The relationship between work overload, narcissism, and work engagement in Korean firms: the moderated mediation of autonomy, grit, and stress

Purpose The purpose of this study is to empirically examine how work overload and narcissism affect work engagement via job stress, and whether job autonomy and grit moderate this relationship. It contributes to the discourse on work engagement by integrating job, and personal, demands and resources into a single model and elucidating the pathways through which they influence it. This is all done with specific reference to JD-R theory. Design/methodology/approach A moderated mediation model was tested using data from 528 employees in Korean SMEs. The model included job demands (work overload), personal demands (narcissism), job stress (mediator), and job autonomy and grit (moderators). Findings Both work overload and narcissism reduced engagement directly and via stress. Job autonomy buffered these effects, while grit showed limited moderating power, especially in the context of personal demands. Originality/value This study extends JD-R theory by reconceptualizing narcissism as a personal demand and demonstrating how all four JD-R dimensions can jointly shape engagement. It offers a comprehensive model for understanding engagement under strain.