<![CDATA[Purpose-This article explains how employee engagement contributes to organizational performance in service organizations and clarifies quality culture as the collective mechanism that converts individual energy into reliable customer value. Design/methodology/approach-An integrative literature review synthesizes foundational and contemporary research on work engagement, job demands–resources theory, social exchange, organizational culture, service climate, quality management, and the service-profit chain. Evidence was organized around antecedents, behavioral mechanisms, multilevel outcomes, and boundary conditions. Findings-Engagement supports discretionary effort, adaptive service behavior, learning, and recovery, but its performance effect is fragile when quality expectations, voice, process discipline, and leadership behavior are inconsistent. The proposed Engagement-Quality Culture–Performance (EQCP) model positions quality culture as a partial mediator between engagement and organizational performance. Service climate transmits internal quality norms to customers, while quality-oriented leadership and psychological safety strengthen the pathway. A six-stage implementation architecture links employee resources, engagement, quality routines, customer outcomes, and organizational learning. Originality/value-The article distinguishes energetic involvement from disciplined quality contribution. It integrates employee and quality-management perspectives in a multilevel model tailored to the inseparability, variability, and customer contact of services, and provides testable propositions and an auditable managerial roadmap.]]>
