The Relationship between Work Engagement, Organizational Identification, and Work Effectiveness of Highly Qualified Specialists: An Empirical Study based on Chinese Enterprises

Abstract

In the knowledge economy era, highly qualified specialists (HQS) have become critical drivers of enterprise innovation and competitiveness. However, traditional performance evaluation systems often overlook the psychological mechanisms underlying their work effectiveness. Drawing on performance management theory and social identity theory, this study constructs a theoretical model examining the relationships among work engagement, organizational identification, and work effectiveness of HQS. Using survey data from 562 highly qualified specialists in Chinese enterprises, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that both work engagement (β = 0.359, p < 0.001) and organizational identification (β = 0.272, p < 0.001) are significantly and positively associated with work effectiveness. Furthermore, organizational identification partially mediates the relationship between work engagement and work effectiveness (indirect effect = 0.098, 95% CI [0.072, 0.128]). This study reveals the intrinsic mechanisms shaping HQS work effectiveness and provides empirical evidence for optimizing performance evaluation systems in Chinese enterprises.