The Impact of AI on Employee Work Engagement

The Impact of Appreciative Inquiry on Employees’ Work Engagement Explained through Basic Psychological Needs and MotivationBert Verleysen - BSc Dr Frederik Van Acker Stebo Faculty of Psychology Open UniversiteitStudent OU Nederland Nederland

Background …My former (work) experiencesustainable business should invest in: • high quality partnerships • engaged employees and • their well-beingWorking at STEBO • development of FIREWORKS • bringing APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY into the organisationThis connection was the inspiration for my research topic.

Research TopicWhat is changing inthe underlying psychological statesof employeeswhen their organizationdeploys AI-strategies? Aim: • What is the impact of AI on an employee? • Can AI enhance employees’ well-being?

Not AI-Research, but an INQUIRY on AI Appreciative Inquiry • An actionresearch method for flourishing organisations • Research on macro-level Foto: Heidi Gelders This Survey • An inquiry into psychological characteristics of employees • Research on micro-levelFoto: Heidi Gelders

Appreciative Inquiry • Connecting & • Appreciation resulting in • activation of energyDiagram: Ron Fry Cooperrider, D. L., & Godwin, L. (2011). Positive Organization Development: Innovation-Inspired Change in an Economy and Ecology of Strengths. In K. Cameron & G. Spreitzer (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship (pp. 737 - 750). New York: Oxford University Press.

Connecting (AIcon) • engaging in high quality relations (Dutton & Heaphy, 2003). • is building a ‘collaborative dialogue and choice to achieve consent’ (Bushe, 2012, p. 88). = building high quality relations with all the stakeholders through a mutual sharing of strengths and dreams to co-create (a shared vision on) the future organisation.

Appreciation (AIapp) • can be understood as appreciative intelligence (Thatchenkary & Metzker in Bushe, 2007). • refers to ‘tracking’ & ‘fanning’ (Bushe, 2001). = the inquiry and the openness for life-giving possibilities in persons and systems, tracking them and fanning them as a growing potential in the organization

Appreciative Inquiry Activation of energy … or … Can an AI-approach result in more work engagement?

Work Engagement • Vigor • Dedication • Absorption But … when does someone engage in work?Bakker, A. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., & Taris, T. W. (2008). Work Engagement: An Emerging Concept inOccupational Health Psychology. Work & Stress, 22(3), 187-200.

Job Demands-Resources model DEMANDS things that have to be done RESOURCES reduce job demands and the associated physiological and psychological costs are functional in achieving work goals stimulate personal growth, learning and development Foto: Heidi GeldersSchaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Job Demands, Job Resources, and Their Relationship with Burnout and Engagement:A Multi-Sample Study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, 293-315.

Resources ~ Work engagementExternal: job resources social support performance feedback autonomy http://www.economist.com/node/12863565 Internal: personal resources self-efficacy: Yes, I can! organizational based self-esteem: I’m important because of “my” company! optimism: My future is hopeful! Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2007). The Role of Personal Resources in the Job Demands-Resources Model. International Journal of Stress Management, 14(2), 121-141

Hypothesis 1 AIcon Work Engagement Employees reporting more AI-practices (i.e. connecting & appreciation) AIapp report a higher level of work engagement.

Hypothesis 1 AIcon Work Engagement What is happening in this relation? AIapp

AI-practices Work Engagement (1) motivation about activation & intention energizes & invigorates people http://www.coachwithjeremy.com/blog/motiva tion/tips-to-help-stay-motivated amotivation intrinsic motivation Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2008). Towards a Model of Work Engagement. Career Development International, 13(3), 209-223.

Work Engagement employees consider the work Intrinsic Motivation personally as valuable & interesting!http://www.ideasandtraining.com/Motivation-Training.html Social & Contextual Factors challenges – feedback communication http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AmZcISao2BivxNSzWMY6rA Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitating of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78.

Hypothesis 2 http://www.diversito.be/nl/ The relation between AI-practices and work engagement is mediated by intrinsic motivation.

AI-practices work engagementFoto: Heidi Gelders (2) fulfilment of basic psychological needs (1) motivation ~ Sunshine makes plants to bloom ~ BPN energizes people to flourish Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H., Soenens, B., & Lens, W. (2010). Capturing Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness at Work: Construction and Initial Validation of the Work-Related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(4), 981-1002.

Basic Psychological NeedsAutonomy• a feeling of volitional & choicea real psychological freedomCompetence http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Di-Eq/Employee-Motivation.html• a feeling of being effective in interacting with the environmentenvironment with challenges to test and extend skillsRelatedness• a feeling of being connected with others, belonging to a groupto love and care and to be loved en cared for Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H., Soenens, B., & Lens, W. (2010). Capturing Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness at Work: Construction and Initial Validation of the Work-Related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(4), 981-1002.

Hypothesis 3 The relation between AI- practices and work engagement is mediated by the satisfaction of the need for autonomy (3.1) the need for competence (3.2) the need for relatedness (3.3).

Research Model What is changing in the underlying psychological states of employees when their organization deploys AI-strategies? Intrinsic Motivation Hypothesis 2Aicon Work EngagementAIapp Hypothesis 3 Autonomy Hypothesis 1 Competence Relatedness

Research MethodParticipants (N = 132):Employees in Flanders & the Netherlands• Gender: 36,2% men; 63,8% women• Age: M = 41.0 (SD = 10.54)• Tenure: M = 9.01 (SD = 8.60)• Weekly working hours: M = 34.9 (SD = 8.01) Measures (online questionnaire): AI-practices: Connecting & Appreciation at Work Scale (CAWs) Work Engagement: UWES-9 Intrinsic Motivation: MAWs Basic Psychological Needs: BPNSAnalyses:The method for estimating indirect effects in multiple mediation. Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2004). Spss and Sas Procedures for Estimating Indirect Effects in Simple Mediation Models. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 36(4), 717-731.

ResultsIn total 62.22% of the variance in work engagement was explained by thevariables in the model (F(6, 125) = 34.31, p < .001).

Conclusion• Hypothesis 1 The relation AIcon & AIapp and Work Engagement is significant.• Hypothesis 2 Intrinsic motivation is mediating in the relation of AIcon and AIapp with work engagement.• Hypothesis 3 Only autonomy is mediating in the relation of AIapp with work engagement.

employees’ well-being work engagement intrinsic motivationneeds (autonomy)

My future research agenda …Measuring connecting & appreciation, evaluating AI • How can we measure AI in an AI-way? • How can we refine the Connecting & Appreciation at Work scale? • …And inspired by the work of Gervase Bushe • When is AI the most appropriate change process? • What contingencies are important to consider when planning an AI? • What organizational/personal factors most influence the success or failure of AI? How would it be, when we could cooperate on this research in the AI-community? Please, be invited to join! Bushe, G. R. (2012). Appreciative Inquiry: Theory and Critique. In D. Boje, B. Burnes & J. Hassard (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Organizational Change (pp. 87-103). Oxford, UK: Routledge.

question time

With many thanks toThe participants to take part in thissurveyStebo in supporting me on my researchDr Frederik Van Acker for his support,tips and tricks for this paperAll of you, for your interest in myresearchContact:e-mail: bert.verleysen@stebo.be With thanks to Jitka Meyer, my fellow-student for her advice on this presentation, her feedback on my paper and her support today.

The Impact of AI on Employee Work Engagement

by World Appreciative Inquiry Conference 2012

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

Statistics

The Impact of AI on Employee Work Engagement Presentation Transcript