Employee engagement

Many books on management cite the apocryphal story about an engaged janitor at NASA who when asked by Kennedy what he was doing, replied "I'm helping to put a man on the Moon".

Employee engagement is a property of the relationship between an organization and its employees. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work and so takes positive action to further the organization's reputation and interests.

An organization with 'high' employee engagement might therefore be expected to outperform those with 'low' employee engagement, all else being equal.[1]

Employee Engagement first appeared as a concept in management theory in the 1990s,[2] becoming widespread in management practice in the 2000s, but remains contested. It stands in an unspecified relationship to earlier constructs such as morale and job satisfaction. Despite academic critiques, Employee Engagement practices are well established in the management of Human Resources and Internal communications.

Definitions

William Kahn provided the first formal definition of personal engagement as "the harnessing of organisation members' selves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances.[3]"

In 1993, Schmidt et al. proposed a bridge between the pre-existing concept of 'job satisfaction' and employee engagement with the definition: "an employee's involvement with, commitment to, and satisfaction with work. Employee engagement is a part of employee retention." This definition integrates the classic constructs of job satisfaction (Smith et al., 1969), and organizational commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1991).

Defining employee engagement remains problematic. In their review of the literature in 2011, Shuck and Wollard [4] identify four main sub-concepts within the term:

  1. "Needs satisfying" approach, in which engagement is the expression of one's preferred self in task behaviours.
  2. "Burnout antithesis" approach, in which energy, involvement, efficacy are presented as the opposites of established "burnout" constructs: exhaustion, cynicism and lack of accomplishment.
  3. Satisfaction-engagement approach, in which engagement is a more technical version of job satisfaction, evidenced by Gallup's own Q12 engagement survey which gives an r=.91 correlation with one (job satisfaction) measure.[5]
  4. The multidimensional approach, in which a clear distinction is maintained between job and organisational engagement, usually with the primary focus on antecedents and consequents to role performance rather than organisational identification.

Definitions of engagement vary in the weight they give to the individual vs the organisation in creating engagement. Recent practice has situated the drivers of engagement across this spectrum, from within the psyche of the individual employee (for example, promising recruitment services that will filter out 'disengaged' job applicants [6]) to focusing mainly on the actions and investments the organisation makes to support engagement.[7]

These definitional issues are potentially severe for practitioners. With different (and often proprietary) definitions of the object being measured, statistics from different sources are not readily comparable. Engagement work remains open to the challenge that its basic assumptions are, as Tom Keenoy describes them, 'normative' and 'aspirational', rather than analytic or operational - and so risk being seen by other organizational participants as "motherhood and apple pie" rhetoric.[8]

Correlates

Prior to Kahn's use of the term in the mid-1990s, a series of concepts relating to employee engagement had been investigated in management theory. Employee morale, work ethic, productivity, and motivation had been explored in a line dating back to the work of Mary Parker Follett in the early 1920s. Survey-based World War II studies on leadership and group morale sparked further confidence that such properties could be investigated and measured.[9] Later, Frederick Herzberg concluded [10] that positive motivation is driven by managers giving their employees developmental opportunities, activity he termed 'vertical enrichment'.

Contributors

With the wide range of definitions comes a variety of potential contributors to desirable levels of employee engagement. Some examples:

Involvement

Eileen Appelbaum and her colleagues (2000) studied 15 steel mills, 17 apparel manufacturers, and 10 electronic instrument and imaging equipment producers. Their purpose was to compare traditional production systems with flexible high-performance production systems involving teams, training, and incentive pay systems. In all three industries, the plants utilizing high-involvement practices showed superior performance. In addition, workers in the high-involvement plants showed more positive attitudes, including trust, organizational commitment and intrinsic enjoyment of the work.[11] The concept has gained popularity as various studies have demonstrated links with productivity. It is often linked to the notion of employee voice and empowerment.[12]

Two studies of employees in the life insurance industry examined the impact of employee perceptions that they had the power to make decisions, sufficient knowledge and information to do the job effectively, and rewards for high performance. Both studies included large samples of employees (3,570 employees in 49 organizations and 4,828 employees in 92 organizations). In both studies, high-involvement management practices were positively associated with employee morale, employee retention, and firm financial performance.[11] Watson Wyatt found that high-commitment organizations (one with loyal and dedicated employees) out-performed those with low commitment by 47% in the 2000 study and by 200% in the 2002 study.[13]

Commitment

Employees with the highest level of commitment perform 20% better and are 87% less likely to leave the organization, which indicates that engagement is linked to organizational performance.[14]

Productivity

In a study of professional service firms, the Hay Group found that offices with engaged employees were up to 43% more productive.[15] Job satisfaction is also linked to productivity.[16]

Generating engagement

Increasing engagement is a primary objective of organizations seeking to understand and measure engagement.

Drivers of engagement

Some additional points from research into drivers of engagement are presented below:

Commitment theories are rather based on creating conditions, under which the employee will feel compelled to work for an organization, whereas engagement theories aim to bring about a situation in which the employee by free choice has an intrinsic desire to work in the best interests of the organization.[21]

Recent research has focused on developing a better understanding of how variables such as quality of work relationships and values of the organization interact, and their link to important work outcomes.[22] From the perspective of the employee, "outcomes" range from strong commitment to the isolation of oneself from the organization.[20]

Disengagement

It is worth noting that there is strong evidence from Babiak and Hare (Snakes in Suits) of a pathological cause for disengagement. This is not a problem with those who are disengaged, but rather with those senior to them. Organisations who prize dynamic, fast paced, aggressive, charming, sales types who are driven and self-interested have put cluster B personality disordered people in positions of power. Cluster B disorders range from Narcissists to Psychopaths, but all have a tendency to exploit others for personal gain. They will lie, cheat, steal, bully, and manipulate without guilt or any empathy for others. We know that normal people exposed to cluster B's who are pathologically predisposed to serially abuse others, become disengaged, depressed, anxious, and can then suffer burn out and PTSD. The cluster B people when they see talent in the business either want to enslave it, or bully it out of the business because the talent may show up their weakness or block them from getting ahead. There is no cure, all we can do to protect the health and safety of the majority of our employees is recognise the damage the cluster B's cause and manage them out.

See also: Toxic leader, Psychopathy in the workplace, "Kiss up kick down" in workplace bullying and "Employee withdrawal" in counterproductive work behaviour

Hazards

Industry Discussion, Debates and Dialogues

Employee engagement has opened for industry debate, with questions such as:

[26]

References in popular culture

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Crim, Dan and Gerard H. Seijts (2006). "What Engages Employees the Most or, The Ten C’s of Employee Engagement". Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  2. ↑ Kahn, William A (1990). "Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work" (PDF). Academy of Management Journal. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
  3. ↑ Kahn, William A. "Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work." Academy of Management Journal. Dec 1990; 33, 4; ProQuest pg. 692
  4. ↑ Shuck, Brad and Wollard, Karen K. (2011). "Antecedents to Employee Engagement: A Structured Review of the Literature". Advances in Developing Human Resources. doi:10.1177/1523422311431220. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  5. ↑ Bakker, Arnold B, ed. (October 30, 2010). "Chapter 2: Defining and measuring work engagement: Bringing clarity to the concept". Work Engagement: A Handbook of Essential Theory and Research. Taylor & Francis. pp. 15–16. ISBN 0-203-85304-0.
  6. ↑ http://www.recruiter.co.uk/archive/part-17/FindingPotential-aims-to-help-employers-recruit-engaged-employees/
  7. ↑ "Employee engagement". Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). August 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  8. ↑ Keenoy, Tom (October 30, 2013). "Chapter 11: A murmuration of objects?". In Truss, Catherine. Engagement in Theory and Practice. Routledge. pp. 197–220. ISBN 978-0-415-65742-6.
  9. ↑ Stouffer, Samuel A., Edward A. Suchman, Leland C. DeVinney, Shirley A. Star, and Robin M. Williams, Jr. Studies in Social Psychology in World War II: The American Soldier. Vol. 1, Adjustment During Army Life. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1949. 125
  10. ↑ Herzberg, Frederick (2003). "One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees?". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  11. 1 2 Konrad, Alison M. (March 2006). "Engaging Employees through High-Involvement Work Practices". Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved 2006-11-14.
  12. ↑ Wilkinson, Adrien; et al. (2004). "Changing patterns of employee voice". Journal of Industrial Relations 46,3 (3): 298–322. doi:10.1111/j.0022-1856.2004.00143.x.
  13. ↑ "Employee Commitment". Susan de la Vergne. 2005. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  14. ↑ Lockwood, Nancy R. "Leveraging Employee Engagement for Competitive Advantage: HR's Strategic Role." HRMagazine Mar. 2007: 1-11. SearchSpot. ABI/INFORM Global (PQ). McIntyre Library, Eau Claire. 22 Apr. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1231781861&Fmt=4&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&
  15. 1 2 "Employee Commitment Remains Unchanged....". Watson Wyatt Worldwide. 2002. Retrieved 2006-11-07.
  16. ↑ Bockerman, Petri; Ilmakunnas, Pekka (2012). "The Job Satisfaction-productivity Nexus: A Study Using Matched Survey and Register Data". Industrial and Labor Relations Review 65 (2): 244–262.
  17. 1 2 "Engage Employees and Boost Performance" (PDF). Hay Group. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-11-23. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
  18. ↑ Hulme, Virginia A. (March 2006). "What Distinguishes the Best from the Rest". China Business Review.
  19. ↑ Lofthouse, Charlie. "Building a thank you culture at work". Reward Gateway. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  20. 1 2 Ryan, Richard M. and Edward L. Deci (January 2000). "Self-Determination Theory and Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being" (PDF). American Psychologist 55: 68–78. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.68. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-12-12. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  21. ↑ Hellevig, Jon (2012) "Employee Engagement in Russia" An Awara Guide, p.29 Link PDF
  22. ↑ Harter, James K., Frank L. Schmidt, and Corey L. M. Keyes (2003). "Well-Being in the Workplace and its Relationships to Business Outcomes" (PDF). Flourishing: the Positive Person and the Good Life: 205–244. Retrieved 2006-11-08.
  23. ↑ Briner, Rob B (July 2014). "An Evidence-Based Approach to Employee Engagement". Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  24. ↑ BlessingWhite (December 2010). "Employee Engagement Report 2011". Retrieved 2010-12-12.
  25. ↑ Tourish, D and Pinnington, A (2002). "Transformational leadership , corporate cultism and the spirituality paradigm: an unholy trinity in the workplace?". Human Relations 55: 147–172. doi:10.1177/0018726702055002181. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  26. ↑ Mercado, Frank (2015). Advancing the Discourse on Employee Engagement. Center for Business Strategy and Tactics. in Engagement and Retention San Francisco Conference (December 10–11, 2015, San Francisco). http://www.think-business.org/index.php/9-articles/2867-advancing-the-discourse-on-talent-engagement

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 28, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.