Antecedents of Work Engagement in the Public Sector: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This article systematically reviewed the body of literature concerning work engagement in public organizations, aiming to examine the antecedents of work engagement in the public sector. Web of Science and Scopus, two prominent journal databases, were utilized to identify relevant literature. Adopting the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach, a final of 48 articles were systematically analyzed as research samples. The review identified five main themes: organizational and team factors, perceived leadership, job-related experience, individual, and organizational intervention factors. Generally, most studies reviewed emphasized individual and job-design-related factors as antecedents of work engagement in the public sector. Only minimal emphasis has been placed on organizational intervention compared to the other factors. This study also found that most literature addressed a single or a few themes of work engagement antecedents instead of a comprehensive work engagement model comprising all related aspects. This systematic review ends with directions for future studies to aid future scholars.