Bakker 2022

Arnold B. Bakker, Center of Excellence for Positive Organizational Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Purpose: Research on work engagement shows vital links to career success. Yet, systematic accounts of social-psychological origins of engagement are lacking.
- Develops a theoretical model discussing how employees influence and are influenced by leadership, colleagues, and partners’ work engagement.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Integrates literatures on:
- Emotional contagion
- Team work engagement
- Leadership
- Proactive work behavior
- Work-to-family spillover
- Results in a model of social-psychological processes involved in work engagement.
Findings: Work engagement results from various social-psychological processes:
1. Work engagement is contagious – influenced by colleagues, leaders, and partners.
2. Emergence at team-level characterized by high levels of vigor, dedication, and absorption leads to better performance.
3. Leaders impact employee engagement through fast (unconscious) and slow (conscious) processes.
4. Employees utilize proactive behaviors like job crafting to maintain engagement.
5. Work engagement enriches family dynamics.
Practical Implications: Organizations may enhance engagement through social-psychological interventions, training sessions fostering leadership and job crafting.
Originality/Value: While prior studies focused on job demands/resources, this article provides insights on social-psychological processes in engagement.

Over 25 years, work engagement has surpassed job satisfaction in organizational psychology literature.
Definitions:
- Job Satisfaction: Low activation form of well-being.
- Work Engagement: Positive and highly activated state of well-being, characterized by energy, enthusiasm, and immersion in work activities (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2010).
Work engagement predicts job performance more effectively than job satisfaction (Christian et al., 2011).
Engagement thrives under conditions of high job challenges and resources (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017).
Job demands/resources fluctuate; adapting to the work environment is essential (Savickas, 2005; Tims & Bakker, 2010).

Xie et al. (2016) noted individuals with higher career adaptability are likelier to feel engaged and satisfied.
Ng & Feldman (2014) found work engagement correlates strongly with subjective career success.
Implications for Career Success:
1. Vigorous and enthusiastic work leads to continuous self-development (Bakker & Schaufeli, 2008).
2. Positive impact on wages, occupational rankings; negative influence on unemployment (Hakanen et al., 2021).

Kahn (1990): Defined engagement as active, energetic involvement that allows individuals to express thoughts and feelings authentically.
- Engagement provides opportunities for authenticity, empathy, and creativity at work.
Schaufeli & Bakker (2010):
- Defines work engagement as motivational and fulfilling states of high mental/physical energy, enthusiasm, and complete absorption in activities.
Engagement shows stability (certain individuals are persistently engaged, e.g., conscientious & extravert personalities) and variability (influenced by daily job demands/resources) (Xanthopoulou & Bakker, 2021).
Important to continuously optimize workplace conditions for engagement.

Important Antecedents: Job resources, which may be physical, emotional, or social, exist at individual, group, or organizational levels (Bakker et al., 2014).
Job resources:
1. Reduce impact of depleting demands.
2. Help achieve work goals.
3. Facilitate learning and personal growth.
Work engagement occurs best when job demands are high but combined with adequate job resources (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017).

Personal characteristics play a significant role in work engagement stability.
Positive beliefs (e.g., self-efficacy) help alleviate negative impacts of workload and contribute to engagement (Xanthopoulou et al., 2009a).
Big Five Personality Traits Related to Engagement:
- Extraversion and emotional stability influence perceptions of job demands positively (M€akikangas et al., 2013).
- Conscientious individuals are typically well-organized and hardworking, increasing their chances for engagement.

Social psychology studies interactions affecting thoughts, feelings, and behaviors among individuals/groups (Allport, 1985).
Examines dynamics that influence engagement, including social influence, emotional contagion, and modeling.

Definition: Emotional contagion is the automatic mimicry of others’ expressions leading to converging emotions (Hatfield et al., 1994).
Results in interactional synchronicity; enhances predictability in communication, leading to better bonding (Hoehl et al., 2021).
Evidence:
- Lanzetta et al. (1985) found shared emotions among viewers of President Reagan's speech.
- Barsade (2002) confirmed emotional contagion through group dynamics and collaboration.
Work engagement can be contagious in organizational settings (Bakker et al., 2006).

Defined as a shared motivational state characterized by team energy, involvement, enthusiasm, and absorption (Costa et al., 2014).
Team members synchronize efforts, improving goal achievement (Torrente et al., 2012).
Evidence indicates positive team climates enhance work engagement (Costa et al., 2014).

Employees can use social strategies like job crafting and playful work design to enhance engagement.
Job Crafting: Employees actively tailor jobs more meaningfully to align with personal preferences.
- Forms of job crafting:
  1. Task crafting.
  2. Cognitive crafting.
  3. Relational crafting (Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001).
- Meta-analytic reviews affirm job crafting proxies in enhancing work engagement and performance (Rudolph et al., 2017).

Approach to work that enhances experience rather than altering tasks inherently.
Types include designing for fun and competition which enhance work meaning and engagement (Bakker et al., 2020).
Research Findings:
- Playful interactions buffer negative exposure to stress and enhance engagement and performance (Scharp et al., 2021).

Work experiences can enhance family experiences (Clark et al., 2014).
Positive spillover occurs when work engagement contributes positively to family functioning (Culbertson et al., 2012).
Studies indicate crossover effects where an employee's engagement translates into their partner's positive experiences (Bakker & Demerouti, 2009).

Engagement emerges from various social-psychological processes.
Highlighted importance of interaction contexts, leadership mechanisms, and proactive employee behaviors.
Future research should investigate negative aspects and comprehensive impacts of work engagement.
Practical implications suggest training interventions at team and organizational levels for enhancing work engagement.

A comprehensive list of references and studies cited throughout the transcript following academic conventions, including specific authors, year of publication, and relevant journals.