Tuesday, February 16, 2010

What is This Engagement Thing?


For about a year, I've been receiving Google Alerts with tags that contain the word 'engagement'. Sometimes the articles or blogs have useful information; sometimes they are just sales pitches.


Nevertheless, the concept of engagement in the workplace is fascinating because, for me, it's a "Duh" kind of idea. Isn't it common sense that when people are engaged in what they do, they perform better; they are more attached to the organization and they contribute at a higher level than less engaged people? Ah, but common sense isn't common practice.




We are complex creatures, we humans. We tend to be engaged by an idea or a cause that is meaningful, maybe bigger than ourselves and which enriches our lives. Unfortuately, in a lot of workplaces, work has been reduced to activities and tasks. Senior mangement may not even be recognized (see Undercover Boss) or is the sender of an occasional email. Financial performance is not shared or discussed widely and the company's Mission is engraved on a plaque in the lobby. Maybe it's time to connect the dots and see that for an employee to be engaged, the organization must be engaging. It's easier to see how the concept works in a model:









Vision and Mission: They are foundational elements of an engaged company. People know what you stand for and why you exist. Decisions are based on these elements and behaviors are driven by them.



Strategy: Engagement starts here. People see the "big picture" and hear about organizational strategy because it's part of everyday activity. They are part of something bigger than the jobs they are paid for and can see how their work fits in.



Leadership: Listens actively and communicates frequently. Leaders are trustworthy and believe evangelically about the potential of the company, the people who work there and the customers they serve.




Culture: The way things really get done in an organization; the stories and the rituals; the practices and the collective tone. If Strategy is the Head of the organizational body, Culture should be the Heart. Culture can deliver or derail any leader's strategy if it isn't designed to support it. Cultivating an engaging environment is a key priority.



Employees: The lifeblood, the true asset of every company. Most of us WANT to be engaged but our companies often don't give us sufficient reason. I agree with Dan Pink in his new book, Drive. People are motivated by Purpose, Autonomy and Mastery, assuming basic needs are met (Thank you, Abraham Maslow).



Customers: The reason we get up every day and go to work, remember? As Peter Drucker said so often, management is about knowing what your Purpose is, who your customers are and how you're going to make a profit. Designing an engaging customer experience is an Outside-In job.




So, engagement is not a slogan, a program or a one-time initiative. Connecting the organizational dots is what engagement is all about. What do you think?

6 comments:

  1. What do you think the first step is for leaders to connect the dots?

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  2. I think that connecting the dots requires a diagnostic tool like the Leading Engaged Companies Model, otherwise, things get done randomly, in silos and with little coordination especially when it comes to assessing the impact on business results. Lately I've thought of this model as a risk management tool. With business decisions becoming ever more complex and with less and less room for error, managing the risk of the decisions we make is critical to survival. Business leaders need an efficient roadmap, a checklist or whatever metaphor you'd like to use, that can mitigate some of the uncertainty and which take into account their company's unique position.
    Organizations are organic not mechanistic these days. It's not a matter of rearranging boxes on an organization chart or tweaking line items on the P&L to achieve results. It's about designing a functioning company that reflects its strategy with the capabilities to execute that strategy and achieve the business goals. The dots are there, just waiting to be connected in a deliberate way!

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  3. I think engagement starts with leadership that is able to connect and inspire employees to participate in the development of a mission and vision. Only then is the organization prepared to engage their customers in coordinated, integrated fashion. Understanding their customers allows for the development of an effective strategy that when executed effectively builds a culture of excellence.

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  4. Well said, Pat, thanks for the comment. Leaders can make or break an organization, which is why they need an efficient framework to do the necessary work of designing an engaging company.
    The goal should be a sustainable, resilient company like the one that A.J. Laffly has presided over at Proctor & Gamble. You don't need to be as large as P&G but it's essential to have Laffly's character, competencies and vision.

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  5. People are motivated by Purpose, Autonomy and Mastery, assuming basic needs are met (Thank you, Abraham Maslow).
    I really like this statement. Very succinct. Nice blog post Barbara.

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