Mapping the Landscape of Employee Engagement Research: A Bibliometric Review and Future Research Directions

Abstract

Since Kahn first introduced the concept of engagement in 1990, there have been numerous studies and theories exploring employee engagement (EE). Despite the substantial body of research on EE, no comprehensive review has been conducted to provide an overview that maps out the landscape of the field. This gap has resulted in lack of understanding around EE within organizational contexts. Therefore, this study highlights the historical development of EE research thorough a bibliometric review and content analysis of 1313 articles published in 211 Scopus indexed journals from 2002 to 2022. Through the bibliometric analysis, the most frequently cited articles and co-occurring keywords are identified. Using co-citation analysis, articles are grouped into four distinct clusters: ‘employee engagement and organizational commitment’, ‘burnout and employee engagement’, ‘job characteristics and employee engagement’, and ‘employee engagement and organizational performance’. The content analysis method was used to discuss and analyse the most influential articles within each cluster. The findings of this review offer a conceptual understanding of the evolution and development of EE research over time. Additionally, the review highlights key thematic trends within the field, thereby creating future research directions for aspiring researchers.