Personality and job engagement

Abstract

The affective-motivational state of job engagement has been shown to differ between jobs with different characteristics, but its possible links with workers' personal attributes have rarely been studied. Engagement was predicted to be a primary function of personality factors and sub-factors which match its affective and motivational elements, namely Emotional Stability and more energized forms of Extraversion and Conscientiousness. Predictions were confirmed in correlational and regression analyses across three studies. Theoretical frameworks in this area should extend to personal characteristics in addition to covering job content, and practical benefits can follow from engagement-relevant staff selection and development as well as from appropriate job design. © 2011 Hogrefe Publishing.