Work engagement: A quantitative review and test of its relations with task and contextual performance

Michael S. Christian, Adela S. Garza, Jerel E. Slaughter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1853 Scopus citations

Abstract

Many researchers have concerns about work engagement's distinction from other constructs and its theoretical merit. The goals of this study were to identify an agreed-upon definition of engagement, to investigate its uniqueness, and to clarify its nomological network of constructs. Using a conceptual framework based on Macey and Schneider (2008;Industrial and Organizational Psychology,1, 3-30), we found that engagement exhibits discriminant validity from, and criterion related validity over, job attitudes. We also found that engagement is related to several key antecedents and consequences. Finally, we used meta-analytic path modeling to test the role of engagement as a mediator of the relation between distal antecedents and job performance, finding support for our conceptual framework. In sum, our results suggest that work engagement is a useful construct that deserves further attention.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)89-136
Number of pages48
JournalPersonnel Psychology
Volume64
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2011

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Work engagement: A quantitative review and test of its relations with task and contextual performance'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this