The potential role of mindsets in unleashing employee engagement

• Employee disengagement is prevalent within organizations around the world.
• We theorize about engagement-related thoughts, feelings, and actions as a function of mindsets.
• Research is needed on how mindsets interact with established engagement antecedents.
• Practical implications for managers and organizations to foster engagement are outlined.

Engaged employees work vigorously, feeling dedicated and mentally absorbed in their work. Much is known about the kinds of jobs and work environments that stimulate employee engagement, yet levels of disengagement remain high in many organizations. To provide fresh insights into how to increase engagement, we draw on theory and research in social, educational, and organizational psychology to illuminate how mindsets are a personal resource that may influence employees' engagement via their enthusiasm for development, construal of effort, focus of attention, perception of setbacks, and interpersonal interactions. We outline several avenues for future research, as well as practical implications for organizational, managerial, and individual-level initiatives for increasing engagement via supporting employees in adopting and sustaining a growth mindset with regard to the challenges they encounter at work.