Effect of anxiety on work engagement empirical evidence from vietnam

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY VU THU TRA EFFECT OF ANXIETY ON WORK ENGAGEMENT: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM VIETNAM MASTER THESIS VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY VU THU TRA EFFECT OF ANXIETY ON WORK ENGAGEMENT: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM VIETNAM MAJOR: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION CODE: 8340101.01 RESEARCH SUPERVISOR: ASSOC PRF KODO YOKOZAWA DR TRAN HUY PHUONG Hanoi, 2022 COMMITMENT I assure that the thesis title "Effect of anxiety on work engagement: empirical evidence from Vietnam" is my personal research under the supervision of Assoc Prf Kodo Yokozawa and Dr Tran Huy Phuong The data used in the thesis is truthful, and the quantitative analysis and conclusions of the thesis were not public in any other research The source of citation for this thesis is fully stated I am able and willing to take responsibility for my thesis Hanoi 2022 Vu Thu Tra ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Many truly deserve acknowledgment after this thesis in the journey of studying Master of Business Administration as well as developing myself Firstly, I want to give my deep thankfulness to Assoc Prof Kodo Yokozawa and Dr Tran Huy Phuong have been my enthusiastic guide, mentored, and coached this work from the start Assoc Prof Kodo Yokozawa willingness to carefully listen to my suggestions and provide essential knowledge corrections Dr Tran Huy Phuong gave insightful criticism promptly on time, consequently making a significant contribution to my thesis I am always grateful for all the experiences and lessons learned through this research process Secondly, I would like to express my thanks to the people who attend Assoc Prof Kodo Yokozawa seminar, they always are with me Specially, Mr Nguyen Anh Hao for the critical comment and questions to help me improve my study Thirdly, I would like to send a big thanks to Ms Nguyen Thi Huong from the VJU MBA program and my classmates without their support and encourage I cannot complete my study Lastly, I am especially grateful to my family for believing in me and understanding me throughout this research process without no reason Thank you dearly for allowing me the opportunity to complete my master‟s degree Ha Noi, May 2022 Vu Thu Tra ABSTRACT Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of trait anxiety on work engagement, informal workplace learning, and work engagement Design/methodology/approach – This study used surveys as a data collection tool and implemented the modeling for empirically testing the proposed research model Data are obtained from 238 employees in organizations in Vietnam Descriptive, variance, correlation, and regression analyses are conducted by SPSS 28.0 Finding – Results supported the assumption that people who have high trait anxiety are more likely not to engage in their work and informal workplace learning behavior makes a positive direct impact on work engagement Those results would be explained in the discussion part before giving implications for researchers and practitioners so that they have suitable interference on personal anxiety to increase positive or decrease negative on work engagement Originality/value – This study contributes to employee engagement theory focusing on work engagement which is considered an individual factor to be as important as the situation factor and investigates the relevance of personal anxiety for work engagement and informal workplace learning Keywords: trait anxiety, work engagement, informal workplace learning, employee TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .ii LIST OF FIGURES iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research background 1.2 Research objectives 1.3 Research question 1.4 Research structure CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Work engagement 2.2 Trait anxiety 2.3 Informal workplace learning CHAPTER III HYPOTHESIS FORMULATION AND RESEARCH MODEL 3.1 Research Hypothesis 3.1.1 The relationship between trait anxiety and work engagement 3.1.2 The relationship between trait anxiety and informal workplace learning 10 3.1.3 The relationship between informal workplace learning and work engagement 11 CHAPTER IV RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 13 4.1 Research scope 13 4.2 Research Design 13 4.3 Measures 14 CHAPTER V DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS RESULTS 16 5.1 Analysis procedure 16 5.2 Characteristics of respondents 17 5.3 Descriptive Analysis 22 5.4 Reliability Analysis 26 5.5 Valid test with factor analysis 26 5.5.1 Factoring Analysis of independence variable_Trait anxiety 27 5.5.2 Factoring Analysis of independence variable_Informal workplace learning 29 5.5.3 Factoring Analysis of dependence variable_Work engagement 31 5.6 Correlation test 32 5.7 Regression Analysis 34 CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION AND DICUSSION 37 6.1 Conclusion 37 6.2 Theoretical contribution and Practical contribution 38 6.2.1 Theoretical implications 38 6.2.2 Practical contribution 38 6.3 Limitation and recommendation 38 REFERENCE 40 APPENDIX 46 LIST OF TABLES Table 5.1 Demographic Characteristic of Respondents 17 Table 5.2 Descriptive statistic of the Trait Anxiety scale items 22 Table 5.3 Descriptive statistic of the informal workplace learning scale 23 Table 5.4 Descriptive statistic of the scale items 24 Table 5.5 Cronbach‟s alpha summary 26 Table 5.6 Validity test for independent variables_TA 30 Table 5.7 Rotated Component Matrix_TA 31 Table 5.8 Validity test for independent variables_IWL 29 Table 5.9 Rotated Component Matrix_IWL 30 Table 5.10 Validity test for independent variables_WE 31 Table 5.11 Rotated Component Matrix_IWL 32 Table 5.12 Correlation between independence and independence variable 33 Table 5.13 Direct effect 35 ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1 The conceptual model 12 Figure 5.1 The result model 36 iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS WE Work engagement TA Trait anxiety IWL Informal workplace learning iv Stress & Health Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 28(1), 1-10 Kahn, J P., & Langlieb, A M (2003) Mental health and productivity in the 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confidential and only serve for scientific research purposes, not for commercial purposes I will not share your answers with your company's management or your supervisors, so please feel safe in your answers Besides, if you are interested in my research's result or anything else, please not hesitate to contct me (via my email) for the further discussion Thank you in advance for your cooperation and look forward for your participation General Information 2.1 Gender Gi i t nh ● Male/Nam ● Female/Nữ ● Other/Khác 2.2 Your age Đ tu i ● 18–25 years old ● 26–30 years old ● 31–35 years old ● 36–40 years old ● 41–45 years old ● 46–50 years old ● 51–55 years old 46 ● 56–60 years old ● Above 60 years old 2.3 Marital status/ Tình trạng hôn nhân ● Single Đ c thân ● Married Đã kết 2.4 Education Trình đ học vấn ● High school/ Trung học ph thông ● College Cao đẳng ● University Đại học ● Post-graduate/ Cao học ● Other/ Khác 2.5 The industry which your organization work for/ ● Construction/Xây dựng ● Manufacturing/Chế tạo, sản xuất ● Electricity, gas, heat, and water supplies Điện, ga, nhiệt cung cấp nư c ● Transport & communications/ Giao thông Thông tin liên lạc ● Wholesale & retail trade and restaurants/ Bán buôn, bán lẻ nhà hàng ● Finance, insurance /Tài – Ngân hàng ● Real estate/Bất đ ng sản ● Service sector/Khối dịch vụ ● Civil service/Khối xã h i dân (NGO,NPO,…) ● Other/Khác – CNTT ● Giáo dục ● Khối nhà nư c 2.6 Number of employees/ T chức bạn làm việc có ● Below 29 employees Dư i 30 người ● 30 – 99 employees / 30 – 99 người ● 100 – 499 employees /100 – 499 người ● 500 – 999 employees / 500 – 999 người ● 1000 – 4999 employees / 1000 – 4999 người ● Above 5000 employees Trên 5000 người 47 ● Other/Khác 2.7 Your position at work/ Vị trí cơng việc bạn Junior staff ( less than years experiences) Nhân viên dư i năm kinh nghiệm Senior staff (3-5 years experiences)/ Nhân viên v i 3-5 năm kinh nghiệm Senior staff (more than years experiences) Nhân viên v i năm kinh nghiệm Middle manager/Team leader/Quản lý cấp trung Trưởng nhóm Senior manager/Quản lý cấp cao Trưởng phịng Top manager (CEO, CFO, COO, CTO ) Gi m đốc b phận Other/ Khác 2.8 Number of years you have worked at current organization/ Số năm Anh Chị làm việc T chức Anh Chị làm việc ● Below years Dư i năm ● 5–10 years/ 5-10 năm ● 11-15 years/11–15 năm ● 16-20 years/ 16-20 năm ● Above 20 years Trên 20 năm 2.9 Total years of work experience/T ng số năm làm việc Anh/Chị ● Below years Dư i năm ● 5–10 years/ 5-10 năm ● 11-15 years/11–15 năm ● 16-20 years/ 16-20 năm ● Above 20 years Trên 20 năm 2.10 Average income monthly/ Thu nhập bình quân hàng tháng ● Below millions Dư i triệu ● 5–10 millions / 5-10 triệu ● 11-15 millions /11–15 triệu ● 16-20 millions / 16-20 triệu 48 ● 21-25 millions / 21-25 triệu ● 26-30 millions / 26-30 triệu ● Above 30 millions / Trên 30 triệu From questions to 20, read each statement and then choose the number of the statement that indicates how you feel about yourself There is no right or wrong answers Please choosing a scale from to (frequency level) as below (1) Almost Never (2) Sometime (about several times a month) (3) Often (several times a week) (4) Almost Always No Questionaires I feel secure I feel rested I feel like a failure I am a steady person I feel inadequate I feel that difficulties are piling up so that I cannot overcome them Some unimportant thoughts run through my mind and bothers me I have disturbing thoughts I make decision easily 10 I get in a state of tension or turmoil as I 49 think over my recent concerns and interests 11 12 13 14 I feel pleasant I take disappointments so keenly that I can‟t put them out of my mind I feel satisfied with myself I worry too much over something that really doesn‟t matter 15 I lack self confidence 16 I am content 17 I am calm, cool, and collected 18 I wish I could be as happy as others seems to be 19 I am happy 20 I feel nervous and restless In this part, 17 questions are about you and your working environment Please think of ONLY one organization when you take this survey If you are or have worked in more than organization, please think about the organization with which you have worked the longest Please read each statement and indicate to what extent you agree with that statement according to below scale: (1) Strongly disagree (2) Disagree (3) Neither agree nor disagree 50 (4) Agree (5) Strongly agree No Questionnaires My job inspires me When I am working, I forget everything else around me It is difficult to detach myself from my job At my job, I am very resilient, mentally I am proud on the work that I Time flies when I am working 10 11 12 I can continue working for very long periods at a time I am immersed in my work When I get up in the morning, I feel like going to work I feel happy when I am working intensely I get carried away when I am working It is often difficult working together with other people 51 At my work, I feel bursting with 13 energy At my work I always persevere, even 14 when things not go well 15 To me, my job is challenging At my job I feel strong and 16 vigorous 17 I am enthusiastic about my job In the last part, questions about you in your work How often during a typical work week have you engaged in the activities below in order to learn and help you better perform your job? Please choosing a scale from to (frequency level) as below 1) Never 2) Rarely (about several times a year) 3) Sometime (about several times a month) 4) Often (about several times a week) 5) All of the time No Questionnaires Experimenting with new ways of performing my work Interacting with a mentor Interacting with my peers Interacting with my supervisors 52 5 Reading management textbooks Reading professional magazines and vendor publications Reflecting about how to improve my performance Searching the internet for job relevant information Using trial and error strategies to learn and better perform 53 Appendix 2: SCALE Trait Anxiety Inventory Spielberger, C D., Gorsuch, R L., Lushene, R., Vagg, P R., & Jacobs, Reference G A (1983) Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press Version Trait Items Original (in English) I feel pleasant I feel nervous and restless I feel satisfied with myself I wish I could be as happy as others seems to be I feel like a failure I feel rested I am calm, cool, and collected I feel that difficulties are piling up so that I cannot overcome them I worry too much over something that really doesn‟t matter 10 I am happy 11 I have disturbing thoughts 12 I lack self confidence 13 I feel secure 14 I make decision easily 15 I feel inadequate 54 16 I am content 17 Some unimportant thoughts run through my mind and bothers me I take disappointments so keenly that I can‟t put them out of my 18 mind 19 I am a steady person I get in a state of tension or turmoil as I think over my recent 20 concerns and interests Utrecht Work Engagement Scale Schaufeli, W B., & Bakker, A B (2003) Utrecht Work Engagement Reference Scale: Preliminary Manual Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands (Available from www.schaufeli.com) When I get up in the morning, I feel like going to work At my work, I feel bursting with energy Vigour At my work I always persevere, even when things not go well I can continue working for very long periods at a time At my job, I am very resilient, mentally At my job I feel strong and Vigorous Dedication To me, my job is challenging 55 My job inspires me I am enthusiastic about my job I am proud on the work that I I find the work that I full of meaning and purpose When I am working, I forget everything else around me Time flies when I am working I get carried away when I am working Absorption It is difficult to detach myself from my job I am immersed in my work I feel happy when I am working intensely Informal workplace learning scale Reference Noe et al'.s (2013) 56 Reflecting about how to improve my performance Experimenting with new ways of performing my work Using trial and error strategies to learn and better perform Interacting with a mentor Informal learning scale Interacting with my supervisors Interacting with my peers Reading professional magazines and vendor publications Searching the internet for job relevant information Reading management textbooks 57