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Coworkership and Engagement: Towards a Communication-Centered Pespective

Andersson, Rickard LU orcid ; Heide, Mats LU orcid and Simonsson, Charlotte LU orcid (2025)
Abstract
This chapter has a twofold aim. Our first aim is to argue for a shift from viewing engagement as a psychological state to understanding it as a communication phenomenon inherently embedded in relational and interactive processes. We argue that as a communication phenomenon, engagement is best captured in the broader meaning of the verb engage, that is, “to begin and carry out an […] activity”. When communicating with humans and nonhumans, coworkers (employees) engage in (constructive and destructive) communication events, such as making meaning, ideating, representing, and bullying, in which they, communicatively, can display a varying degree of engagement. By advocating for a communication-centered approach, we aim to provide a more... (More)
This chapter has a twofold aim. Our first aim is to argue for a shift from viewing engagement as a psychological state to understanding it as a communication phenomenon inherently embedded in relational and interactive processes. We argue that as a communication phenomenon, engagement is best captured in the broader meaning of the verb engage, that is, “to begin and carry out an […] activity”. When communicating with humans and nonhumans, coworkers (employees) engage in (constructive and destructive) communication events, such as making meaning, ideating, representing, and bullying, in which they, communicatively, can display a varying degree of engagement. By advocating for a communication-centered approach, we aim to provide a more nuanced understanding of coworker engagement, highlighting its implications for research and practice. This approach encourages practitioners to support managers and coworkers in fostering meaningful communicative interactions that enhance engagement. Our second aim is to present our reading and comparison of how employee engagement has been studied in the fields of organizational communication, which implicitly addresses constructive and destructive engagement in various communication practices, and the public relations literature, which often treats engagement as a measurable psychological construct, in order to understand better how these two bodies of literature can complement each other and further advance the understanding of coworker engagement. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
in press
subject
host publication
The Routledge Handbook of Employee Communication and Organizational Processes
editor
Kim, Soojin ; Buzzanell, Patrice M. ; Mazzei, Alessandra and Kim, Jeong-Nam
publisher
Routledge
ISBN
9781032541907
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
42001aca-b5b8-4d8e-a7bd-f4047b732240
date added to LUP
2025-03-21 14:45:59
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:30:09
@inbook{42001aca-b5b8-4d8e-a7bd-f4047b732240,
  abstract     = {{This chapter has a twofold aim. Our first aim is to argue for a shift from viewing engagement as a psychological state to understanding it as a communication phenomenon inherently embedded in relational and interactive processes. We argue that as a communication phenomenon, engagement is best captured in the broader meaning of the verb engage, that is, “to begin and carry out an […] activity”. When communicating with humans and nonhumans, coworkers (employees) engage in (constructive and destructive) communication events, such as making meaning, ideating, representing, and bullying, in which they, communicatively, can display a varying degree of engagement. By advocating for a communication-centered approach, we aim to provide a more nuanced understanding of coworker engagement, highlighting its implications for research and practice. This approach encourages practitioners to support managers and coworkers in fostering meaningful communicative interactions that enhance engagement. Our second aim is to present our reading and comparison of how employee engagement has been studied in the fields of organizational communication, which implicitly addresses constructive and destructive engagement in various communication practices, and the public relations literature, which often treats engagement as a measurable psychological construct, in order to understand better how these two bodies of literature can complement each other and further advance the understanding of coworker engagement.}},
  author       = {{Andersson, Rickard and Heide, Mats and Simonsson, Charlotte}},
  booktitle    = {{The Routledge Handbook of Employee Communication and Organizational Processes}},
  editor       = {{Kim, Soojin and Buzzanell, Patrice M. and Mazzei, Alessandra and Kim, Jeong-Nam}},
  isbn         = {{9781032541907}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  title        = {{Coworkership and Engagement: Towards a Communication-Centered Pespective}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}