Figure 1
Terms and definitions of employee engagement adopted by various authors
| Term and definition | Author(s) of the definition | Research using the particular definition |
|---|---|---|
| Employee engagement is “a positive, fulfilling | Schaufeli et al | 54 studies |
| work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigour, dedication, and absorption. Rather than a momentary and specific state, engagement refers to a more persistent and pervasive affective–cognitive state that is not focused on any particular object, event, individual, or behaviour” | [2002] | Akhtar et al., 2016; Alessandri et al., 2018; Ali et al., 2018; Bakker and Bal, 2010; Bakker et al., 2012; Bal and De Lange, 2015; Barnes and Collier, 2013; Castanheira, 2016; Cesário and Chambel, 2017; Chong and Lee, 2017; Chughtai and Buckley, 2011; Dijkhuizen et al., 2016; Eldor and Harpaz, 2016; Eldor, 2017; Farndale et al., 2014; Findikli, 2015; Fletcher, 2016; Freeney and Fellenz, 2013; Gordon and Demerouti, 2015; Gorgievski and Moriano, 2014; Gutermann et al., 2017; Halbesleben and Wheeler, 2008; Kapil and Rastogi, 2017; Karatepe, 2011; Karatepe and Aga, 2016; Karatepe and Olugbade, 2016; Kašpárková et al., 2018; Kataria et al., 2013; Khan and Malik, 2017; Kovjanic and Schuh, 2013; Lathabhavan et al., 2017; Lazauskaite-Zabielske et al., 2018; Lin et al., 2016; Lorente and Salanova, 2014; Maden, 2015; Mäkikangas et al., 2016; Menguc and Auh, 2013; Nazir et al.,2017; Nazli and Sheikh Khairudin, 2018; Park et al., 2017; Reijseger et al., 2017; Salanova and Agut, 2005; Schmitt et al., 2016; Shantz and Alfes, 2013; Shantz et al., 2016; Steffens and Haslam, 2014; Suan Choo, 2016; Tims and Bakker, 2013; Tims et al., 2015; Van Beek and Taris, 2014; Wang et al., 2015; Xanthopoulou and Bakker, 2008; Xanthopoulou et al., 2009; Yalabik and Popaitoon, 2013 |
| Personal engagement is “the harnessing of | Kahn [1990] | 5 studies |
| organization members’ selves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances” | Alfes and Truss, 2013; Badal and Harter, 2014; Kim and Koo, 2017; Rahman et al., 2017; Zhong et al., 2016 | |
| Job engagement is “the extent to which an | Saks [2006] | 2 studies |
| individual is psychologically present in a work role” | Albdour and Altarawneh, 2014; Saks, 2006 | |
| Organizational engagement is “the extent to which an individual is psychologically present in his role as a member of an organization” | ||
| Work engagement is “a relatively enduring state | Christian et al | 1 study |
| of mind referring to the simultaneous investment of personal energies in the experience or performance of work” | [2011] | Benn et al., 2015 |
| Employee engagement “represents an | Myrden and | 1 study |
| employee’s enthusiasm, passion and commitment to their work and to the organization, the willingness to invest themselves and expand their discretionary effort to help the employer succeed” | Kelloway [2015] | Myrden and Kelloway, 2015 |
| Employee engagement is “a cognitive | Shuck and | 1 study |
| emotional, and behavioural state directed toward desired organizational outcomes” | Wollard [2010] | Shuck and Zigarmi, 2015 |
| Employee engagement is “the relative strength of an employee’s involvement in and enthusiasm about his or work” | Tritch [2003] | 1 study Medlin et al., 2016 |
Scales used to quantify the level of employee engagement
| Scale | Research using the particular scale |
|---|---|
| UWES-9 [Schaufeli et al., 2002] | 47 studies |
| 9 items rated on 7-point scale | Akhtar et al., 2016; Alessandri et al., 2018; Ali et al., 2018; Bakker and Bal |
| 3 vigor items, 3 dedication items, and 3 absorption items | 2010; Bakker et al., 2012; Bal and De Lange, 2015; Castanheira, 2016; Cesário and Chambel, 2017; Chughtai and Buckley, 2011; Dijkhuizen et al., 2016; Eldor and Harpaz, 2016; Eldor, 2017; Findikli, 2015; Fletcher, 2016; Freeney and Fellenz, 2013; Gordon and Demerouti, 2015; Gorgievski and Moriano, 2014; Gutermann et al., 2017; Kapil and Rastogi, 2017; Karatepe, 2011; Karatepe and Aga, 2016; Karatepe and Olugbade, 2016; Kašpárková et al., 2018; Kataria et al., 2013; Kovjanic and Schuh, 2013; Lathabhavan et al., 2017; Lorente and Salanova, 2014; Maden, 2015; Mäkikangas et al., 2016; Myrden and Kelloway, 2015; Nazir and Islam, 2017; Park et al., 2017; Rahman et al., 2017; Reijseger et al., 2017; Schmitt et al., 2016; Shantz and Alfes, 2013; Shantz et al., 2016; Shuck and Zigarmi, 20151; Steffens and Haslam, 2014; Suan Choo, 2016; Tims and Bakker, 2013; Tims et al., 2015; Van Beek and Taris, 2014; Wang et al., 2015; Xanthopoulou and Bakker, 20082; Xanthopoulou et al., 2009; Yalabik and Popaitoon, 2013 |
| UWES-17 [Schaufeli et al., 2002] | 10 studies |
| 17 items rated on 7-point scale: 6 vigor items, 5 dedication items, and 6 absorption items | Barnes and Collier, 2013; Farndale et al., 20143; Halbesleben and Wheeler, 2008; Khan and Malik, 2017; Lazauskaite-Zabielske et al., 2018; Lin et al., 2016; Menguc and Auh, 2013; Nazli and Sheikh Khairudin, 2018; Salanova and Agut, 2005; Xanthopoulou and Bakker, 2008 General work engagement was assessed with the UWES-9 questionnaire, whereas state work engagement was measured with UWES-17. |
| Saks Engagement Scale [Saks, 2006] | 5 studies |
| 12 items rated on 5-point scale | Albdour and Altarawneh, 2014; Farndale et al., 2014 UWES-17 was applied in order to measure work (individual) engagement, whereas Saks Engagement Scale plus two additional self-designed items were used to measure organizational engagement. |
| 6 job engagement items, and 6 organization | Saks, 2006; Suhartanto and Brien, 2018 |
| engagement items | |
| Gallup Workplace Audit (Q12) [Harter et al. 2002] | 5 studies |
| 12 items rated on 5-point scale | Badal and Harter, 2014; Chong and Lee, 2017; Dash and Muthyala, 2016; |
| 12 employee perceptions of work characteristics | Medlin and Green, 2009; Medlin et al., 2016 |
| items | |
| Job Engagement Scale [Rich et al., 2010] | 2 studies |
| 18 items rated on 5-point scale | Shuck and Zigarmi, 20151; Zhong et al., 2016 |
| 6 physical engagement items, 6 emotional | |
| engagement items, and 6 cognitive engagement items | |
| ISA Engagement Scale [Soane et al. 2012] | 1 study |
| 9 items rated on 7-point scale | Alfes and Truss, 2013 |
| 3 intellectual engagement items, 3 social | |
| engagement items, and 3 affective engagement items | |
| JRA Employee Engagement Scale [JRA, 2007] | 1 study |
| 6 items rated on 5-point scale | Benn et al., 2015 |
| 2 cognitive engagement items, 2 emotional | |
| engagement items, and 2 behavioral engagement items | |
| Passion Scale [Vallerand et al., 2003] | 1 study |
| 14 items rated on 7-point scale | Shuck and Zigarmi, 2015 Shuck and Zigarmi [2015] used a multimeasure approach and applied three scales in order to measure employee engagement: UWES-9, Job Engagement Scale, and Passion Scale. |
| 7 harmonious passion items, and 7 obsessive | |
| passion items |
Data sources used to quantify performance
| Data source | Research studies using the particular data source |
| Self-reported | 47 studies |
| questionnaire | Akhtar et al., 2016; Albdour and Altarawneh, 2014; Alfes and Truss, 2013; Ali et al., 2018; Anitha, 2014; Bal and De Lange, 2015; Barnes and Collier, 2013; Benn et al., 2015; Chong and Lee, 2017; Chughtai and Buckley, 2011; Dalal and Baysinger, 2012; Dash and Muthyala, 2016; Farndale et al., 2014; Findikli, 2015; Fletcher, 2016; Freeney and Fellenz, 2013; Gordon and Demerouti, 2015; Gorgievski and Moriano, 2014; Kapil and Rastogi, 2017; Karatepe and Olugbade, 2016; Kašpárková et al., 2018; Kataria et al., 2013; Khan and Malik, 2017; Kim and Koo, 2017; Lathabhavan et al., 2017; Lorente and Salanova, 2014; Maden, 2015; Mäkikangas et al., 2016; Medlin and Green, 2009; Medlin et al., 2016; Nazir and Islam, 2017; Nazli and Sheikh Khairudin, 2018; Park et al., 2017; Rahman et al., 2017; Reijseger et al., 2017; Saks, 2006; Shantz and Alfes, 2013; Shantz et al., 2016; Shuck and Zigarmi, 2015; Steffens and Haslam, 2014; Suan Choo, 2016; Suhartanto and Brien, 2018; Tims and Bakker, 2013; Tims et al., 2015; Van Beek and Taris, 2014; Xanthopoulou and Bakker, 2008; Zhong et al., 2016 |
| Supervisors’ | 18 studies |
| evaluation | Alessandri et al., 2018; Bakker and Bal, 2010; Bakker et al., 2012; Castanheira, 2016; Cesário and Chambel, 2017; Eldor and Harpaz, 2016; Eldor, 2017; Gutermann et al., 2017; Halbesleben and Wheeler, 2008; Karatepe, 2011; Karatepe and Aga, 2016; Karatepe and Olugbade, 2016; Lazauskaite-Zabielske et al., 2018; Lin et al., 2016; Shantz and Alfes, 2013; Wang et al., 2015; Yalabik and Popaitoon, 2013; Zhong et al., 2016 |
| Colleagues’ | 1 study |
| evaluation | Schmitt et al., 2016 |
| Researcher evaluation | 1 study |
| Kovjanic and Schuh, 2013 | |
| Customers’ | 3 studies |
| evaluation | Menguc and Auh, 2013; Myrden and Kelloway, 2015; Salanova and Agut, 2005 |
| Company financial | 6 studies |
| data | Badal and Harter, 2014; Coco and Jamison, 2011; Dijkhuizen et al., 2016; Gorgievski and Moriano, 2014; Lin et al., 2016; Xanthopoulou et al., 2009 |
Geographical structure of the reviewed studies
| Number | Country where the study was conducted | Number of research reports | Number | Country where the study was conducted | Number of research reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | 10 | 14 | Turkey | 2 |
| 2 | The Netherlands | 10 | 15 | Republic of Korea | 2 |
| 3 | UK | 6 | 16 | Nigeria | 2 |
| 4 | India | 6 | 17 | Czech Republic | 1 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 4 | 18 | Lithuania | 1 |
| 6 | Spain | 3 | 19 | Finland | 1 |
| 7 | Canada | 3 | 20 | Italy | 1 |
| 8 | China | 3 | 21 | Greece | 1 |
| 9 | Malaysia | 3 | 22 | Cyprus | 1 |
| 10 | Germany | 2 | 23 | Indonesia | 1 |
| 11 | Republic of Ireland | 2 | 24 | Jordan | 1 |
| 12 | Portugal | 2 | 25 | Australia | 1 |
| 13 | Israel | 2 |
Categorization of reviewed articles based on the type and level of analyzed performance
| Individual level | Team level | Organizational level | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process | 61 studies | 8 studies | 1 study |
| performance | Akhtar et al., 2016; Albdour and Altarawneh, 2014; Alessandri et al., 2018; Alfes and Truss, 2013; Ali et al., 2018; Anitha, 2014; Bakker and Bal, 2010; Bakker et al., 2012; Bal and De Lange, 2015; Barnes and Collier, 2013; Castanheira, 2016; Cesário and Chambel, 2017; Chong and Lee, 2017; Chughtai and Buckley, 2011; Dalal and Baysinger, 2012; Dash and Muthyala, 2016; Eldor and Harpaz, 2016; Eldor, 2017; Farndale et al., 2014; Findikli, 2015; Fletcher, 2016; Freeney and Fellenz, 2013; Gordon and Demerouti, 2015; Gorgievski and Moriano, 2014; Gutermann et al., 2017; Halbesleben and Wheeler, 2008; Kapil and Rastogi, 2017; Karatepe, 2011; Karatepe and Aga, 2016; Karatepe and Olugbade, 2016; Kašpárková et al., 2018; Kataria et al., 2013; Khan and Malik, 2017; Kim and Koo, 2017; Kovjanic and Schuh, 2013; Lathabhavan et al., 2017; Lin et al., 2016; Lorente and Salanova, 2014; Maden, 2015; Medlin and Green, 2009; Medlin et al., 2016; Myrden and Kelloway, 2015; Nazir and Islam, 2017; Nazli and Sheikh Khairudin, 2018; Park et al., 2017; Rahman et al., 2017; Reijseger et al., 2017; Saks, 2006; Schmitt et al., 2016; Shantz and Alfes, 2013; Shantz et al., 2016; Shuck and Zigarmi, 2015; Suan Choo, 2016; Suhartanto and Brien, 2018; Tims and Bakker, 2013; Tims et al., 2015; Van Beek and Taris, 2014; Wang et al., 2015; Xanthopoulou and Bakker, 2008; Yalabik and Popaitoon, 2013; Zhong et al., 2016 | Findikli, 2015; Freeney and Fellenz, 2013; Kataria et al., 2013; Mäkikangas et al., 2016; Menguc and Auh, 2013; Salanova and Agut, 2005;Steffens and Haslam, 2014; Tims and Bakker, 2013 | Farndale et al., 2014 |
| Outcome | 4 studies | 4 studies | 3 studies |
| performance | Gorgievski and Moriano, 2014; Lazauskaite- Zabielske et al., 2018; Lin et al., 2016; Shantz et al., 2016 | Coco and Jamison, 2011; Badal and Harter, 2014; Suhartanto and Brien, 2018; Xanthopoulou et al., 2009 | Benn et al., 2015; Dijkhuizen et al., 2016; Gorgievski and Moriano, 2014 |
Subcategorization of reviewed articles based on type and level of analyzed performance
| Individual level | Team level | Organizational level | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process performance | 61 studies | 8 studies | 1 study |
| Task performance | 40 studies | 7 studies | 1 study |
| Contextual performance | 45 studies | 2 studies | 1 study |
| Outcome performance | 4 studies | 4 studies | 3 studies |
| Financial performance | 2 studies | 4 studies | 2 studies |
| Nonfinancial performance | 2 studies | 2 studies | 3 studies |
Statistical modeling techniques applied to verify the association between employee engagement and performance
| Statistical technique | Research studies using the particular technique |
| Structural equation | 42 studies |
| modeling | Alessandri et al., 2018; Alfes and Truss, 2013; Ali et al., 2018; Anitha, 2014; Bakker et al., 2012; Barnes and Collier, 2013; Benn et al., 2015; Castanheira, 2016; Chughtai and Buckley, 2011; Coco and Jamison, 2011; Eldor, 2017; Findikli, 2015; Freeney and Fellenz, 2013; Gorgievski and Moriano, 2014; Gutermann et al., 2017; Halbesleben and Wheeler, 2008; Karatepe and Aga, 2016; Karatepe and Olugbade, 2016; Kašpárková et al., 2018; Kataria et al., 2013; Kim and Koo, 2017; Kovjanic and Schuh, 2013; Lathabhavan et al., 2017; Lazauskaite-Zabielske et al., 2018; Lorente and Salanova, 2014; Maden, 2015; Medlin and Green, 2009; Medlin et al., 2016; Myrden and Kelloway, 2015; Nazir and Islam, 2017; Nazli and Sheikh Khairudin, 2018; Park et al., 2017; Reijseger et al., 2017; Salanova and Agut, 2005; Shantz and Alfes, 2013; Shantz et al., 2016; Suan Choo, 2016; Suhartanto and Brien, 2018; Tims and Bakker, 2013; Tims et al., 2015; Van Beek and Taris, 2014; Yalabik and Popaitoon, 2013 |
| Multilevel linear | 25 studies |
| regression | Albdour and Altarawneh, 2014; Akhtar et al., 2016; Bakker and Bal, 2010; Bal and De Lange, 2015; Cesário and Chambel, 2017; Dalal and Baysinger, 2012; Dijkhuizen et al., 2016; Eldor and Harpaz, 2016; Badal and Harter, 2014; Fletcher, 2016; Gordon and Demerouti, 2015; Kapil and Rastogi, 2017; Karatepe, 2011; Khan and Malik, 2017; Lin et al., 2016; Mäkikangas et al., 2016; Menguc and Auh, 2013; Rahman et al., 2017; Saks, 2006; Schmitt et al., 2016; Steffens and Haslam, 2014; Wang et al., 2015; Xanthopoulou and Bakker, 2008; Xanthopoulou et al., 2009; Zhong et al., 2016 |
| Bayesian methods | 1 study |
| Shuck and Zigarmi, 2015 | |
| Canonical | 1 study |
| discriminant analysis | Dash and Muthyala, 2016 |
| Pearson correlation | 1 study |
| coefficient | Chong and Lee, 2017 |
| t-Test | 1 study |
| Farndale et al., 2014 |