Creating an Engaged Workforce

Abstract

Scholars have increasingly recognized the importance of studying factors leading to employee engagement. However, few researchers have created and tested theoretical models that propose mechanisms linking employee engagement to social contextual variables. Based on a random sample of employees ( n = 391) working across different industrial sectors in the United States, we proposed and tested a model (rooted in the Social Exchange Theory and the Job Demands-Resources Model) that examined how authentic leadership, transparent organizational communication, and work-life enrichment are interrelated. A simplified model containing both significant direct and indirect effects fits the data. Theoretical contributions and managerial ramifications of the study were discussed.