Definitions and antecedents of engagement: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to present a systematic literature review in the research area of engagement focusing on employee and work engagement. In this respect, this study aims to focus on the definitions between employee and work engagement and their differences, as well as to identify the antecedents of the relevant body of knowledge on engagement. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted drawing on an evidence base of 110 articles published in three- and 4-rated journals retrieved from the Academic Journal Guide (2018) during the years 2000–2021. Findings Through a descriptive and thematic analysis of the literature, the study maps the field as a whole, identifies and categorizes relevant engagement definitions as well as individual- and organization-level antecedents. Important insights and gaps in the existing research that may be exploited for further empirical studies are also pinpointed. Originality/value The study may stimulate future research and represent a reference point for scholars interested in the topic of engagement and at the same time provide added value to human resource practitioners that prefer evidence-based management over success stories.

Evolving approaches to employee engagement: comparing antecedents in remote work and traditional workplaces

“…Job resources refer to the physical, psychological and organizational aspects of the work that reduce job demands and help achieve work goals (Bakker and Demerouti, 2008). For example, job characteristics (Rana et al, 2014;Saks, 2019), job control, job fit (Wollard and Shuck, 2011), supervisory support, colleague support, feedback and autonomy are among the most commonly assessed job resources that drive employee engagement (Bailey et al, 2015;Saks, 2006;Kossyva et al, 2022;Lee et al, 2017). Other studies found a positive relationship between leadership and employee engagement (Carasco-Saul et al, 2015).…”

“…At the organizational level, research shows that factors such as HRD positively influence employee engagement. For example, HRD practices that can boost employee engagement include opportunities for training and development (Lee et al , 2017), talent management (Wollard and Shuck, 2011), rewards and recognition (Basbous and Malkawi, 2017; Kossyva et al , 2022), coaching (Lyons and Bandura, 2021) and performance management (Alam et al , 2022). Also, existing literature supported other factors such as a climate of psychological safety (Bailey et al , 2015), team and coworkers support (Lee et al , 2017) and connection to mission and values (Akingbola and van den Berg, 2019).…”

“…In addition, existing literature indicated three types of related psychological conditions: psychological meaningfulness, psychological safety and psychological availability (Saks and Gruman, 2011). Individual spirituality (Kossyva et al , 2022), mission attachment (Svensson et al , 2021) and work/life balance (Wollard and Shuck, 2011) were also considered positive predictors of employee engagement. Other studies considered factors such as age as an individual antecedent to employee engagement, with older employees tending to be more engaged than younger employees (Alam et al , 2022).…”

The impact of head teacher incivility on teacher engagement and safety behavior in secondary schools: the mediating role of perceived insider status

“…The nine-item self-report Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), which was developed by Schaufeli and Bakker (2004), was used to measure Work Engagement. UWES is the most used measurement instrument to assess the construct of engagement (Kossyva et al, 2022) and it is also adopted in Greek, having a high degree of internal consistency. This constituted a short version of a more detailed one that consisted of seventeen items in a seven-point scale (from 0 5 Never, to 6 5 Always).…”

Retaining talent in knowledge-intensive services: enhancing employee engagement through human resource, knowledge and change management

“…Our study draws on both conservation of resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 2001) and job demands–resources (JD-R) theory (Demerouti et al , 2001), which constitute the most common theories in the research area of engagement (Kossyva et al , 2022).…”