EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: AN EXPLORATION OF ITS EVOLUTION, DRIVERS AND MEASURES

Abstract

Employee engagement has recently become a mechanism to improve organisational performance, yet there has been inadequate understanding of the multidimensional measures adopted to measure engagement. Employee requirements go beyond the traditional perceived basic salary, and that has shifted the focus of employers to strive to understand the true principle of the employee engagement practices. The concept has however remained a difficult notion to understand, thereby generating great interest among Human Resource Management scholars. Yet, though scholars disagree with the criteria used to measure engagement, there is a general consensus that employee engagement is related to organisational performance and has been known to offer firms the most needed competitive advantage. The general objective of this study therefore is to do an in-depth exploration of the concept of employee engagement, tracing its origin and development, explore its drivers and ascertain the various dimensions that inform its measurements. Specifically, the study has three objectives; namely: to explore the meaning and evolution of employee engagement, to establish its drivers, and to asses the tools used for measuring it. The methodology involves a structured review of literature including academic journals, books and other relevant publications. Results indicate that the first conceptualization of employee engagement can be traced back to the idea of ‘embracement’ and is still evolving. Five key instruments used to measure employee engagement are unearthed and a discussion of the strengths and weakness of each offered. The main contribution of this study is that it has offered indicators that organisations can use to determine whether or not employees are engaged in their work, knowledge that is necessary to assist in decision-making relating to human resource management.