Association between the five-factor model of personality and work engagement: a meta-analysis

Abstract

The purposes of this meta-analysis were (1) to examine the associations between work engagement (WE) and the personality dimensions of five-factor model and (2) to determine how much variance in WE is explained by these five factors. We performed a database search for studies related to personality traits and WE, and 36 papers that reported correlation coefficients were selected for the meta-analysis. After correcting for publication bias using the trim-and-fill method, conscientiousness had the strongest association with WE (ρ=0.41), followed by extraversion and openness to experience (0.38), neuroticism (−0.36), and agreeableness (0.27). Moreover, 30% of the WE variance could be explained by the five-factor model (R²=0.33, 95%CI=0.26–0.49) according to a path analysis using the weighted average correlation for unreliability. This proportion was higher than that from a previous meta-analysis of job satisfaction and job performance and was lower than that of personality and WE. Thus, to enhance WE, it is necessary to evaluate both the personality and the psychosocial work environment in detail.