Adaptive performance model based on personal resources: work engagement as a mediating variable among civil servants

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the direct effects of self-efficacy and self-acceptance on the adaptive performance of public sector employees, as well as to examine the mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between self-efficacy and self-acceptance toward adaptive performance. This study employed an explanatory quantitative research design using a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) mediation analysis framework. Data were collected from 206 Civil Servants (Aparatur Sipil Negara/ASN) in Bengkulu Province through a purposive sampling method, targeting employees with at least three years of work experience. The sample size exceeded the minimum requirement for PLS-SEM based on the ten-times rule. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire distributed via Google Forms. The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory reliability, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.737 to 0.912 and composite reliability values ranging from 0.831 to 0.928, confirming the adequacy of the research instruments. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS to assess the measurement and structural models. The findings indicate that self-efficacy has a direct and positive effect on adaptive performance (β = 0.277, p < 0.001), while self-acceptance also positively influences adaptive performance (β = 0.164, p = 0.003). Self-efficacy (β = 0.426, p < 0.001) and self-acceptance (β = 0.253, p = 0.002) significantly enhance work engagement, which subsequently exerts a strong positive effect on adaptive performance (β = 0.650, p < 0.001). Furthermore, work engagement significantly mediates the relationships between self-efficacy, self-acceptance, and adaptive performance, explaining 43.0% of the variance in adaptive performance (Adjusted R² = 0.430).