Zaw, T. T. and Santoso, D. S. (2026) Empowered to engage: The mediating role of psychological capital among Myanmar construction engineers. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, pp. 1-18. ISSN 2044-124X
Abstract
Purpose – Although work engagement has been widely studied, limited research has explored the psychological mechanisms underlying engagement in developing countries. This study examines how first-order psychological capital (self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience) mediates the relationship between psychological empowerment and work engagement among construction engineers in Myanmar. Amid evolving political and socio-economic challenges, enhancing engagement through psychological resources is crucial for sustaining productivity. This study addresses a gap by exploring how these resources support engagement in unstable contexts. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was used to assess psychological empowerment, psychological capital, and work engagement. Data were collected from 266 construction engineers in Yangon, Myanmar using a structured questionnaire. Participants were required to have a minimum of two years of construction experience and at least six months in their current organization. Path analysis of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS, was used to test the research hypotheses. Findings – The results indicate a significant positive impact of psychological empowerment on work engagement, with optimism and resilience serving as notable mediators. In contrast, self-efficacy and hope showed limited predictive power in this context. These findings suggest that socio-economic challenges may influence how specific psychological resources affect engagement. Originality/value – This study contributes to construction management by testing the mediation of specific PsyCap dimensions (self-efficacy, hope, optimism, resilience) in the relationship between psychological empowerment and work engagement in Myanmar's developing construction sector. The finding also suggests that the different components of PsyCap have unequal effects on engagement under uncertainty.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | employee engagement; employee welfare; Myanmar; psychological capital; psychological empowerment; socio-economic challenges; work engagement; workforce development |
| Index terms: | Myanmar, self-efficacy, testing, construction sector, engineer, questionnaire, path analysis, methodology, empowerment, productivity, structural equation modelling, mediator, developing country, mediation, employee engagement, workforce development, research design, dimension |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, professional development, Geography, research design and methodology, health monitoring assessment and metrics, statistical analysis, profession, professional practice, human factors and perception, psychology, dispute resolution, management, research methods, industry analysis, development economics |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Legal Issues, Engineering Principles, International Construction, Education, Roles and Professions, Geographical Context, Human Resources, Health and Safety, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here