The meaning, antecedents and outcomes of employee engagement:a narrative synthesis

Abstract

The claim that high levels of engagement can enhance organizational performance and individual well-being has not previously been tested through a systematic review of the evidence. To bring coherence to the diffuse body of literature on engagement, the authors conducted a systematic synthesis of narrative evidence involving 214 studies focused on the meaning, antecedents and outcomes of engagement. The authors identified six distinct conceptualizations of engagement, with the field dominated by the Utrecht Group's ‘work engagement’ construct and measure, and by the theorization of engagement within the ‘job demands–resources’ framework. Five groups of factors served as antecedents to engagement: psychological states; job design; leadership; organizational and team factors; and organizational interventions. Engagement was found to be positively associated with individual morale, task performance, extra-role performance and organizational performance, and the evidence was most robust in relation to task performance. However, there was an over-reliance on quantitative, cross-sectional and self-report studies within the field, which limited claims of causality. To address controversies over the commonly used measures and concepts in the field and gaps in the evidence-base, the authors set out an agenda for future research that integrates emerging critical sociological perspectives on engagement with the psychological perspectives that currently dominate the field.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12077
Divisions: College of Business and Social Sciences > Aston Business School
Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Bailey, C., Madden, A., Alfes, K., & Fletcher, L. (2017). The meaning, antecedents and outcomes of employee engagement: a narrative synthesis. International Journal of Management Reviews, 19(1), 31-53, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12077. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
Uncontrolled Keywords: engagement,narrative evidence synthesis,research agenda,Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management,Applied Psychology
Publication ISSN: 1468-2370
Last Modified: 25 Mar 2024 08:19
Date Deposited: 08 Nov 2016 12:15
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: http://onlineli ... .12077/abstract (Publisher URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2017-01
Published Online Date: 2015-07-29
Accepted Date: 2015-06-08
Authors: Bailey, Catherine
Madden, Adrian
Alfes, Kerstin
Fletcher, Luke (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-7238-3480)

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