-resource (JD-R) and self-determination perspective, the current study focused to see how basic need satisfaction (BNS) – as a personal demand – impacts work engagement directly and indirectly through personal resource (i.e. self-efficacy). Moreover, the aim was to test the dimension-wise impact of BNS, i.e. the need for autonomy, need for belongingness and need for competence in the aforementioned relationship.Design/methodology/approachThis research is a time-lagged survey in which three-wave data of 398 white-collar employees were collected from the service and manufacturing sector of Pakistan through convenience sampling. Each wave of data collection was two months apart. The matched responses yielded an overall response rate of 66.33%. The collected responses were duly analysed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsResults of the study confirmed all direct and indirect hypotheses encompassing the impact of the combined BNS construct on work engagement via self-efficacy. Nonetheless, in the dimension-wise analysis, the indirect impact of the need for job autonomy on work engagement was not validated. This depicted that the need for competence and relatedness are more important predictors of work engagement through the self-efficacy path.Originality/valueIt has been observed that prior research on work engagement was mainly focused on the role of job demands (JDs) and personal resources; however, the role of personal demands along with personal resources has little been discussed. The authors tested the total as well as the specific impact of each component of basic need on work engagement making it possible to examine the total predicting role of basic need satisfaction and the specific contribution of satisfaction of each need on work engagement.