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Work Engagement in the Third Sector

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Abstract

It has been assumed that third-sector organizations attract ideologically oriented employees. Therefore, employees consider their work as more meaningful. However, employees’ ideological orientation has not been taken into account in previous studies on work engagement. With this in mind, the present study sets out to apply an extended job demand-resources (JD-R) model in a survey conducted with Finnish third-sector employees (N = 1,412). The results showed that third-sector employees report higher work engagement than employees generally in the work engagement studies. In addition to job demands and resources, work engagement is associated with public service motivation and value congruence. Thus, public service motivation theory offers more insight into third-sector employees’ work engagement than the conventionally used JD-R model.

Résumé

Les organisations du tiers-secteur sont supposées attirer les employés sensibles à une idéologie, qui attribueraient alors plus de sens à leur travail. Cependant, l’orientation idéologique des employés n’a pas été prise en compte dans les études précédentes portant sur l’engagement au travail. En gardant cela à l’esprit, la présente étude établit un modèle « besoins-ressources de travail » étendu pour l’appliquer à une enquête menée auprès d’employés du tiers-secteur finlandais (N = 1,412). Les résultats montrent que les employés du tiers-secteur indiquent un engagement au travail supérieur à celui des employés interrogés généralement dans les études portant sur l’engagement au travail. Outre les besoins et les ressources, l’engagement au travail est ici associé à la motivation de service public et à la congruence des valeurs. Ainsi, la théorie de la motivation de service public offre un meilleur éclairage sur l’engagement au travail des employés du tiers-secteur que le modèle besoins-ressources habituellement utilisé.

Zusammenfassung

Man ist bislang davon ausgegangen, dass Organisationen des Dritten Sektors ideologisch orientierte Mitarbeiter anziehen. Somit messen diese Mitarbeiter ihrer Arbeit eine größere Bedeutung bei. Doch in früheren Studien zum Arbeitsengagement wurde die ideologische Orientierung von Beschäftigten nicht berücksichtigt. Vor diesem Hintergrund wendet die vorliegende Studie bei der Befragung von finnischen Mitarbeitern im Dritten Sektor (N = 1,412) ein erweitertes Modell zu Arbeitsbelastungen und -ressourcen (Job-Demands-Resources-Modell) an. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass in den Studien zum Arbeitsengagement die Beschäftigten im Dritten Sektor ein größeres Arbeitsengagement angeben als andere Beschäftigte im Allgemeinen. Neben den Arbeitsbelastungen und -ressourcen wird das Arbeitsengagement mit der Motivation zu öffentlichen Dienstleistungen (Public Service Motivation) und der Wertekongruenz in Verbindung gebracht. Somit bietet die Theorie der Public Service Motivation einen tieferen Einblick in das Arbeitsengagement der Beschäftigten im Dritten Sektor als das konventionell angewandte Job-Demands-Resources-Modell.

Resumen

Se ha asumido que las organizaciones del sector terciario atraen a empleados orientados ideológicamente. Por consiguiente, los empleados consideran su trabajo como un trabajo más significativo. Sin embargo, la orientación ideológica de los empleados no ha sido tomada en cuenta en estudios previos sobre el compromiso laboral. Con esto en mente, el presente estudio procura aplicar un modelo ampliado de Demandas-Recursos Laborales a una encuesta realizada con empleados finlandeses del sector terciario (N = 1,412). Los resultados mostraron que los empleados del sector terciario declaran un compromiso laboral más elevado que los empleados en general en los estudios sobre el compromiso laboral. Además de las demandas y recursos laborales, el compromiso laboral se asocia a la motivación de servicio público y a la congruencia del valor. De este modo, la teoría de la motivación de servicio público ofrece una mejor percepción del compromiso laboral de los empleados del sector terciario que el modelo Demandas-Recursos Laborales utilizado convencionalmente.

摘要

以往的研究常常假设第三部门组织吸引以意识形态为导向的员工。因此,这些员工认为他们的工作更有意义。然而,以往关于工作投入度的研究并未考虑员工的意识形态取向因素。针对该种情况,在对芬兰第三部门员工(数量 = 1,412)进行调查的过程中,本研究运用一个经扩展的“工作需求-资源”模型。结果显示,与一般工作投入度研究所获得的员工工作投入度相比,第三部门员工的工作投入度更高。除了工作需求与资源,工作投入度与公共服务动机、价值观一致性等因素相关联。因此,与常规使用的“工作需求-资源”模型相比,公共服务动机理论对于第三部门员工的投入度的洞察和理解要更加深刻。

ملخص

قد تم إفتراض أن منظمات القطاع الثالث تجتذب الموظفين الموجهين أيديولوجيا˝. لذلك، الموظفين ينظرون إلى عملهم على إنه أكثرتعبيرا˝. مع ذلك، لم يتخذ التوجه الأيديولوجي للموظفين في الحسبان في الدراسات السابقة الإرتباط بالعمل. مع أخذ ذلك في الإعتبار ، تحدد هذه الدراسة إلى تطبيق نموذج الإجهاد المهني موسع الذي يشير إلى مطالب العمل – الموارد في إستطلاع رأي تم إجراؤه مع العاملين في القطاع الثالث الفنلندي (1,412 = N). أظهرت النتائج أن العاملين في القطاع الثالث أبلغوا عن أعلى إرتباط بالعمل من الموظفين عموما˝ في دراسات الإرتباط بالعمل. بالإضافة إلى مطالب العمل والموارد، يرتبط إرتباط العمل مع دافع الخدمة العامة وقيمة التطابق. بالتالي، نظرية دافع الخدمة العامة يوفر المزيد من الفطنة في إرتباط موظفي القطاع الثالث بالعمل أكثرمن نموذج مطالب العمل – الموارد المستخدم تقليديا˝.

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Notes

  1. Activities of membership organization refer to different kinds of advocacy groups. These include, for example, environmental protection, charities, parent associations, etc.

  2. Mean and standard deviation of work engagement are calculated by Researcher of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Jari Hakanen and are available in the UWES manual (see Hakanen 2009, p. 29).

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    Kirsikka Selander

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Selander, K. Work Engagement in the Third Sector. Voluntas 26, 1391–1411 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-014-9465-y

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