A model of employee engagement, motivation and resilience for women retention within the science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (stem) field

Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to develop a model of employee engagement, motivation and resilience for women retention within science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) field. The secondary aim was to determine the demographic characteristics of employees (gender, marital status, age, educational qualifications and tenure) moderating their retention. A cross–sectional quantitative research design was followed, using explanatory and descriptive research. The data was collected through an online survey, with a questionnaire administered to a sample of 458 engineering employees in South Africa to collect the biographical information and measure their employee engagement, motivation and resilience for retention. The Employee Engagement Instrument of Nienaber and Martins (2014) was used to measure the three dimensions of employee engagement; the Work Preference Inventory of Amabile (1987) to measure the two dimensions of motivation; the Stress Adaptation Scale of Phan et al. (2019a) to measure the two dimensions of employee resilience; and the Turnover Intention Scale 6 of Roodt (2004) to measure employee retention. Based on the literature review, a theoretical model of employee engagement, motivation and resilience for women retention in STEM was developed and empirically tested through structural equation modelling (SEM). Regression analysis was performed using the dependent variable employee retention (turnover intention) and the independent variables employee engagement, motivation and employee resilience. These variables were entered into the model to explain their total variance in terms of employee retention. The three independent variables explained 38% (large effect size) of the variance in turnover intentions. This suggests that the total variance in the dependent variable is explained by the three independent variables. The results revealed significant relationships between the three independent variables. Specifically, they revealed employee engagement as the significant predictor of turnover intention. A final model of employee engagement, motivation and resilience for women retention within STEM was developed based on the statistical analysis with simplified representations of complex systems, processes or behaviours for understanding how to create an environment to allow women in STEM to be engaged, motivated and resilient to thrive amid challenges. Based on the research results, recommendations are made for industrial psychology professionals to advance employee engagement, motivation and resilience for retention practices in STEM.

Maikaelelomagolo a thutopatlisiso eno e ne e le go dira sekao ka go akanyediwa ga badiri mo tirong, go rotloediwa ga bone le boitsetsepelo jwa bone go netefatsa gore badiri ba basadi ba tswelela go nna teng mo tirong ya mo maphateng a Saense, Thekenoloji, Boenjeneri kgotsa Mmetshe (STEM). Maikaelelo a bobedi e ne e le go tlhomamisa dipharologantsho tsa dipalopalo tsa badiri go laola netefatso ya gore ba tswelela go nna teng mo tirong, dipharologantsho tsa bong, maemo a lenyalo, dingwaga, dithutego le pakatiro. Go latetswe mokgwa wa tlhomamiso e e sekasekang dipalopalo tse di kgobokantsweng ka nako e e rileng, ka go dirisa tlhotlhomiso e e tlhalosang tiragalo e e rileng le gore ke goreng e diragetse. Go kgobokantswe deitha ka go dirisa patlisiso ya mo inthaneteng, ka lenaanepotso le le dirisitsweng mo sampoleng ya badiri ba le 458 ba baenjeneri mo Aforika Borwa go kgobokanya tshedimosetso ka ga botshelo jwa bone le go lekanya go akanyediwa ga badiri mo tirong, go rotloediwa ga bone le boitsetsepelo jwa bone go netefatsa go tswelela go nna teng ga bone mo tirong. Go dirisitswe sediriswa se se lekanyang go akanyediwa ga badiri mo tirong (Nienaber & Martins 2014) go lekanya matlhakore a le mararo a go akanyediwa ga badiri mo tirong; go dirisitswe lenaanepotso la gore ba kgothadiwa ke eng kgotsa ba nyemisiwa mooko ke eng ka tiro ya bone (Amabile 1987) go lekanya matlhakore a mabedi a thotloetso; go dirisitswe sekale sa bokgoni jwa go dira sentle mo maemong a kgatelelomaikutlo (Phan et al. 2019a) go lekanya matlhakore a mabedi a boitsetsepelo jwa badiri; mme go dirisitswe sekale se se lekanyang tshwetso le keletso ya badiri go batla tiro e nngwe go sele sa 6 (Roodt 2004) go lekanya netefatso ya go tswelela go nna le badiri mo tirong. Go ya ka tshekatsheko ya dikwalo, sekao sa tiori sa go akanyediwa ga badiri mo tirong, go rotloediwa ga bone go netefatsa gore badiri ba basadi ba tswelela go nna teng mo tirong mo STEM se dirilwe le go lekeletswa ka go dirisa mekgwatiriso e e farologaneng ya go sekaseka dikamano tse di raraaneng fa gare ga dilekanngwa tse di lebeletsweng ka tlhamalalo le tse di sa lebelelwang ka tlhamalalo (SEM). Go diragaditswe tshekatsheko e e bonelang pele dipalopalo ka go dirisa selekanngwa se se ikaegileng ka se sengwe sa go netefatsa gore badiri ba tswelela go nna teng kwa tirong (tshwetso le keletso ya badiri go batla tiro e nngwe go sele) le dilekanngwa tse di ka fetolwang ke motlhotlhomisi go bona dipholo tse di farologaneng mo go akanyediweng ga badiri mo tirong ya viii bone, go rotloediwa le boitsetsepelo jwa badiri. Dilekanngwa tseno di tsentswe mo sekaong go tlhalosa pharologano yotlhe ya tsone malebana le netefatso ya go tswelela go nna le badiri mo tirong. Dilekanngwa tse tharo tse di kgonang go fetolwa di tlhalositse 38.0% (pharologano ya botlhokwa) ya pharologano mo ditshwetsong le dikeletso tsa go batla tiro e nngwe go sele. Seno se tshitsinya gore pharologano yotlhe mo selekanngweng se se ikaegileng ka tse dingwe e tlhalosiwa ke dilekanngwa tse tharo tse di kgonang go fetolwa. Dipholo di senotse dikamano tsa botlhokwa fa gare ga dilekanngwa tse tharo tse motlhotlhomisi o kgonang go di fetola go fitlhelela dipholo tse di farologaneng. Segolo bogolo, di senotse go akanyediwa ga badiri mo tirong jaaka sebonelapele sa botlhokwa sa tshwetso le keletso ya modiri go batla tiro e e botoka go sele. Sekao sa bofelo sa go akanyediwa ga badiri mo tirong, thotloetso le boitsetsepelo go netefatsa gore badiri ba basadi ba tswelela go nna teng mo tirong ya mo STEM se tlhamilwe go ikaegile ka tshekatsheko ya dipalopalo tse di nang le ditlhaloso tse di nolofaditsweng tsa mekgwatsamaiso e e raraaneng, ditirego tse di rileng kgotsa maitsholo a go tlhaloganya tsela ya go tlhama maemo a a neelang basadi ba ba mo STEM tšhono ya tsaya karolo, go rotloediwa le go nna le boitsetsepelo gore ba atlege le fa ba dikaganyeditswe ke dikgwetlho. Go ikaegile ka dipholo tsa tlhotlhomiso, go atlanegisiwa gore baporofešenale ba ba tsepamisang mo maitsholong a badiri mo lefelotirong la bone ba tsweledise go akanyediwa ga badiri mo tirong, thotloetso ya bone le boitsetsepelo jwa bone go direla mekgwatiriso ya go netefatsa gore ba tswelela go nna teng mo tirong ya mo STEM.

Inhloso eyinhloko yalolu cwaningo kwakuwukusungula imodeli yokuzibandakanya kwabasebenzi, ugqozi kanye nokuqina kokugcinwa kwabesifazane ngaphakathi kwemikhakha yeSayensi, Ubuchwepheshe, Ubunjiniyela noma Izibalo noma Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM). Inhloso yesibili kwakuwukunquma izici zezibalo zabasebenzi abalinganisa ukugcinwa kwabo, okungukuthi ubulili, isimo somshado, ubudala, iziqu zemfundo kanye neminyaka yokusebenza. Kwalandelwa idizayini yocwaningo lobuningi obuhlukene, kusetshenziswa ucwaningo oluchazayo noluchazayo. Idatha yaqoqwa ngocwaningo lwe-inthanethi, nohlu lwemibuzo olunikezwe isampula yabasebenzi bonjiniyela abangama-458 eNingizimu Afrika ukuze baqoqe imininingwane yabo yezomlando kanye nokukala ukusebenzelana kwabo nabasebenzi, ugqozi kanye nokuqina ukuze bagcinwe. Ithuluzi lokubandakanya abasebenzi (u-Nienaber & Martins 2014) lasetshenziswa ukukala izilinganiso ezintathu zokuzibandakanya kwabasebenzi; i-inventory yezintandokazi zomsebenzi (Amabile 1987) yasetshenziswa ukukala izilinganiso ezimbili zokugqugquzela; isikali sokuzivumelanisa nezimo zokucindezeleka (Phan et al. 2019a) sasetshenziswa ukukala izinhlangothi ezimbili zokuqina kwabasebenzi; kanye nesikali senhloso yesi-6 (Roodt 2004) sasetshenziswa ukukala ukugcinwa kwabasebenzi. Ngokusekelwe ekubuyekezweni kwezincwadi, imodeli yetiyetha yokuzibandakanya kwabasebenzi, ugqozi kanye nokuqina kokugcinwa kwabesifazane ku-STEM yathuthukiswa futhi yavivinywa ngokwamandla isakhiwo semodeli yezibalo noma nge-structural equation modeling (SEM). Ukuhlaziywa kokuhlehla kwenziwa kusetshenziswa ukugcinwa kwabasebenzi okuncikile (inhloso yenzuzo) kanye nokuhlukahluka okuzimele kokuzibandakanya kwabasebenzi, ugqozi kanye nokuqina kwabasebenzi. Lokhu okuguquguqukayo kwafakwa kumodeli ukuze kuchazwe ukuhluka kwazo okuphelele mayelana nokugcinwa kwabasebenzi. Okuhluka okuthathu okuzimele kuchaze ama-38.0% (usayizi womphumela omkhulu) wokuhluka kwezinhloso zenzuzo. Lokhu kuphakamisa ukuthi ukuhluka okuphelele kokuhluka okuncikile kuchazwa yiziguquguquko ezintathu ezizimele. Imiphumela iveze ubudlelwano obubalulekile phakathi kweziguquko ezintathu ezizimele. Ngokukhethekile, baveze ukuzibandakanya kwabasebenzi njengesibikezelo esibalulekile senhloso yenzuzo. Imodeli yokugcina yokuzibandakanya kwabasebenzi, ugqozi kanye nokuqina kokugcinwa x kwabesifazane ngaphakathi kwe-STEM yathuthukiswa ngokusekelwe ekuhlaziyweni kwezibalo ngezethulo ezilula zezinhlelo eziyinkimbinkimbi, izinqubo noma ukuziphatha ukuze kuqondwe indlela yokudala indawo yokuvumela abesifazane ku-STEM ukuba bahlanganyele, bagqugquzelwe futhi baqine ukuze baphumelele phakathi kwezinselele. Ngokusekelwe emiphumeleni yocwaningo, izincomo zenzelwe ochwepheshe bezengqondo yezezimboni ukuqhubekisela phambili ukuzibandakanya kwabasebenzi, ugqozi kanye nokuqina kwezinqubo zokugcinwa ku-STEM.