Fourth International Conference "Successful Communication Starts from Within 2010: Engaged Employees - the Organization's Added Value http://apeironacademy.com/conferences/conferences_eng.html

1. Measuring
employee
engagement
Kevin Ruck

2. England football team
World Cup 2010
Engaged?

3. A study for CIPD (Truss, 2006, p. xi) found that
only 35 per cent of UK employees were actively
engaged with their work.
But what is this thing we call engagement?

4. What would you choose to do to
engage people?
1. Give people a five per cent pay rise
2. Take your team out for a meal
3. Tell people what is going on in the organisation
4. Introduce a new suggestion scheme
5. Say “well done” for a good piece of work

5. What would you choose to do to
engage people?
1. Give people a five per cent pay rise
2. Take your team out for a meal
3. Tell people what is going on in the organisation
4. Introduce a new suggestion scheme
5. Say “well done” for a good piece of work

6. Work engagement Organisational engagement
A focus either on the individual role A social and communicative
or the work activity with both approach whereby employees are
approaches incorporating informed, have a voice that is heard
behavioural-energetic (vigor), and acknowledged, and where
emotional (dedication) and cognitive managers show commitment
(absorption) dimensions. consistent with organisational values.
Conclusion
Employee engagement is a multi-dimensional
construct
•Most surveys are focused on work engagement and are quantitative
•This diminishes the importance of organisational engagement

7. The academic case for
organisational engagement
Saks found (2006, p. 612) that, “…there is a meaningful distinction between job and
organization engagement” and “organization engagement was a much stronger
predictor of all the outcomes than job engagement”.
Wieseke et al found (2009) that found the higher the level of organisational identity
of sales managers the greater the sales quota achievement.
Peccei at al (2010, p.432) “information disclosure does, in fact, seem to have a
positive effect on financial performance”.
Leiter and Bakker (2010, p. 2) affirm that “Employees’ responses to organizational
policies, practices and structures affect their potential to experience engagement”.
Millward and Postmes (2010, p. 335) conclude from an academic study involving
business managers in the UK that “The fact that identification with the superordinate
grouping of “the organisation” was particularly relevant to performance is important
for theoretical, empirical and pragmatic reasons”.

8. Typical engagement survey questions
Only two of the Gallup 12 questions are linked to wider organisational
engagement.
One is about the organisational mission
The other is about whether your opinions count
Typical communication survey questions
ICA survey focuses on the “amount of information” received. Others
commonly focus on availability of information systems and influence of
supervisor. Feeling well informed is different from the volume of
information received and little attention is paid to opportunities for
upward feedback.

9. Engagement
LEADERSHIP ENGAGING VOICE views are INTEGRITY
COMMUNICATION
Provides a MANAGERS sought out; people Behaviour is
strong strategic Facilitate and see that their consistent with
narrative. empower. opinions count. stated values.
MacLeod and Clarke (2009) Engaging for
Success

10. Feeling well
informed.
Opportunities Manager
for upward commitment
feedback
Three components of organisational employee engagement
(Truss, 2006, p. xi)

11. (Truss, 2006, p. xi)

12. Level v Credibility of Information
Informed Doubters (1%) Informed Believers (47%)
High Fully/fairly well informed but Fully/fairly well informed and
lack of belief in information believe information
received communicated
Feel
Fence sitters
informed (28%)
Uninformed Doubters (11%)
Uninformed Believers (13%)
Low/med Little/no information and lack
Little information but believe
of belief in information
that received
received
Low/med Believe information communicated High
Truss (2006)

13. Feeling really well informed.
Reinforced by
managers who show
commitment to the
Propaganda organisation.
Content is biased Professional
and does not reflect
reality. Timely, clear, accurate,
pertinent, consistent,
sincere, concise,
business-like. Reinforces
believable values and
narrative.

14. Upward feedback
Reinforced by
managers who are
open to critical
Basic feedback.
Surveys, suggestion Advanced
schemes, email
boxes. Based on people feeling
well informed in the first
place, face to face,
actions taken as a result
or reasons why action not
taken provided.

15. Downward v Upward Communication
Informed Non-Communicators (6%) Informed Communicators (32%)
High Fully/fairly well informed but little Fully/fairly well informed and have
opportunity to feed information opportunity for upward communication
upwards THIS GROUP IS HIGHLY ENGAGED
Feel
informed Fence sitters (39%)
Uninformed Non-Communicators
Uninformed Believers (5%)
Low/med (18%)
Little information but have opportunity
Little/no information and lack of
to feed information upwards
opportunity for upward feedback
Low/med Have opportunity for High
Truss (2006) upward communication

16. Defining the values of the workforce has enabled
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service to launch a
bold three-year employee engagement strategy.
Focus groups were carried out at every fire
station with more than 800 employees to talk about
what motivated them in their jobs and also what
causes frustration. The focus groups were
followed up with a service-wide staff survey.
In their feedback, firefighters said that they wanted to be listened to and
consulted with more and to have more communication from senior leaders.
From: People Management 8 April 2010

17. Organisational
engagement
Internal Corporate Integrity Team communication
Communication Engaging Project/peer or line
Relational - Relationship managers manager
management, symmetric Voice Clarity, consistency,
communication. Leadership involvement.
Organisational - Timely, clear,
accurate, pertinent,
consistent, sincere, concise,
business-like.
Informed employee voice

18. I am fully
aware of
what is going
on in the
organisation
I have regular
opportunities
to have my
say and feel I identify with the
comfortable organisation and
about being am engaged in my
critical. work and in
achieving wider
organisational
objectives.

19. Thanks
for listening
www.pracademy.co.uk
www.exploringinternalcommunication.com