Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of management journal, 33(4), 692-724.
This has an exceptional write up on the qualitative process followed.
Summary
Personal engagement involves employees bringing their “preferred selves” to work, allowing for better integration between self identity and role identity. Disengagement occurs when employees feel unsafe or defensive. Personal disengagement results in employees “perform[ing] roles as external script indicate they should rather than internally interpret[ing] those roles; they act as custodians rather than innovators.” This qualitative paper details three psychological conditions that influence engagement at work - meaningfulness, safety, and availability.
Meaningfulness created feelings of being “worthwhile, useful, and valuable.” Employees experiencing meaningfulness felt like their work made a difference. Task characteristics, such as when tasks were “challenging, clearly delineated, varied, creative, and somewhat autonomous,” heightened meaningfulness. Role characteristics also influenced meaningfulness. High status roles and roles that fit with an individual’s identity both increased meaningfulness. Finally, positive work interactions increased meaningfulness.
Psychological safety is described as “feeling able to show and employ one’s self without fear of negative consequences to self-image, status, or career.” Interpersonal relationships that were supportive or trusting increased psychological safety. Conversely, social disconnection inhibited safety. Insomuch as employees had leeway to fulfill roles how they saw fit, safety was strengthened. However, these group and intergroup dynamics could also hurt (as in the case of receptionist who felt they were only ever seen as “just” a receptionist). Management styles that were supportive, clear, and trusting helped psychological safety. Hypocrisy, unpredictability, inconsistency, and micromanaging all inhibited psychological safety. Finally, by staying within organizational norms, employees felt more psychologically safe.
Psychological availability deals with a person having sufficient resources (physical, emotional, psychological) to engage with work. Lack of physical energy and emotional energy both inhibited availability. When those resources were spent, employees withdrew. Insecurity regarding work and status also inhibited availability. Finally, the attention required by outside life, especially when one had porous boundaries, constrained availability.
Application
If a manager notices disengagement in an employee, the conditions noted in this paper provide them with a good spot to start their troubleshooting. Knowing these factors makes conscious management of them easier.
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