Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Work-Related Strains and Work Engagement among Job Demand–Resource Model and Success

Abstract

Post-COVID-19 working conditions have been the primary reason behind increased stress among business owners. There is an ever-rising need for entrepreneurial work engagement in their jobs to mitigate the increased entrepreneurial work pressures caused by uncontrolled digitization, enhanced consumer power, and brutal competition. Therefore, this study intends to respond to the existing practical and empirical gaps by investigating the relationships between entrepreneurial job demands (EJD), work-related stress, entrepreneurial job resources (EJR), and entrepreneurial work engagement (WE) for their role in generating entrepreneurial success (ES), especially in the Chinese context. It also tested the mediating role of work-related stress and entrepreneurial work engagement on the relationship between job demands, job resources, and entrepreneurial success. Structured questionnaires were circulated among the targeted respondents (i.e., business owners across China) using quantitative techniques, followed by PLS-SEM for data analysis, as these are the best-suited techniques, considering the context and time constraints. The results verified the impact of job demands on work-related strain, followed by the inverse direct impact of work-related strain on entrepreneurial success. This study found the significant impact of entrepreneurial job resources on entrepreneurial work engagement, followed by the positive impact of WE on entrepreneurial success. Likewise, work engagement’s mediating role was validated, while work-related strain could only negatively mediate the relationship between EJD and ES. Likewise, this study has practical and empirical implications for practitioners and researchers to be mindful of their employees’ emotional states by providing sufficient resources and psychological interventions to ensure business success.

The impact of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine on the Well-Being of German Medical Students: a mixed-methods study

“…The course of stable work engagement is comparable to that during the COVID-19 pandemic [10]. Work engagement might constitute a time-stable factor for the studies also for German private medicine students, as previously connoted as a stable and support-worthy resource for the success of job-related tasks and regulation of demands among workers [33,55]. However, besides work-related outcomes, work engagement may have the power to increase self-e cacy, which is demonstrated as a mediating resource for the in uence of stress during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, lessening feelings of hopelessness in the face of multilevel crises [56].…”

Self-employed and stressed out? The impact of stress and stress management on entrepreneurs’ mental health and performance

“…Entrepreneurs are often exposed to higher levels of stress compared to other occupational groups, which leads to negative health effects ( White and Gupta, 2020 ; Lee et al, 2023 ; Wang et al, 2023 , p. 81). The work demands faced by the self-employed have been extensively studied in the literature in terms of stress levels ( White and Gupta, 2020 ; Lee et al, 2023 ; Wang et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Entrepreneurs are often exposed to higher levels of stress compared to other occupational groups, which leads to negative health effects ( White and Gupta, 2020 ; Lee et al, 2023 ; Wang et al, 2023 , p. 81). The work demands faced by the self-employed have been extensively studied in the literature in terms of stress levels ( White and Gupta, 2020 ; Lee et al, 2023 ; Wang et al, 2023 ). Effectively managing the development and management of stress in the self-employed is therefore a critical success factor that impacts not only the health of the entrepreneur, but also the performance and prosperity of the business ( Wach et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Effectively managing the development and management of stress in the self-employed is therefore a critical success factor that impacts not only the health of the entrepreneur, but also the performance and prosperity of the business ( Wach et al, 2021 ). In recent years, researchers have increasingly focused on the specific stressors faced by the self-employed ( Wach et al, 2021 ; Lee et al, 2023 ; Wang et al, 2023 ). Wach et al (2021) emphasize that the well-being of entrepreneurs is increasingly taking center stage as it directly correlates with business performance and serves as a measure of entrepreneurial success.…”

“… Wach et al (2021) emphasize that the well-being of entrepreneurs is increasingly taking center stage as it directly correlates with business performance and serves as a measure of entrepreneurial success. Therefore, it is imperative to explore strategies that enable entrepreneurs to maintain or enhance their well-being during a demanding workload ( Wach et al, 2021 ; Wang et al, 2023 ).…”