Employee psychological ownership and work attitudes

This study explains the link between employee psychological ownership (EPO) and work engagement drawing on the foundations of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. We conceptualize EPO as a combination of various personal resources: namely, self-efficacy, self-identity, accountability, belongingness and territoriality which is expected to positively contribute to work engagement. We analyze survey data from employees of a public service organization in Greece and verify key findings using a two-wave cross-sectional survey design targeting a heterogeneous population of employees in the United States. This study contributes to a small number of previous studies that focus on EPO and work engagement and extends current knowledge by examining this relationship within the JD-R model. We further demonstrate that job satisfaction mediates the relationship between EPO and work engagement. Additionally, we reveal that EPO is distinct from the extensively researched construct of work engagement.