Workaholism and work engagement: how are they similar? How are they different? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Giovanni Di Stefano*, Maria Gaudiino

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

85 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Workaholism and work engagement can be depicted, respectively, as the pathological and the healthy form of heavy work investment. In spite of their different definitions and outcomes on individual and organizational life, workaholism and work engagement are not clearly and adequately distinguished by scholars and researchers as they appear to show some overlapping features. The aim of this investigation was to meta-analyze available studies, selected by systematic review, on the relations between subdimensions of workaholism and work engagement. Thirty-five studies were eligible for analysis. Associations emerged between Working Excessively and Absorption (g = .34), Working Compulsively and Absorption (g = .28), and Working Excessively and Dedication (g = .14). Moreover, the results were not influenced by publication bias and showed nationality to be a significant moderator. Overall, these findings suggest that further research is necessary to extend our knowledge of workaholism, work engagement, and the relationship between the two, in order to disentangle commonalities and differences between them.

Original languageEnglish
Peer-reviewed scientific journalEuropean Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology
Volume28
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)329-347
Number of pages19
ISSN1359-432X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 04.05.2019
Externally publishedYes
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article - refereed

Keywords

  • heavy work investment
  • meta-analysis
  • work engagement
  • Workaholism

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