Employee Engagement in Cambodia: An Examination of the Effects of Job Characteristics, Leader-Member and Co-Worker Exchange, HRD Practices, and Personality Traits

Abstract

Employee engagement is a topic that has generated a lot of interest among practitioners, consultants, and scholars in various academic disciplines, including human resource development (HRD). However, despite the volume of material that has been written on the topic, many employees around the globe are reportedly disengaged or have low levels of engagement. In addition, as far as academic research is concerned, there appears to be a lack of agreement and consensus over the antecedents and outcomes of the construct. Further, the majority of research on the topic has been conducted in a Western context. Thus, more empirical studies among non-Western samples are needed to advance our understanding of the construct. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of job characteristics, leader-member exchange (LMX), co-worker exchange (CWX), HRD practices, conscientiousness, and openness to experience on employee engagement. Data were collected from 247 employees working at ten commercial banks located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The hypotheses of the study were tested using hierarchical regression analyses. Results suggested that after controlling for demographic variables (age, gender, education, and tenure), job characteristics were found to be a statistically significant predictor of engagement. The results also showed that HRD practices and conscientiousness were predictive of engagement. Interestingly, contrary to the hypothesized model, the results did not present support for the significant effects of LMX, CWX, or openness to experience on engagement. This study concludes by discussing implications for future research and practice.