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

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: 692–724) 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.