Is a Transdisciplinary Theory of Engagement in Organized Settings Possible? A Concept Analysis of the Literature on Employee Engagement, Consumer Engagement and Patient Engagement

Abstract

Organizations are experiencing increased competition, disruptive innovation, and continuous changes in their social and economic context. Furthermore, the decrease of resources (economic and human) in such a demanding context make it imperative for organizations to find new models and strategies to make their service delivery more sustainable at the economic, environmental and psychological levels. In such a complex scenario the concept of engagement of the individuals involved in organized settings (either as service providers or as final receivers) is a promising lever for innovation. However, despite the number of studies on the matter, the debate on engagement is still very fragmented because the corpus of literature addressing the different areas of engagement is divided and diverse in its nature. In this paper, we discuss the results of a conceptual analysis of the literature conducted in order to investigate overlapping features and areas of divergence among three different areas of investigation and application of the engagement phenomenon in organized settings: the domains of employee engagement, consumer engagement, and patient engagement. These are deliberately selected as prototypical of the phenomenon of engagement along the “inside/outside” of organizational settings. The analysis consisted in a qualitative conceptual survey? Of the scholarly literature indexed with the key terms “employee engagement,” “consumer engagement,” and “patient engagement.” We performed a key-word based survey? Of the literature in the Scopus database. A total of 163 articles were selected and analyzed. The analysis cast light on the following areas of conceptual overlap among employee, consumer and patient engagement: (1) engagement is different from empowerment and activation; (2) engagement is a multi-componential psychological experience; (3) engagement is a self-transformative experience; (4) engagement develops within a relational context; (5) engagement is a systemic phenomenon. These findings, although preliminary and in need of further investigation, suggest the feasibility of promoting a transdisciplinary reflection on the phenomenon of engagement in organized settings.

Work Engagement among Rescue Workers: Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese UWES

“…Additionally, the recent Schaufeli ( 2017a ) publication of the general engagement scale (UGES), with 9 items evaluating daily activities and not only work/job activities will broad the evaluation of engagement and its relationship with psychological variables such as positive and negative affect, satisfaction with life, personality traits (Schaufeli, 2017b ), or sense of coherence and trauma (Dudek and Koniarek, 2000 ; Veronese and Pepe, 2017 ). Thus, work engagement seems to be an important concept to study among workers and organizations, considering that organizations are facing more competition, innovation, and constant changes, and also a decrease of resources (Graffigna, 2017 ). Engaged workers are thus an important element for organizations' productivity or to the care/services they provide to citizens.…”

Investigating the Direct Impact of a Gamified Versus Nongamified Well-Being Intervention: An Exploratory Experiment

“…However, although motivation can be seen as necessary, it is not sufficient to achieve engagement [ 28 ]. Engagement may be seen as a multidimensional construct, consisting of behavioral, cognitive, and affective components [ 28 , 29 ]. In the case of Web-based health interventions, the behavioral component may refer to the usage of or adherence to the intervention [ 16 ].…”

Key factors for successful implementation of the National Rollover Protection Structure Rebate Program: A correlation analysis using the consolidated framework for implementation research

“…In these cases, individuals who are providing feedback about program implementation and fundraising may feel a greater sense of ownership, thus motivating them to be further involved. Ownership has often been cited as a key motivator for employees, stakeholders, and other populations (35)(36)(37)(38), as it facilitates the transformation of individuals' roles and responsibilities within an organization or organized effort (38). In the public health sector, community coalitions have focused on ownership as an indicator of increased engagement and improved health outcomes (39).…”

“…In continuing with the NRRP implementation, it may be helpful to consult the stakeholder and employee engagement literature for guidance and strategies. For example, modifying communication strategies, engaging in shared leadership strategies, and simultaneously targeting emotion, beliefs, and behaviors could help improve stake-holder engagement (37,38). Further work to evaluate changes in the CFIR survey items discussed in this manuscript would be beneficial to assess the impact of such strategies.…”