The Correlation between Work Engagement and the Positive Organizational PRIDE Index Provides Perspectives on Workplace Development

An Analysis of Northern Finnish Public Sector Workers

Abstract

In the rapidly changing world of work, more research is needed on the impact of organization-level factors on personal-level work engagement and the mediating mechanisms between them. In this study, we adopted an organization-level perspective to work engagement, applying the positive organizational PRIDE theory as the research framework. The purpose of this research was to investigate the levels of work engagement among employees working in the public sector in North Finland and their association with the positive organizational PRIDE index. The following research question guided the research: What is the relationship between the PRIDE index and work engagement? This was a quantitative survey-based study, in which the data were collected through an online survey. The data collection occurred between October 6, 2020, and February 3, 2021, among public organization employees (N=606 respondents). The factors of PRIDE were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). Further, the analysis focused on the connections between background factors and PRIDE and work engagement. A t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine the statistical significance between different groups. The results of this study indicated that there was at least a moderate correlation between all PRIDE index elements and work engagement, and each element of the index was associated with work engagement. When considering the entire index, the correlation was strong. Based on the results of this study, we recommend that the observation, identification, and utilization of strengths be systematically supported through leadership and organizational practices.