The Measurement of Engagement and Burnout: A Two Sample Confirmatory Factor Analytic Approach
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the factorial structure of a new instrument to measure engagement, the hypothesized 'opposite' of burnout in a sample of university students (N=314) and employees (N = 619).
Abstract: This study examines the factorial structure of a new instrument to measure engagement, the hypothesized `opposite' of burnout in a sample of university students (N=314) and employees (N=619). In addition, the factorial structure of the Maslach-Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) is assessed and the relationship between engagement and burnout is examined. Simultaneous confirmatory factor analyses in both samples confirmed the original three-factor structure of the MBI-GS (exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy) as well as the hypothesized three-factor structure of engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption). Contrary to expectations, a model with two higher-order factors – ‘burnout’ and ‘engagement’ – did not show a superior fit to the data. Instead, our analyses revealed an alternative model with two latent factors including: (1) exhaustion and cynicism (‘core of burnout’); (2) all three engagement scales plus efficacy. Both latent factors are negatively related and share between 22% and 38% of their variances in both samples. Despite the fact that slightly different versions of the MBI-GS and the engagement questionnaire had to be used in both samples the results were remarkably similar across samples, which illustrates the robustness of our findings.
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TL;DR: In this paper, a model is tested in which burnout and engagement have different predictors and different possible consequences, showing that burnout is mainly predicted by job demands but also by lack of job resources, whereas engagement is exclusively predicted by available job resources.
Abstract: This study focuses on burnout and its positive antipode—engagement. A model is tested in which burnout and engagement have different predictors and different possible consequences. Structural equation modeling was used to simultaneously analyze data from four independent occupational samples (total N = 1698). Results confirm the hypothesized model indicating that: (1) burnout and engagement are negatively related, sharing between 10 per cent and 25 per cent of their variances; (2) burnout is mainly predicted by job demands but also by lack of job resources, whereas engagement is exclusively predicted by available job resources; (3) burnout is related to health problems as well as to turnover intention, whereas engagement is related only to the latter; (4) burnout mediates the relationship between job demands and health problems, whereas engagement mediates the relationship between job resources and turnover intention. The fact that burnout and engagement exhibit different patterns of possible causes and consequences implies that different intervention strategies should be used when burnout is to be reduced or engagement is to be enhanced. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
7,068 citations
Cites background or methods or result from "The Measurement of Engagement and B..."
...Schaufeli et al. (2002a) observed that a core burnout factor—consisting of exhaustion and cynicism—and an extended engagement factor—including professional efficacy in addition to the three original engagement scales—fitted the data best....
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...The items of the UWES are grouped into three subscales that reflect the underlying dimensions of engagement: Vigor (VI) (six items; e.g., ‘When I get up in the morning, I feel like going to work’); Dedication (DE) (five items; e.g., ‘I am enthusiastic about my job’), and Absorption (AB) (six items; e.g., ‘When I am working, I forget everything else around me’)....
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...Two recent studies using confirmative factor analysis demonstrated the factorial validity of the UWES (Schaufeli et al., 2002a, 2002b)....
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...25, 293–315 (2004) Engagement was assessed with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES; Schaufeli et al., 2002a)....
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...While Maslach and Leiter (1997) argue that burnout and engagement are the endpoints of a continuum that is spanned by the MBI, and Schaufeli et al. (2002a, 2002b) argue that burnout and engagement are independent states that should be measured separately by different instruments, the OLBI is…...
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a short questionnaire to measure work engagement, a positive work-related state of fulfillment characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption, which is defined as "a positive work related state of fulfilment".
Abstract: This article reports on the development of a short questionnaire to measure work engagement—a positive work-related state of fulfillment that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. ...
5,203 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the antecedents and consequences of job and organization engagement based on social exchange theory were studied. But, the authors did not consider the relationship between job and organizational engagement.
Abstract: Purpose – Employee engagement has become a hot topic in recent years among consulting firms and in the popular business press. However, employee engagement has rarely been studied in the academic literature and relatively little is known about its antecedents and consequences. The purpose of this study was to test a model of the antecedents and consequences of job and organization engagements based on social exchange theory.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was completed by 102 employees working in a variety of jobs and organizations. The average age was 34 and 60 percent were female. Participants had been in their current job for an average of four years, in their organization an average of five years, and had on average 12 years of work experience. The survey included measures of job and organization engagement as well as the antecedents and consequences of engagement.Findings – Results indicate that there is a meaningful difference between job and organization engagements and that perceived organi...
4,239 citations
Cites background from "The Measurement of Engagement and B..."
...Schaufeli et al. (2002, p. 74) define engagement “as a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption.” They further state that engagement is not a momentary and specific state, but rather, it is “a more persistent and pervasive affective-cognitive state that is not focused on any particular object, event, individual, or behavior” (p. 74)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, a study of 245 firefighters and their supervisors found that engagement mediates relationships between value congruence, perceived organizational support, and core self-evaluations, and two job performance dimensions: task performance and organizational citizenship behavior.
Abstract: We theorize that engagement, conceptualized as the investment of an individual’s complete self into a role, provides a more comprehensive explanation of relationships with performance than do well-known concepts that reflect narrower aspects of the individual’s self. Results of a study of 245 firefighters and their supervisors supported our hypotheses that engagement mediates relationships between value congruence, perceived organizational support, and core self-evaluations, and two job performance dimensions: task performance and organizational citizenship behavior. Job involvement, job satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation were included as mediators but did not exceed engagement in explaining relationships among the antecedents and performance outcomes.
2,837 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the meaning of employee engagement is ambiguous among both academic researchers and among practitioners who use it in conversations with clients, and they show that the term is used at different times to refer to psychological states, traits and behaviors as well as their antecedents and outcomes.
Abstract: The meaning of employee engagement is ambiguous among both academic researchers and among practitioners who use it in conversations with clients. We show that the term is used at different times to refer to psychological states, traits, and behaviors as well as their antecedents and outcomes. Drawing on diverse relevant literatures, we offer a series of propositions about (a) psychological state engagement; (b) behavioral engagement; and (c) trait engagement. In addition, we offer propositions regarding the effects of job attributes and leadership as main effects on state and behavioral engagement and as moderators of the relationships among the 3 facets of engagement. We conclude with thoughts about the measurement of the 3 facets of engagement and potential antecedents, especially measurement via employee surveys.
2,742 citations
Cites background from "The Measurement of Engagement and B..."
...The important considerations for present purposes are (a) the distinct characterization of persistence or stability, if not consistency of experience of that state, and (b) the elevated emotional tone of the state itself (Schaufeli et al., 2002)....
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...Most of the engagement measures we have seen failed to get the conceptualization correct, so the measures do not, if youwill, measure up (for exceptions, see Salanova et al., 2005; Schaufeli et al., 2002)....
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References
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TL;DR: In this paper, two types of error involved in fitting a model are considered, error of approximation and error of fit, where the first involves the fit of the model, and the second involves the model's shape.
Abstract: This article is concerned with measures of fit of a model. Two types of error involved in fitting a model are considered. The first is error of approximation which involves the fit of the model, wi...
25,611 citations
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...1 should lead to model rejection (Cudeck and Browne, 1993)....
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TL;DR: A new coefficient is proposed to summarize the relative reduction in the noncentrality parameters of two nested models and two estimators of the coefficient yield new normed (CFI) and nonnormed (FI) fit indexes.
Abstract: Normed and nonnormed fit indexes are frequently used as adjuncts to chi-square statistics for evaluating the fit of a structural model A drawback of existing indexes is that they estimate no known population parameters A new coefficient is proposed to summarize the relative reduction in the noncentrality parameters of two nested models Two estimators of the coefficient yield new normed (CFI) and nonnormed (FI) fit indexes CFI avoids the underestimation of fit often noted in small samples for Bentler and Bonett's (1980) normed fit index (NFI) FI is a linear function of Bentler and Bonett's non-normed fit index (NNFI) that avoids the extreme underestimation and overestimation often found in NNFI Asymptotically, CFI, FI, NFI, and a new index developed by Bollen are equivalent measures of comparative fit, whereas NNFI measures relative fit by comparing noncentrality per degree of freedom All of the indexes are generalized to permit use of Wald and Lagrange multiplier statistics An example illustrates the behavior of these indexes under conditions of correct specification and misspecification The new fit indexes perform very well at all sample sizes
21,588 citations
"The Measurement of Engagement and B..." refers background in this paper
...To overcome this problem, the computation of relative goodness-of-fit indices is strongly recommended (Bentler, 1990)....
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TL;DR: The authors outline a framework for a science of positive psychology, point to gaps in the authors' knowledge, and predict that the next century will see a science and profession that will come to understand and build the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to flourish.
Abstract: A science of positive subjective experience, positive individual traits, and positive institutions promises to improve quality of life and prevent the pathologies that arise when life is barren and meaningless, The exclusive focus on pathology that has dominated so much of our discipline results in a model of the human being lacking the positive features that make life worth living. Hope, wisdom, creativity, future mindedness, courage, spirituality, responsibility, and perseverance are ignored or explained as transformations of more authentic negative impulses. The 15 articles in this millennial issue of the American Psychologist discuss such issues as what enables happiness, the effects of autonomy and self-regulation, how optimism and hope affect health, what constitutes wisdom, and how talent and creativity come to fruition. The authors outline a framework for a science of positive psychology, point to gaps in our knowledge, and predict that the next century will see a science and profession that will come to understand and build the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to flourish.
12,650 citations
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01 Jan 1990
12,284 citations
"The Measurement of Engagement and B..." refers background in this paper
...…work comes close to what has been called ‘flow’, a state of optimal experience that is characterized by focused attention, clear mind, mind and body unison, effortless concentration, complete control, loss of self-consciousness, distortion of time, and intrinsic enjoyment (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990)....
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TL;DR: A scale designed to assess various aspects of the burnout syndrome was administered to a wide range of human services professionals as discussed by the authors, and three subscales emerged from the data analysis: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment.
Abstract: A scale designed to assess various aspects of the burnout syndrome was administered to a wide range of human services professionals. Three subscales emerged from the data analysis: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Various psychometric analyses showed that the scale has both high reliability and validity as a measure of burnout.
10,212 citations