Leadership effectiveness, perceived organizational support and work ability: Mediating role of job satisfaction

Introduction: The construct of work ability has the potential to guide research and practice on how best to support employees throughout the lifespan. Work ability has only recently gained attention in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology literature, though studied extensively in the occupational health literature. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of leadership effectiveness and perceived organizational support with work ability, considering the mediating role of job satisfaction. Method: Data were gathered from a sample of 330 employees of an industrial organization in Ahvaz, Iran, who were selected by stratified random sampling method. Among this sample, 72 percent were men and the average age was 41 years. The fitness of the proposed model was examined through structural equation modeling (SEM), using SPSS-19 and AMOS-18 software packages. The indirect effects were tested using the bootstrap procedure in Preacher and Hayes (2008) SPSS Macro program for mediation. Results: Findings indicated that the proposed model fit the data properly. Results also revealed that leadership effectiveness and perceived organizational support significantly correlated with work ability. In addition, job satisfaction mediated these relationships. Conclusion: In an attempt to improve work ability of workers, there is a strong need to make employees feel supported by the organization and supervisors. This may be achieved by educating supervisors and employees regarding the beneficial and associated consequences of good work ability.