The Effect of Relational Resources on Thriving at Work: The Role of Agentic Behaviors and Ability to Manage Resources

Abstract

Developing and maintaining thriving at work is an important way to realize personal value and improve organizational performance. Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory, we proposed and tested the mediation model of relational resources affecting thriving at work. Empirical data of 271 employees showed that relational resources directly predicted the thriving at work, colleague trust and supervisor support influenced each other, which through agentic behaviors (task focus and heedful relating), thus formed four chain intermediary paths that affected thriving at work in sequence. The moderating effect of the ability to manage resource occurred in the first half of the intermediary path, which positively moderated the influence of relational resources on agentic behaviors. The study had enhanced the understanding of the internal mechanism and boundary conditions of the relationship between relational resources and thriving at work, enriched the research on the mechanism of agentic behaviors, and provided a foundation for organizations to promote thriving at work.