Antecedents of Work Engagement in the Public Sector: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This article systematically reviewed the body of literature concerning work engagement in public organizations, aiming to examine the antecedents of work engagement in the public sector. Web of Science and Scopus, two prominent journal databases, were utilized to identify relevant literature. Adopting the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach, a final of 48 articles were systematically analyzed as research samples. The review identified five main themes: organizational and team factors, perceived leadership, job-related experience, individual, and organizational intervention factors. Generally, most studies reviewed emphasized individual and job-design-related factors as antecedents of work engagement in the public sector. Only minimal emphasis has been placed on organizational intervention compared to the other factors. This study also found that most literature addressed a single or a few themes of work engagement antecedents instead of a comprehensive work engagement model comprising all related aspects. This systematic review ends with directions for future studies to aid future scholars.

What is necessary for high employee engagement and satisfaction? A look at the best places to work in the Federal Government Index

“…Nine independent variables are included in the analysis: Effective Leadership: Empowerment, Effective Leadership: Senior Leaders, Effective Leadership: Supervisors, Employee Skills-Mission Match, Pay, Teamwork, Innovation, Work-Life Balance, and Recognition. These varaibles have been theorized to be antecedents of work enagement and satisfaction (Zahari & Kaliannan, 2022). The independent variables are based on one or more questions from OPM's FEVS.…”

The relationship between work practice environment and work engagement among nurses: The multiple mediation of basic psychological needs and organizational commitment a cross-sectional survey

“…As an important characteristic of organizations, the work practice environment plays a crucial role in creating employee-organizational relationships. When organizations provide a supportive environment (e.g., learning opportunities, cooperative interactions, and emotional support), a positive employee-organizational relationship is established, and employees' basic psychological needs are more likely to be fulfilled, which in turn promotes their engagement in work (7). Organizational commitment is a well-studied concept reflecting the employee-organizational relationship, which refers to one's feelings of attachment toward a particular organization (19).…”

“…To develop effective strategies that foster work engagement, identifying potential predictors of work engagement is imperative. Previous studies have shown that the antecedents of work engagement are diverse ( 6 , 7 ). For example, Zahari et al ( 7 ) summarized 48 articles related to work engagement and found that the predictors of work engagement could be divided into five categories, namely, organizational and team factors, perceived leadership, organizational intervention, job-related experience, and individual factors.…”

“…Previous studies have shown that the antecedents of work engagement are diverse ( 6 , 7 ). For example, Zahari et al ( 7 ) summarized 48 articles related to work engagement and found that the predictors of work engagement could be divided into five categories, namely, organizational and team factors, perceived leadership, organizational intervention, job-related experience, and individual factors. Another review conducted by Kato et al ( 6 ) indicated that job resources (e.g., organizational factors, interpersonal relationship factors, and task factors) and job demands (e.g., quantitative workload) are the main factors that influence work engagement.…”

“…Social Exchange Theory (SET) may serve as a theoretical basis that helps to understand the relationship among the work practice environment, basic psychological need satisfaction, and work engagement. SET is one of the prominent underpinning theories that has been frequently used in previous studies to explain individuals' work engagement ( 7 ). These studies selected SET based on the assumption that work engagement is affected by workplace interactions between organizations and employees ( 17 ).…”