Employee engagement and individual work performance: A study applied in the Cameroonian private sector

Abstract

This article aims to show the relationship between employee engagement and individual work performance in the private sector in Cameroon.  We collected our data with the help of a questionnaire from 485 heads of services and analyzed it with the help of a structural equation. We used engagement dimensions: emotional engagement, cognitive engagement, and behavioral engagement and for the individual employee performance, we used the task performance, the contextual performance, and the adaptive performance for our study.  To this end, we used structural equations to analyze the data collected. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between employee engagement and individual work performance.  At the end of the analysis, it emerged that employees could possess all three dimensions at once and we termed mixed engagement as well as individual performance dimensions, which was term mixed performance.  From our results, some managers have good knowledge of employee engagement practices, some apply it without knowledge.  On the part of the employees, the majority of them remain in the organizations either because of their family status, lack of alternative work, or the relationship they have with the organization.  This paper is limited to private-sector organizations.  To this effect, we recommend the managers of a private organization install and implement employee engagement strategies and value employees as a source of sustainable competitive advantage.  This is by communicating the organizational mission to the employees and involving them in the decision making which will motivate them and create opportunities for innovative ideas.

Keywords: Employee, employee engagement, performance, organizational performance, private sector, Cameroon.

JEL Classification: E24, J60

Paper type: Empirical research