Madden, Adrian and Bailey, Katie (2017) Engagement: where has all the 'power' gone? Organizational Dynamics, 46 (2). pp. 113-119. ISSN 0090-2616

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Abstract

This article examines power and engagement. Since Kahn first explained engagement as the way people invest themselves in their work roles based on influence and role status, the engagement movement has subsequently experienced particular momentum both in academic and practitioner circles. The extensive body of evidence on engagement suggests that it is linked to a range of organizational outcomes as well as work-related measures of individual wellbeing. However, this evidence draws mainly from concepts and theories grounded in psychology and therefore important issues of context are often neglected. Moreover, the way engagement has been conceptualized reflects a particular gap in relation to the concept of power and tends to gloss over the realities of organizational life. We consider this limitation of the evidence and its implications along with ways in which other approaches to researching engagement might help to create more accurate and authentic accounts of the lived reality of work engagement.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	University of Sussex Business School > Business and Management
Research Centres and Groups:	Future of Work Hub
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business > HF5549 Personnel management. Employment management
Depositing User:	Katie Bailey
Date Deposited:	18 Nov 2016 15:18
Last Modified:	01 Jul 2019 15:17
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/65542

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