The Effect of Psychological Capital and Self-Leadership on Work Engagement among Agricultural Extension Advisors

Abstract

Work engagement is considered a significant construct within organisations and the field of industrial psychology. Focus within organisations has shifted to recognise more positive psychological constructs such as self-leadership and psychological capital to promote employees’ work engagement. The present study investigated the effect of psychological capital and self-leadership on the work engagement levels of agricultural extension advisors within South Africa. The study was motivated by the lack of research within agricultural extension on positive psychological constructs such as work engagement, self-leadership, and psychological capital, which could impact the agricultural sector. A quantitative research method was used to gather data using three scales. A total of 103 viable questionnaires were obtained. A Pearson product-moment correlation analysis and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used to address the objective. Both psychological capital and self-leadership were found to have a significant positive correlation to work engagement. In addition, hope, optimism, and behaviour-focused strategies were found to have the, most significant contribution toward the work engagement levels of agricultural extension advisors. Within agricultural extension, the above study provided information on how to foster and improve the work engagement levels of their employees using strategies of psychological capital and work engagement.