Organizational support and empowerment as background of empowered behavior and employee participation

This article presents a study on some behavioral background end employee participation in personnel development activities. The goal of the study is to analyze the influence of organizational support and psychological empowerment on empowered behavior. Employees of 3 maquiladoras from Antioquia (Colombia) voluntarily participated in the study. Structural equation modeling was used in data analysis. The findings suggest that organizational support has a positive indirect influence on workers' behavioral empowerment and participation in employee development programs, with psychological empowerment acting as a mediator variable. As a result, enhancing a supportive and empowering organizational atmosphere is highly recommended. (C) 2016 Universidad ICESI. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.