VALIDATION OF THE ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE UWES FOR THE POPULATION OF WORKERS OF CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA

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1 VALIDATION OF THE ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE UWES FOR THE POPULATION OF WORKERS OF CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA 147 VALIDACIÓN DEL CUESTIONARIO DE ENGAGEMENT UWES A LA POBLACIÓN DE TRABAJADORES DE CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA VALIDATION OF THE ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE UWES FOR THE POPULATION OF WORKERS OF CORDOBA, ARGENTINA Carlos Spontón*, Leonardo Adrián Medrano, Luis Maffei, Marcos Spontón y Estanislao Castellano Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina. Recibido: 15 de julio de 2011 Aceptado: 08 de marzo de 2012 RESUMEN El Engagement es un constructo teóricamente opuesto al Burnout y designa una experiencia de bienestar de la persona a raíz de la alta vinculación positiva con su trabajo. El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo realizar una validación del cuestionario de engagement UWES a la población de trabajadores de Córdoba, Argentina (N=674). Los resultados psicométricos preliminares son satisfactorios, en efecto se observaron valores óptimos y aceptables de consistencia interna (valores α comprendidos entre,69 y,90) y los estudios de grupos contrastados resultaron coherentes con investigaciones antecedentes. No obstante los estudios de Análisis Factorial Exploratorio y Confirmatorio sugieren que tanto un modelo de dos como de tres factores resulta plausible. Finalmente se discuten las implicancias teóricas y prácticas del presente trabajo. Palabras clave: Engagement, validación psicométrica, trabajadores de Córdoba. ABSTRACT Engagement is a construct which is theoretically opposite to Burnout and which denotes a person s experience of wellbeing that results from a highly positive connection with their job. The objective of the present work was to carry out a validation of the Engagement questionnaire UWES for the population of workers of Córdoba, Argentina (N=674). The preliminary psychometric results are satisfactory; optimal and acceptable values of internal consistency were found (values of á ranging between,69 and,90) and contrasted group studies were coherent with previous investigations. However, exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis studies suggest that both models with 2 and 3 factors are plausible. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of this work are discussed. Key words: Engagement, Psychometric Validation, Cordoban Workers Introduction Since its inception the Occupational Health Psychology has focused almost with exclusivity in the negative and pathological aspects of the conduct of persons in the organizational sphere (Salanova, Martinez & Llorens, 2005). In this context it has gained special relevance the study of burnout, syndrome characterized by high levels of exhaustion, cynicism, depersonalization and labor inefficiency (Maslach, Schaufeli & Leiter, 2001). While the scientific study of this syndrome has allowed to develop psychosocial interventions effective for the LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 18(2): , 2012 ISSN:

2 148 CARLOS SPONTÓN, LEONARDO ADRIÁN MEDRANO, LUIS MAFFEI, MARCOS SPONTÓN Y ESTANISLAO CASTELLANO reduction of the levels of burnout, one wonders if this means an increase in the voluntary energy and enjoyment experienced in the work. As Salanova and Llorens (2008 p. 64) claim: «Being linked psychologically with work is more than not being burned by work». Human health concerns to a full State of biological, psychological and social well-being of the people and not merely the absence of disease, so those interested in improving the health of employees in the organizations must not only reduce the factors that produce discomfort but also increase and amplify those factors that boost and improve the levels of well-being (Salanova, Martinez & Llorens, 2005). In this sense, it is noteworthy the contributions of positive psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000) and above all the development of positive organizational psychology, this perspective has as objective to understand, predict and optimize the strengths of individuals and groups in organizations, as well as their effective management (Salanova & Schaufeli, 2009). One of the factors that the literature has considered as a positive psychological capital key is engagement. In general terms, the engagement can be understood as «a positive work-related state of mind and characterized by vigor, dedication and absorption. More than a specific and momentary state, psychological bonding refers to a more persistent affective-cognitive state that is not focused on an object, event, or special situation» (Schaufeli, Salanova, Gonzalez-Roma & Bakker, 2002, p. 72). Empirical research on engagement has allowed the identification of three underlying dimensions: vigor, dedication and absorption. The vigor refers to high energy levels and mental resistance while working, the desire to invest effort in the work that is being done even when there are difficulties along the way. Dedication means high labor involvement, together with the expression of a feeling of significance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride and challenge for the work. Finally the absorption refers to the total concentration on the job, a state of mind where the person experiences that time «flies», and has difficulties to disconnect from what you are doing because of the strong dose of enjoyment and concentration experienced (Salanova & Llorens, 2008). The engagement has traditionally been regarded as the theoretically opposed concept to burnout. Thus while the worker with burnout is characterized by high levels of exhaustion, cynicism, depersonalization and labor inefficiency, the worker engaged is characterized by high levels of force, dedication and absorption. More specifically, it is assumed that vigor and dedication are the opposite poles of the exhaustion and cynicism respectively. These last two are considered the core symptoms of burnout (Schaufeli & Taris, 2005), it is worth saying a combination of low-energy (exhaustion) and little identification with the job (cynicism), while the engagement is characterized by an opposite pattern, a combination of high energy (force) and a high identification with the work (dedication). In this way it can be conceptualized to both constructs on the basis of two dimensions: energy and identification (Salanova & Schaufeli, 2009). Various studies indicate that the engagement has positive relationships with organizational outcomes, such as for example the organizational commitment, extra-role conduct, personal initiative with the performance and quality of service (Salanova & Schaufeli, 2009). In this same direction Schaufeli and Bakker (2004) highlight that it has been observed positive consequences of the engagement both at the cognitive level (satisfaction with work, for example) and behavioral (work extra hours or proactive behavior, for example). It should stress that these consequences of the engagement are of high value for the development of healthy organizations, even more it has been observed that the workers engaged have low levels of depression and stress (Schaufeli, Taris & Van Rhenen, 2009) and fewer psychosomatic complaints (Demerouti et al., 2001). Although the concept of engagement has received much attention at the scientific level, it has also been his measuring instrument. Considering the three dimensions of the engagement, it was developed in the Netherlands the questionnaire Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES, Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003). For the construction of this questionnaire an initial pool of 24 items was used of which nine measured force, eight items dedication and most were reagents of Maslash Burnout Inventory (MBI) written in reverse. After making a series of psychometric studies in different samples of workers 7 inconsistent items were identified, which were deleted thus leaving a final version of 17 items distributed in three dimensions: vigor, dedication and absorption. LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 18(2): , 2012 ISSN:

3 VALIDATION OF THE ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE UWES FOR THE POPULATION OF WORKERS OF CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA 149 Cross-cultural studies in Holland, Spain and Portugal (Schaufeli, Martinez, Marques, Pinto, Salanova, & Bakker, 2002) suggest that the three factors structure is superior to a single factor model, observing a structural invariance in different cultures examined. Added to this it is observed that the three dimensions of the engagement have a high relationship together (values greater than r =,65), and presenting items in each factor a high homogeneity is observed thus an optimal internal consistency (values to between 80 and 90 - Salanova et al., 2000). Finally with regard to the studies carried out with external variables it has been observed that scores on the questionnaire UWES correlate negatively with the scores obtained in the MBI. There are also significant (although small) differences in favor of men in the scales of dedication and absorption, and weak positive correlations between the three dimensions of the engagement and the age of the workers. As regards the existence of differences between occupational groups there have not been obtained conclusive results, while blue-collar workers and physicians have lower levels of engagement the differences observed are weak (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003). The UWES questionnaire constitutes the instrument used to measure the engagement, allowing the development of studies in over thirteen countries (Salanova & Llorens, 2008), however few studies are carried out with this variable in the Latin American context, moreover, they have not verified the psychometric properties of the UWES in the population of Argentina. Taking this into consideration, the present study aims to perform a validation psychometric process of the local population of workers, which will enable the evaluation and optimization of the engagement and its positive consequences in this population. More specifically, the objectives of this study are: 1) obtain evidence of internal structure using exploratory factor analysis (AFE) and Confirmation (AFC) procedures, (2) examine the internal consistency of each scale and (3) conduct studies of comparison of groups considering the gender, age and occupation of the participants. On the basis of a revised history it is expected to observe a structure factor of three dimensions with acceptable levels of homogeneity for each dimension. Finally for the purposes of obtaining greater evidence of validity studies of comparison of groups according to gender, age and the type of occupation of the workers were carried out. Method Participants The sample of the study consisted of 674 workers of both sexes (55% men) aged between 19 and 67 years old (mean = 32,54; standard deviation = 9,26) in the city of Córdoba (Argentina). Participants were selected through an accidental non-probability sampling, i.e. were included in the sample workers belonging to different companies and labor organizations that possessed greater possibilities of access. In this way workers from companies in the private (91%) and public (9%)sector participated from different sectors such as health, education, metallurgical, security, computer science, engineering, trade, senior management, sales, among others. Instrument Engagement questionnaire UWES (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale) It was assessed using the Spanish version (Salanova et al., 2000) of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (Schaufeli et al., 2002) composed of 17 items distributed on three factors: 1) force (6 items, e.g., «in my work I feel full of energy»), 2) dedication (6 items, e.g., «my work makes sense») and 3) absorption (5 items, e.g., «when I m working I forget everything that happens around me»). We used a Likert scale of seven positions (from 0 = «never», up to 6 = «always»). Finally it should be noted that although there is a more summary scale to assess the engagement (9 items, Salanova & Schaufeli, 2009) during a psychometric validation process it may be decreased the amount of original items of a scale (Muñiz & Hamblenton, 1996). Taking this into consideration it was chosen to use an ample pool of items (17 items scale) instead of one short (9-item scale). Procedure This work falls within the so-called instrumental studies, following the nomenclature proposed by Montero y León (2007). Basically these studies refer to empirical work carried out in order to evaluate the psychometric properties of an instrument of assessment or psychological test. LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 18(2): , 2012 ISSN:

4 150 CARLOS SPONTÓN, LEONARDO ADRIÁN MEDRANO, LUIS MAFFEI, MARCOS SPONTÓN Y ESTANISLAO CASTELLANO The scale was administered at a regular work schedule with prior authorization from the authorities of each company, public institution, and non-profit organizations. The administration took place in small groups (7 to 15 workers approximately) providing some general considerations the participants to answer the questionnaire. It should be noted that participation was voluntary and said workers data confidentiality and the anonymity of their responses was assured. Finally it should be noted that the sample size meets the criteria reported by Hogan (2004) of ideally having 10 participants per item. It should also be mentioned that by having a higher sample size than 300 participants it is expected results that are useful and stable, in effect working with small sample sizes increases the likelihood of obtaining misleading results and unstable factors (Perez & Medrano, 2010). Results 1. Pilot study Before applying the questionnaire to the final sample of work, a small-scale pilot study (n = 5) was made to review the operation of the instrument. More specifically the following criteria were discussed: 1) understanding of the items, 2) understanding the options of the answers, 3) understanding of the coding of responses, 4) length of the instrument, 5) language and vocabulary used, 6) location of the answers, 7) complexity of the instrument, 8) motivation of participants responding, and 9) occurrence of responses ego-defensives. There were no problems of understanding about the luggage, items or responses encoding mode. Nor were there complaints about the length of the scale or the location of the answers, in fact, most of the participants reported that it was an easy and interesting instrument. 2. Descriptive analysis and evaluation of statistical assumptions An exploratory analysis of data to examine the existence of missing values, the detection of outliers and the underlying statistical assumptions (normality, consistency in relationships, multicolinearity) was made. There were no variables with more than 5% of absent data, although yes there was a considerable amount (N = 77) of univariate outliers (values outside the range z ± 3). It was decided to keep them at the base since they didn t affect the fulfilment of the statistical assumption of normality and also because its removal could affect the representativeness of the sample selected (Uriel & Aldas, 2005). All items presented a distribution close to normal with values of asymmetry and kurtosis less a ± 2. It was also verified the assumption of linearity by inspecting the scattered plots between different pairs of variables, and it was found that the absence of multicollinearity by not finding correlations on inter-item greater than or equal to 90 (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2001). 3. Studies of evidence of internal structure: Factorial Exploratory and Confirmatory Analysis To start the studies of internal structure it was divided randomly a sample into two parts, thus having a sample estimate (N = 337) to carry out the exploratory factor analysis (AFE) and a validation sample (N = 337) for the confirmatory factor analysis (AFC). Before performing the AFE its feasibility was assessed using the test of sphericity of Bartlett (χ² = 2523, 69; p <,000) and the measure of adequate sampling of Kaiser-Mayer-Olikin (KMO =,93), both analyses showed satisfactory results. It was used as a method of extracting principal components analysis and appealed to the sedimentation graph to determine the amount of underlying factors. Additionally a factor analysis was made parallel with the program Vista version 6,8 to determine more accurately the amount of factors to extract. Both procedures suggest the existence of two factors, in fact it was observed that to extract three factors only two items are grouped in a one-dimensional manner and with more than 40 in the third factor saturation. Moreover the parallel factor analysis revealed that the existence of a third factor is not more explanatory than a randomly generated factor. On the basis of such evidence it was opted for a bivariety model. Taking into consideration the above results two factors were extracted and a Promax rotation was held to interpret them (it was opted for this method of rotation since the factors had a correlation of r =,57). The item «time flies when I m working» was removed since it had a multidimensional saturation (loads exceeding 30 in more than one factor). The results are presented in table 1. LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 18(2): , 2012 ISSN:

5 VALIDATION OF THE ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE UWES FOR THE POPULATION OF WORKERS OF CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA 151 Table 1 Structure factor UWES (16 items version) Items Factor 1 2 My work presents new challenges,666 In my work I feel full of energy,681 I am immersed and concentrated on my work,538 I am persistent in my work,619 I m excited for/with my work,879 I can continue working for long periods of time,485 When I get up in the morning I feel like going to work,684 Even when things are not going well, I continue working,751 I am strong and energetic in my work,513 I learn new and interesting things in my work,839 My work makes sense,769 When I am working I forget everything that happens to around me,586 I get «carried away» by my work,483 My job is stimulating and inspiring,899 I m proud of the work that I do,814 When I m absorbed in my work, I feel good,456 Depending on the content of the items it was decided to name factor 1 as «Labor resources» since items that mentioned resources associated with the work were grouped in the same (my work gives me goals, it is stimulating, I learn things, among others). On the other hand factor 2 was denominated as «Worker resources» since in this factor they clutter items related to the resources that the person needs to invest when it carries out its work (when things don t go well I continue working, I am persistent, energetic, I concentrate, among others). Then there were studies of AFC with validation samples. In the first place three models were specified, a model of three factors (such as suggested by Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003), a model of two factors (such as suggested the AFE results) and a one-dimensional model (similar to the one proposed by Sonnentag, 2003). The Masters program was used and it was appealed to the estimation by the Maximum Likelihood method and multiple indicators were considered to evaluate the fit of each model (Byrne, 2001) specifically considered were: Chi-square statistical, comparative fit index(cfi), goodness index fit (GFI), the rate of adjustment not regulated (TLI) and middle approximation quadratic error(rmsea). In general it was observed that the three models presented an acceptable fit to the data, only there is a slightly upper adjustment in the model of two factors (table 2). LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 18(2): , 2012 ISSN:

6 152 CARLOS SPONTÓN, LEONARDO ADRIÁN MEDRANO, LUIS MAFFEI, MARCOS SPONTÓN Y ESTANISLAO CASTELLANO Table 2 Setting indexes for each specified model of the UWES Adjustment indicators χ² gl CFI GFI TLI RMSEA Three factors model 339,43** 116,91,89,89,077 Two factors model 301,94** 103,91,89,90,077 Unifactorial model 377,58** 119,89,88,88,081 **p < 0,01 It should be noted that in assessing the statistical significance of the change in the χ² among the two factor model and the model of three factors, it was observed a statistically significant difference ( χ² = 37, 49; gl = 13; p < 0,01). 4. Assessment of internal consistency We evaluated the internal consistency of each scale of the questionnaire by calculating Cronbach s alpha coefficient. Models of two- and three-factors were considered. The results (table 3) are optimal and acceptable with the exception of «Resources of the worker» factor of the bi-variety model factor and the «Absorption» factor of the trifactorial model. 5. vidence of contrasting groups The existence of significant differences was examined in the levels of engagement according to the gender of the participants. To consider the trifactorial model differences were observed in the three dimensions of the engagement, i.e. force (t = 1,68; p <,05), dedication (t = 2,56; p <,05) and absorption (t = 3,02; p <,05) in all cases in favor of men. On Table 3 UWES scales of internal consistency Two factors model Three factors model Scales A Escalas α The work resources,89 Dedication,88 Worker resources,64 Vigor,76 Full scale,89 Absorption,69 Full scale,90 the other hand by considering the bivariate model only significant differences in factor «job resources» were observed (t = 2.42; p <,05). According to the variable age was a Pearson correlation with each dimension of the engagement in order to identify significant relationships. The results were significant in all cases, observed positive relationship between age and engagement. It should be noted that the observed relationships have moderate and low values (ranging between,21 and,34). Finally to examine differences according to the occupation of the participants there were no differences statistically significant when performing a one-way analysis of variance. Discussion The preliminary psychometric results are satisfactory, in effect it is shown that scales present an acceptable uniformity, ensuring a precise measurement of the construct. Added to this the studies of contrasting groups were consistent with the assumptions made, i.e. There were no significant differences in the levels of engagement between different occupations, and the observed gender differences are significant but weak. It can also be seen the existence of a significant and positive relationship between age and the engagement of the workers. It should be noted that these results are similar to those reported by Schaufeli and Bakker (2003). New research is required to clarify the underlying structure of the UWES questionnaire, indeed in the present study it was observed that both the structure of the two factors and the three factors presented a good fit to the data. Nevertheless it should be noted that the three factors LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 18(2): , 2012 ISSN:

7 VALIDATION OF THE ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE UWES FOR THE POPULATION OF WORKERS OF CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA 153 structure has a clear and substantial theoretical basis (Salanova & Llorens, 2008), while the structure of two factors grouped items in the three dimensions of the engagement, becoming a very complex interpretation. Anyway, as mentioned above the structure of the two factors is consistent with the model of demand-resource. «Resources of the worker» and even more the «resources from work» factor respectively correspond to dimensions «Job Resources» and «Task Enjoyment» examined regularly to measure the labor resources (Bakker, van Veldhoven & Xanthopoulou, 2010). In this way one of the dimensions relates with the content and organization of the work, while the other dimension would refer to the depression/ enthusiasm levels experienced by the worker. However further research is needed to corroborate the existence of these factors. More still considering the large amount of background studies that propose a basis of the three factors model and according to this model to present an acceptable adjustment in studies of the AFC. Among the limitations of the study, it should be noted that the sample used is formed mainly by workers in the private sector, for which it would require new studies involving a larger number of workers of public organizations. Additionally you should consider that the stability of the scale was not evaluated nor the predictive validity studies were carried out. Apart from the abovementioned limitations, the realization of this work constitutes an important factor for the development of research and professional interventions for improving levels of occupational health in workers in our midst. Moreover, is expected to continue with the validation of instruments to measure burnout and occupational self-efficacy in order to validate a socio-cognitive model of welfare labor to the population of workers of Cordoba. In addition to the above, you should consider that an instrument of measurement engagement is the first step to a positive variable of employee-based organizational intervention. In this way, labor organizations in general and human resources departments in particular benefited with this instrument may be able to allow quick and reliable evaluation of the engagement. This would be the first step to enhance and optimize the levels of well-being and motivation for them. Considering these levels adequately measured actions of improvement and optimization of work process may be designed, in the three ways proposed by wont team: 1) harnessing the task-related resources, 2) implementing new labor resources and 3) improving the social resources of the workplace (Salanova, 2008). Also having a scale validated to our population can serve for the construction of protocols that evaluate the level of risk of a company, task or area of the same. Note that in the city of Cordoba there are no protocols that allow you to examine the psychosocial risk of jobs. Possible interventions to improve the occupational health of workers may be guided by the results of this protocol and more accurately discriminate the foci of action; the person and/ or organization. References American Psychological Association (1999). Standards for psychological and educational tests. Washington, D.C.: Authors. Bakker, A., van Veldhoven, M. & Xanthopoulou, D. (2010). Beyond the Demand-Control Model. Triving on High Job Demands and Resources. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 9 (1), Byrne, B. (2001). Structural equation modeling with AMOS. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrance Erlbaum. Demerouti, E., Bakker, A., Janssen, P. & Schaufeli, W. (2001). Burnout and engagement at work as a function of demands and control. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 27, Hogan, T. (2004). Pruebas Psicológicas. México. Manual Moderno. Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. & Leiter, M. (2001). Burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, Muñiz, J. & Hamblenton, R. (1996). Directrices para la traducción y adaptación de los test. Papeles del Psicólogo, 66. (Online). Pérez, E. & Medrano, L. (2010). Análisis Factorial Exploratorio: Bases Conceptuales y Metodológicas. Revista Argentina de Ciencias del Comportamiento, 2 (1), Salanova, M. & Schaufeli, W. (2009). El Engagement en el trabajo. España: Alianza editorial. Salanova, M. & Llorens, S. (2008). Estado actual y retos futuros en el estudio del Burnout. Papeles del Psicólogo, 29, Salanova, M., Martinez, I. & Llorens, S. (2005). Psicología Organizacional Positiva. En F. Palací (coord.), Psicología de la Organización. Madrid: Pearson Prentice Hall, Salanova, M., Schaufeli, W., Llorens, S., Peiró, J. & Grau, R. (2000). Desde el «burnout» al «engagement»: Una nueva LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 18(2): , 2012 ISSN:

8 154 CARLOS SPONTÓN, LEONARDO ADRIÁN MEDRANO, LUIS MAFFEI, MARCOS SPONTÓN Y ESTANISLAO CASTELLANO perspectiva? Revista de Psicología del Trabajo y de las Organizaciones, 16, Schaufeli, W., Taris, T. & Van Rhenen, W. (2009). Workaholism, burnout and engagement: Three of a kind or three different kinds of employee well-being? Applied Psychology: An International Review, 57, Schaufeli, W. & Bakker, A. (2003). Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Holanda: Utrecht University. Schaufeli, W. & Bakker, A. (2004). Job demands, job resources and their relationship with burnout and engagement: A multisample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, Schaufeli, W. & Taris, T. (2005). The conceptualization and measurement of burnout: common ground and worlds apart. Work & Stress, 19, Schaufeli, W., Salanova, M., González-Romá, V. & Bakker, A. (2002). The measurement of burnout and engagement: A confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3, Schaufeli, W., Martinez, I., Marques, A., Salanova, M. & Bakker, A. (2002). Burnout and engagement in university students: Across national study. Journal of Cross - Cultural Psychology, 33, Seligman, M. & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive Psychology: An Introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 3-6. Sonnentag, S. (2003). Recovery, work engagement, and proactive behavior: A new Look at the interface between non-work and work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, Tabachnick, B. & Fidell, L. (2001). Using Multivariate Statistics, 4 Edición. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Uriel, E. & Aldás, J. (2005). Análisis Multivariante Aplicado. Madrid: Thompson. * Instituto de Ciencias de la Administración (ICDA). Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Argentina. * * Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina. Becario CONICET. LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 18(2): , 2012 ISSN: