Development and validation of multi-factor employee engagement measuring instrument: a formative measurement model

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to bring about an exhaustive measurement instrument of employee engagement and validate the same in Indian settings.

Design/methodology/approach

This descriptive and cross-sectional study initiates with reviewing the available literature in the field of employee engagement to identify factors affecting and the corresponding items defining them. Following the discussion with experts and industry professionals, an instrument was, thus, obtained to administer the primary data from employees working in public and private power companies in India. The study used Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) 3 to demonstrate employee engagement as a first-order reflective and second-order formative construct. Thereafter, reliability and convergent validity were assessed to validate the instrument.

Findings

This paper conceptualized employee engagement as a multi-factor construct (nine in numbers). The factors are “Respect”, “Supervisor's support and recognition”, “Growth and development”, “Creative and challenging job”, “Job significance”, “Perceived self-worth”, “performance evaluation and recognition” and “Organizational bureaucracy”. These factors are exhaustive and collectively define employee engagement. Distortion or omission in any of these items may distort the nature of construct as well.

Originality/value

Previous studies have defined the concept of employee engagement as unidimensional and thus observe serious lacunas. This study identified employee engagement as a multi-factor construct that incorporates the exhaustive nature of the organizational setting. Not only this study adds value to the existing body of knowledge in the field of employee engagement but also specify the measurement model as a formative one concerning employee engagement.

Citation

Kumar, P. and Padhi, N. (2022), "Development and validation of multi-factor employee engagement measuring instrument: a formative measurement model", Personnel Review, Vol. 51 No. 9, pp. 2261-2276. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-01-2021-0014