ABSTRACT
There are several theoretical strands that are concerned with how, why, and when management practices can help drive business performance while enhancing employee motivation and well-being. The most popular theories are social exchange,job demands, andresources as well as the broaden-and-build. All attempt to make causal inferences that explain the rules, tendencies, and heuristics involved in how we form attitudes that drive our behavior in the workplace.
In this chapter, I underscore the conceptual plurality that exists and the different perspectives that attempt to explain the why and how around engagement and how they can enable us to better reflect on our own assumptions, experiences, and learnings. To the extent that the theories are not mutually exclusive and can indeed complement one another, they should be cross-referenced and used with flexibility as well as sensitivity to context.
