Purpose
The purpose of this paper
is to investigate the impact of virtual community trust on job engagement and
person-job fit in the context of digital work platforms. The emergence of the
platform economy is changing the work environment fundamentally. It has enabled
the appearance of alternative work arrangements, such as temporary organizing
and the increase of independent contracting, also among highly specialized
knowledge workers.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected with an online survey and used to
test the relationships between virtual community trust, job engagement and
person-job fit. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling
were used to test the goodness of a theoretical model.
Findings
Based on the data of 127 experts contracting on
digital work platforms, virtual community trust positively affects both job
engagement and person-job fit. In addition, the relationship between job
engagement and person-job fit in the context of digital work platforms is
significant and positive.
Practical
implications
This study shows that trust among independent
contractors working on digital platforms is important for job engagement, and
that platform providers can improve work performance through person-job fit by
assisting in the creation of trust among members of their platforms.
Originality/value
Research literature on knowledge work in the changing
context of work is scarce, and the role of trust in the context of digital work
platforms needs clarification. This paper tests a theoretical model on the
effects of trust among highly skilled experts working in the digital platform
context as independent contractors, and provides evidence for the importance of
building trust among members of a virtual work community.