Work Engagement as a Mechanism Linking Work Competence to Nurses' Performance

Abstract

This study examined how organizational culture and work competence were converted into nurses' performance through work engagement at Bogor City Regional General Hospital, Indonesia. A cross-sectional explanatory survey involved 215 nurses from a population of 466, selected with attention to service-unit representation, eligibility, and respondent availability. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling with 5,000 bootstrap subsamples. Organizational culture and work competence positively affected work engagement, with competence exerting the stronger effect. Neither culture nor competence directly affected nurses' performance, whereas work engagement had a positive effect. Work engagement did not mediate the culture-performance relationship but fully mediated the competence-performance relationship. The model explained 77.6% of work engagement but only 23.6% of nurses' performance. These results reveal an asymmetric ability-motivation-opportunity conversion pattern: professional capability improved performance only when nurses actualized it through dedication and psychological involvement. Hospital management should therefore integrate clinical problem-solving development with mentoring, supportive leadership, career pathways, and recognition systems that transform competence into engaged performance.