När man får något så ger man också tillbaka : En studie om engagemang bland medarbetare inom kommunal verksamhet

Sammanfattning: Engagement is a well discussed topic among organizations and leadership. In this study the purpose is to study engagement according to and among employees currently working within two different municipalities in the south of Sweden. The methodological perspective used in this study is based on a phenomenological research approach. The empirical material gathered for the study consist of nine qualitative semi-structured interviews. We asked the interviewees to define engagement according to their own understanding together with topics revolved around communication, participation as well as involvement within the workplace and in the overarching organization. The two central theoretical frameworks used in this study is social exchange theory and symbolic interactionism.    The results of the study show that engagement is a generalizable phenomenon among employees, highlighting performingtasks with a sense of fulfillment as well as engaging with colleagues. Individual engagement may arise if the employee is given the right opportunity to influence their own work, although what degree of influence that is expected by the employee is affected by past workforce experiences. Individual engagement may be hindered if the workplace suffers under an inadequate leader. Engagement may also suffer when formal lines of communication is lacking and information is instead received in a non-formal way, which opens up the possibility for speculation and therefore negative attitudes among colleagues.  Engagement can also be observed as a group phenomenon. Where the employees as a group shows signs of engagement. An individual may align their own level of engagement with the perceived level of the group, a function attributed to the group's ability of maintaining social order.