Academics’ Career Motivations and External Engagement Activity Amid Conflicting Identifications: An Employee Engagement Perspective

Abstract This paper examines the motivational foundations of academics’ external engagement within the evolving context of the entrepreneurial university. While prior research has explored specific forms of academic entrepreneurship, broader engagement with external organizations has only recently been recognized as both entrepreneurial and value‐adding to society. Drawing on survey data from over 17,000 UK academics, we employ an employee engagement framework to analyse the micro‐foundations underpinning such activity. The findings reveal that most academics engage with private, public and charitable organizations. Intrinsic motivations for a career in academia and identification with business impact and the ‘third mission’ encourage job crafting that supports external engagement, whereas extrinsic career motives and identification with basic science constrain it. The study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how career motivations and academic identifications influence external engagement, offering theoretical and practical insights into academic work in the era of the entrepreneurial university.