Engagement at Work: Beyond the Hype Via An Evidence-Based Approach

Denise M. Rousseau

Carnegie Mellon University

What Social Science and Management Research Says

Engagement is…

Simultaneous employment and expression of a person’s preferred self in task behaviors that promote connections to work and others, personal presence (physical cognitive and emotional) and active full performances (W.A. Kahn)

Engagement is measured as…

Vigor, dedication, absorption (Salanova et al.)

Why HR Cares: Engagement’s Effects*Individual

Higher Job Satisfaction**Lower AbsenteeismLower TurnoverHigher Job PerformanceHigher Commitment

Group or TeamMoraleCohesionRapport Service Climate

CustomerLoyalty

CompanyProductivity**Profitability**

*(See Salanova et al, 2005 for evidence, other citations, etc. unless otherwise noted)** (Harter et al. 2002)

Helping People to be Fully Present:How to Create Engagement

Add Critical ResourcesTrainingAutonomyEnabling Technology (to informate routine tasks)

Remove ObstaclesPhysical stressors

excessive hours, travellack of exercise, poor diet

Psychological inauthentic conduct (secrecy, informal politics, mixed messages) & unmanageable conflicts (time, goals, work/home

Engagement and Information Processing

Full engaged people are mindful…

Using more of their intelligence (cognitive, emotional, physical dexterity) in accomplishing a task

Processing information more completely via the two types of information processing

1. Automatic/Existing learning: established categories and scripts (for routine situations)

2. Systematic/New learning: creating new categories, ways of behaving, and standards

An Exemplar of an Engaged Organization:FEDEX

High competency at established routines99.9% on time service via highly informated work system (who designed it?)

High flexibility in face of new demands The late payroll (who handles customer exceptions?)

How is it FEDEX workers can do both?

Bottom-Line

A positive workplace

Development and use of their valued skills

A compelling future (their career and family well-being is enhanced)

Sources

Kenneth G. Brown (2005) An Examination of the Structure and Nomological Network of Trainee Reactions: A Closer Look at "Smile Sheets." Journal of AppliedPsychology September 2005 Vol. 90, No. 5, 991-1001.

James K. Harter, Frank L. Schmidt & Theodore L. Hayes (2002) Business-Unit-Level Relationship Between Employee Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, and Business Outcomes A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology April 2002 Vol. 87, No. 2, 268-279.

R.E. Johnson, C-H Chang & R.G. Lord (2006) Moving from cognition to behavior: What the research says. Psychological Bulletin, 2006, 132, 381-415.

W.A. Kahn (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, Vol 33, 1990, 692-724

W.A. Kahn (1992). To be fully there: Psychological presence at work., Human Relations, Vol 45, 1992, 321-349

Marisa Salanova, Sonia Agut, and Jose Maria Peiró (2005) Linking Organizational Resources and Work Engagement to Employee Performance and Customer Loyalty The Mediation of Service Climate. Journal of Applied Psychology November 2005 Vol. 90, No. 6, 1217-1227