Development and application of a new measure of employee engagement: the ISA Engagement Scale

Emma Soane*, Catherine Truss, Kerstin Alfes, Amanda Shantz, Chris Rees, Mark Gatenby

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

230 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Effective measure of employee engagement is relevant to human resource development (HRD) theory and practice. We build on Kahn's (1990, Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work, Academy of Management Journal 33: 692textendash724) theory and develop a model of engagement that has three requirements: a work-role focus, activation and positive affect. This model was operationalized in a new measure: the Intellectual, Social, Affective Engagement Scale (ISA Engagement Scale) comprising three facets: intellectual, social and affective engagement. Data from Study 1 (278 employees from a manufacturing organization) showed that the scale and its sub-scales have internal reliability. Study 2 examined data from 683 employees in a retail organization. The internal reliability was confirmed and construct validity was demonstrated. The new scale had positive associations with three theoretically and empirically important outcomes: task performance, organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and turnover intentions. Implications are considered for academic enquiry into the engagement process, and for HRD practices that enhance the experience of work.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)529-547
Number of pages19
JournalHuman Resource Development International
Volume15
Issue number5
Early online date27 Sept 2012
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • intellectual engagement
  • social engagement
  • affective engagement
  • ISA Engagement Scale

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