The relationship between employee engagement, trust, and intrinsic motivation

In recent years, researchers have identified a troubling trend of low employee engagement that has had a detrimental impact on organizations' productivity and profitability. In order to positively impact this trend, effective leadership is critical as is the ability of leaders to bring out the best in their people by leveraging their people's strengths. A key factor associated with effective leadership is trust. Moreover, tapping into an employee's intrinsic motivation serves as a way to leverage his or her innate strengths. Therefore, this study sought to understand the relationship between employee engagement, trust, and intrinsic motivation. Through an on-line survey, data were collected from 122 individuals who were at least 18 years of age, employed in the United States, and had a reporting relationship with a manager. Perceived level of trust (e.g., integrity, competence, and compassion) the participants had in their managers was identified; as well as, employee engagement, and intrinsic motivation experienced by the participants in their current roles. These data were analyzed via a correlation analysis, a standard multiple regression analysis, and a moderated multiple regression analysis via SPSS. The results of the study indicate that of the three components of trust, compassion best predicted employee engagement, beta = .44, p = .002. Furthermore, none of the components of trust moderated the relationship between intrinsic motivation and employee engagement.;Key Words: Employee Engagement, Trust, Intrinsic Motivation.