The Engagement Equation

The Engagement Equation explains the drivers of employee engagement, and how you can use improved engagement to execute strategy, reduce costs, and meet your organizational goals. This book describes a unique engagement model that focuses on individuals' contribution to a company's success and personal satisfaction in their roles. Aligning employees' values, goals, and aspirations with those of the organization is the best method for achieving the sustainable employee engagement. The Engagement Equation is designed to provide a framework that will help you move the needle on engagement.

• Explains how to plan and execute a sustainable organization-wide engagement initiative
• Shows how to avoid the engagement survey analysis-paralysis trap
• Shares ways to align employee contribution with strategy
• Encourages leaders to pay attention to and better understand your organizational culture, and much more

Ultimately, it's the daily dynamics at play in your team, your division, and your organization that matter most.

Preface: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants—The Legacy of Buck Blessing and Tod White v

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 What Is Engagement Anyway? 1

Chapter 2 The Five Levels of Engagement 21

Chapter 3 Global Insights and Macro Trends 39

Chapter 4 Shared Accountability and Daily Priority 63

Chapter 5 A Dead Battery Can’t Jump-Start Another 91

Chapter 6 Culture 103

Chapter 7 Seems Kind of Obvious: Align Your Employees! 139

Chapter 8 Dialogue and Empowerment Trump Action Planning 159

Chapter 9 Career Development 183

Chapter 10 Measuring ROI 211

Chapter 11 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Engagement Surveys 229

Chapter 12 Final Considerations 251

Appendix 269
Interviews and Contributors 285
Endnotes 291
Index 299

CHRISTOPHER RICE is the President and CEO of global consulting firm BlessingWhite, which helps create high-performance cultures that drive results and reinforce organizational values. Recognized in each of the last two years as a “Top 100” thought leader by Leadership Excellence, Chris’s expertise is regularly featured in business and human capital media.

FRASER MARLOW is the Vice President of Marketing & Research at BlessingWhite. He leads the team that conducts and publishes regular research on workplace issues.

MARY ANN MASARECH is the employee engagement practice leader at BlessingWhite. She translates research insights into pragmatic development tools and content that are currently in use at hundreds of organizations worldwide.

You don’t need to see any metrics to know whether your employees are engaged. You can feel it the moment you walk into your office, your store, or your worksite. Eventually, a general malaise and complacency can creep into your bottom line through slower time-to-market, lower productivity, rising absenteeism, and even increased accidents. But every organization that is willing to make a commitment can turn it around. When you build—and sustain—a culture of high engagement, you’ll create the strongest competitive advantage you have.

Full employee engagement represents an alignment of maximum satisfaction for the individual with maximum contribution for the organization. The Engagement Equation explains the drivers of employee engagement, and how you can use improved engagement to execute strategy, reduce costs, and meet your organizational goals.

Through pragmatic advice drawn from working hands-on in developing professionals around the world, you’ll learn how to:

• Plan and execute a sustainable organization-wide engagement initiative
• Turn employee engagement into a shared responsibility and daily priority
• Take control of your own engagement so that you can inspire others
• Open communication channels between managers and employees
• Build a culture to fuel engagement, and then protect it fiercely

Turning the tide on employee engagement won’t be easy. But if you’re willing to commit, The Engagement Equation shows you the way.