Role of Project-Based Work Environment on Employee Well-Being and Employee Performance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16220172Abstract
Abstract Views: 502
Purpose of this research is to gain insight into how variations in project work environment and employee psychological wellbeing influence performance outcomes in project-driven work settings. Additionally, this study has tested the mediating role of employee psychological wellbeing between project work environment and employee performance in a project-based organization. The model is tested empirically over a sample size adhered to the 10-times rule, with ten respondents per item in the 16-item questionnaire, ensuring a total of 160 respondents working in project-based organizations. Smart PLS 4 is used for applying partial least square-based structural equation modelling (SEM) and SPSS 24 software is used for descriptive data analysis. Findings from SEM revealed that altogether project work environment and employee psychological well-being explain a higher percentage of variance in employee performance and that there is a partial and significant mediating effect of psychological wellbeing between work environment and employee performance in a project-based organization. This research seeks to contribute valuable insights to both academia and organizational practitioners, for enhancing employee performance, and wellbeing in project-based organizations.
Keywords:
Employee performance, Employee psychological well-being, Project work environment, Project-based organization, Structural equation modellingReferences
Abu Bakar, M., Omar, K., Saputra, J., & Talib Bon, A. (2021, March). A Review of Employees' Well-being, Psychological Factors and Its Effect on Job Performance Literature. In 11th Annual International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, https://doi.org/10.46254/AN11.20210954.
Adah, C. A., Aghimien, D. O., & Oshodi, O. (2025). Work–life balance in the construction industry: A bibliometric and narrative review. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 32(1), 38–58. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-02-2023-0150
Aghimien, D., Aigbavboa, C. O., Thwala, W. D., Chileshe, N., & Dlamini, B. J. (2024). Help, I am not coping with my job! – A work-life balance strategy for the Eswatini construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 31(13), 140–159. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-11-2021-1060
Aghimien, D., Aliu, J., Akinradewo, O., Aghimien, L., Aigbavboa, C., & Ditsele-Rapodile, K. (2025). PLS-SEM assessment of the impact of job satisfaction on the organisational commitment of women quantity surveyors. International Journal of Construction Management, 25(1), 115–123. https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2024.2304485
Al-Omari, K., & Okasheh, H. (2017). The influence of work environment on job performance: A case study of engineering company in Jordan. International journal of Applied Engineering Research, 12(24), 15544-15550.
Alvi, U. (2017). The effect of psychological wellbeing on employee job performance: Comparison between the employees of projectized and non-projectized organizations. Journal of Entrepreneurship & Organization Management, 06(01). https://doi.org/10.4172/2169-026X.1000206
Anfara Jr, V. A., & Mertz, N. T. (Eds.). (2014). Theoretical frameworks in qualitative research. Sage Publications.
Bakker, A. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., & Taris, T. W. (2008). Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health psychology. Work & Stress, 22(3), 187–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370802393649
Black, A. F., Winefield, H. R., & Chur-Hansen, A. (2011). Occupational stress in veterinary nurses: Roles of the work environment and own companion animal. Anthrozoös, 24(2), 191–202. https://doi.org/10.2752/175303711X12998632257503
Boslaugh, S. (2007). Secondary data sources for public health: A practical guide. Cambridge University Press.
Clausen, T., Madsen, I. E., Christensen, K. B., Bjorner, J. B., Poulsen, O. M., Maltesen, T., ... & Rugulies, R. (2019). The Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Questionnaire (DPQ). Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 45(4), 356-369. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26746262
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage Publications.
Dagenais-Desmarais, V., & Savoie, A. (2012). What is psychological well-being, really? A grassroots approach from the organizational sciences. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13(4), 659–684. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-011-9285-3
Embalsado, J. V., Gopez, B., Montoya, M. A. J., Mangalus, R., & Embalsado, R. L. (2025). Work engagement as a mediator between autonomy support and psychological well-being. International Journal of Management Studies, 32(1), 83-108. https://doi.org/10.32890/ijms2025.32.1.5
Ernst Kossek, E., Kalliath, T., & Kalliath, P. (2012). Achieving employee wellbeing in a changing work environment: An expert commentary on current scholarship. International Journal of Manpower, 33(7), 738-753. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437721211268294
Godenhjelm, S., Lundin, R. A., & Sjöblom, S. (2015). Projectification in the public sector – the case of the European Union. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 8(2), 324–348. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMPB-05-2014-0049
Greenberger, E., Goldberg, W. A., Hamill, S., O’Neil, R., & Payne, C. K. (1989). Contributions of a supportive work environment to parents’ well-being and orientation to work. American Journal of Community Psychology, 17(6), 755–783. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00922737
Iqbal, A. M., Setiadi, I. T., & Samidi, S. (2024). Project management on network and security development using the PMBOK Method. Jurnal Sisfokom (Sistem Informasi dan Komputer), 13(2), 245-252. https://doi.org/10.32736/sisfokom.v13i2.2131
Jarvenpaa, S. L., Knoll, K., & Leidner, D. E. (1998). Is anybody out there? Antecedents of trust in global virtual teams. Journal of management information systems, 14(4), 29-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.1998.11518185
Jones, E., Priestley, M., Brewster, L., Wilbraham, S. J., Hughes, G., & Spanner, L. (2021). Student wellbeing and assessment in higher education: The balancing act. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(3), 438–450. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1782344
Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach: An interactive approach. Sage.
McGaghie, W. C., Bordage, G., & Shea, J. A. (2001). Problem statement, conceptual framework, and research question. Academic Medicine, 76(9), 923-924.
Mihail, D. M., & Kloutsiniotis, P. V. (2016). The effects of high-performance work systems on hospital employees’ work-related well-being: Evidence from Greece. European Management Journal, 34(4), 424–438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2016.01.005
Miterev, M., Mancini, M., & Turner, R. (2017). Towards a design for the project-based organization. International Journal of Project Management, 35(3), 479-491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.12.007
Olawale, O. A., Oyedele, L. O., & Owolabi, H. A. (2020). Construction practitioners’ perception of key drivers of reputation in mega-construction projects. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 18(6), 1571–1592. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEDT-10-2019-0255
Owolabi, H. A., Oyedele, A. A., Oyedele, L., Alaka, H., Olawale, O., Aju, O., Akanbi, L., & Ganiyu, S. (2024). Big data innovation and implementation in projects teams: Towards a SEM approach to conflict prevention. Information Technology & People. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-06-2019-0286
Pinto, J. K., Dawood, S., & Pinto, M. B. (2014). Project management and burnout: Implications of the Demand–Control–Support model on project-based work. International Journal of Project Management, 32(4), 578–589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2013.09.003
Rabuana, N. K. D. N., & Yanuar, Y. (2023). The influence of work environment and work engagement on employee performance mediated by employee well-being. Munaddhomah: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 4(3), 541-557. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v4i3.523
Riyadi, S. (2019). The influence of job satisfaction, work environment, individual characteristics and compensation toward job stress and employee performance. International Review of Management and Marketing, 9(3), 93–99. https://doi.org/10.32479/irmm.6920
Robertson, I. T., & Cooper, C. L. (2010). Full engagement: The integration of employee engagement and psychological well‐being. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 31(4), 324–336. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437731011043348
Ryan, R. (2009). Self determination theory and well being. Social Psychology, 84(822), 848.
Scholarios, D., Hesselgreaves, H., & Pratt, R. (2017). Unpredictable working time, well-being and health in the police service. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(16), 2275–2298. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2017.1314314
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Surma, M. J., Nunes, R. J., Rook, C., & Loder, A. (2021). Assessing employee engagement in a post-COVID-19 workplace ecosystem. Sustainability, 13(20), 11443. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011443
Syre, R., Berntzen, S., Haukeland, J., & Teymoori, A. (2025). Organisational anomie: A qualitative study on homecare workers’ experiences of work and organisational normative structure. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 35(1), e70027. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.70027
Theobald, T., & Cooper, C. (2012). The relationship between happiness and wellbeing. In T. Theobald & C. Cooper, Doing the Right Thing (pp. 13–18). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230359017_3
Tsamarah, D., Safira, A. B., & Cahyaningtyas, I. (2024). The relationship of psychological well-being and perceptions of the work environment with satisfaction work for employees at PT. Suzuki Indomobil Motor. European Journal of Psychological Research, 11(2).
Turner, R., & Miterev, M. (2019). The organizational design of the project-based organization. Project Management Journal, 50(4), 487-498. https://doi.org/10.1177/8756972819859746
Van Den Bosch, R., & Taris, T. W. (2014). The authentic worker’s well-being and performance: The relationship between authenticity at work, well-being, and work outcomes. The Journal of Psychology, 148(6), 659–681. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2013.820684
Varga, J., & Csiszárik-Kocsir, Á. (2024). The role of effective project management in strengthening competitiveness. Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental, 18(2), e06069. https://doi.org/10.24857/rgsa.v18n2-142
Weziak-Bialowolska, D., Lee, M. T., Cowden, R. G., Bialowolski, P., Chen, Y., VanderWeele, T. J., & McNeely, E. (2023). Psychological caring climate at work, mental health, well-being, and work-related outcomes: Evidence from a longitudinal study and health insurance data. Social Science & Medicine, 323, 115841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115841
Xu, J., & Smyth, H. (2023). The ethics of care and wellbeing in project business: From instrumentality to relationality. International Journal of Project Management, 41(1), 102431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2022.11.004
Zhu, L., & Cheung, S. O. (2023). Incentivizing relationship investment for project performance improvement. Project Management Journal, 54(1), 70–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/87569728221132782
Zikmund, W., Ward, S., Lowe, B., Winzar, H., & Babin, B. (2011). Marketing Research: Second Asia-Pacific Edition. South Melbourne: Cencage Learning, 65.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 International Journal of Trends and Innovations in Business & Social Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
