Rapid changes in the business environment driven by digital transformation and technological advancement have revealed the limitations of traditional work systems. In this context, Flexible Work Arrangements have emerged as a key human resource manage...
Rapid changes in the business environment driven by digital transformation and technological advancement have revealed the limitations of traditional work systems. In this context, Flexible Work Arrangements have emerged as a key human resource management strategy aimed at enhancing organizational adaptability and sustainability. However, the implementation of Flexible Work Arrangements does not uniformly lead to higher Job Engagement, as employees demonstrate different levels of engagement even under the same work conditions. This suggests that the effectiveness of Flexible Work Arrangements may depend on individual psychological mechanisms, particularly Self-Directedness.
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of Flexible Work Arrangements on Job Engagement, focusing on the mediating effect of Self-Directedness in large manufacturing organizations. Flexible Work Arrangements are conceptualized as execution factors consisting of institutional factors, human resource management factors, and job-related factors. Self-Directedness is operationalized through work motivation and self-regulation ability, while Job Engagement is measured in terms of job satisfaction, job responsibility, and job attachment.
Data were collected from employees working in large domestic corporations between June and July 2025, and a total of 526 valid responses were used for empirical analysis. Structural equation modeling was conducted using SPSS and AMOS to test the proposed research model.
The results indicate that the execution factors of Flexible Work Arrangements are associated with Self-Directedness, and that Self-Directedness mediates the relationship between Flexible Work Arrangements and Job Engagement. In particular, work motivation plays a central role in linking Flexible Work Arrangements to multiple dimensions of Job Engagement, while self-regulation ability is primarily related to satisfaction and responsibility toward work.
These findings demonstrate that the impact of Flexible Work Arrangements on Job Engagement is influenced not only by organizational design but also by employees’ Self-Directedness. This study contributes to the literature by clarifying the psychological mechanism through which Flexible Work Arrangements affect Job Engagement in large manufacturing organizations.