Generativity and its relationships with work climate, leadership and engagement in a sample of university professors in Spain

Research to date has focused primarily on the mental and physical health problems of university faculty. However, given that health includes the presence of well-being, research is also needed on positive indicators of optimal functioning. Generativity is a developmental challenge in adulthood that is defined as a commitment to the flourishing of future generations. Because generativity is intrinsically connected with educators’ vocational development, more research is needed to examine generativity and its underlying working conditions in the university context. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between values and leadership, work climate, engagement, and generativity. A sample of 832 university professors (61.4% women, M age = 47.76, SD = 10.78) from 52 universities in Spain participated in the study, A cross-sectional study was carried out by administering some self-report measures. The results showed positive correlations between leadership values, work climate, engagement, and generativity. Moreover, a mediational analysis showed that both positive leadership values and work climate are related to higher generativity through a positive effect on the level of engagement in the university context. These findings underscore the need to design programs to increase generativity vocation in university faculty by increasing engagement and developing positive organizational practices.