engasjement

Engasjement is a Norwegian term for the degree of involvement, commitment, and emotional investment a person shows toward a person, task, organization, or cause. It covers cognitive engagement (thoughts and attention), affective engagement (feelings of belonging and motivation), and behavioral engagement (willingness to invest time and effort). The term can describe both voluntary involvement and formal commitments, such as an employment contract or a project mandate. The word is borrowed from the French/English term engagement, and is common in public discourse, management, and civil society.

In different domains, engasjement has specific meanings. In the workplace, employee engagement refers to how strongly employees identify with their organization and how motivated they are to contribute to its success. In politics and civil society, it describes participation in initiatives, debates, volunteering, and activism. In marketing and customer relations, it can describe the level of emotional and behavioral investment a customer has in a brand or product.

Measuring engasjement often involves surveys and behavioral indicators, such as attendance, initiative, and retention, as well as self-reported motivation and satisfaction. Theoretical models frequently identify multiple drivers, including meaningful work, autonomy, supportive leadership, recognition, and opportunities for growth, balanced by organizational or cultural barriers such as burnout or misalignment of values.

High engasjement is linked to positive outcomes such as performance, retention, innovation, and satisfaction, though it can be endangered by excessive pressure or unclear expectations. Understanding engasjement helps organizations and communities design conditions that encourage constructive involvement.