Using positive deviance to enhance employee engagement: an interpretive structural modelling approach

Organisations today seek high engagement levels from their employees for their superior performance amid the highly competitive environment. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of positive deviance facilitators (PDFs) in enhancing employee engagement at work.

The study adopts the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and Matrice d’Impacts Croisés-Multiplication Appliquée á un Classement (MICMAC) analysis to understand the process of how positive deviance may fuel employee engagement in an organisation. Because of the lack of empirical evidence on the relationship between employee engagement and positive deviance, ISM approach was adopted as it helps in understanding the subjective experience and learnings of experts involved in the field. The MICMAC analysis classifies the relevant factors into four clusters and helps in understanding the dynamics involved.

Based on the opinions shared by industry and academia experts, a structural model was developed to understand the hierarchy and interactions among the eight PDFs leading towards employee engagement.

The study offers both theoretical and practical implications. The model developed in the current study could be used as a base model for future studies concerning employee engagement and deviance. The importance of human resource management practices in fuelling positive deviance and employee engagement is also highlighted. The study discusses various practical implications for human resource managers and top management.

The literature on positive deviance at work is still at a nascent stage. Empirical studies on deviance largely focus on the destructive/negative side of workplace deviance, and studies on positive outcomes from workplace deviance are rare. This present study provides a unique opportunity to understand how positive deviance can be used to enhance the engagement levels of employees.