John Smythe's slides from a talk delivered to the Welsh Government, November 2013. For attached notes: http://www.engageforchange.com/fad-or-performance-factor/

1. Employee engagement – fad or
performance factor (see also notes pages)
John Smythe
11 11 13 Welsh Government

2. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Which workers are most engaged and productive?

3. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Your menu
What is employee engagement?
What engages you/your people?
Problems with the concept
Be the ‘go to’ resource on employee engagement
3
IP Engage for Change 2013

4. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
 Think of a project/period where
you were really engaged, fired
up, productive and enjoying it
 What brought
about your engagement?
What engages you?
4
IP Engage for Change 2013

5. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
How would you recognise an engaged
person/group? ……………………………………….
5
IP Engage for Change 2013

6. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
6
What do engaged people do?
 Enjoy their work whatever they do
 Make it their job to do it better
 Risk speaking upwards to challenge and innovate
 Make it safe for people to challenge up
 Self organise – less need for costly supervision
 Take responsibility
 Collaborate within & beyond their ‘border’
 Resolve difficulties locally
 Demonstrate awareness of personal limits
 Are generous
IP Engage for Change 2013

7. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
7
“I decide when to engage myself, not you boss”!
We engage ourselves when we
are invited to challenge in safety,
and to contribute to every day
operational decisions and big
ticket strategy and change that
affects us, which we can improve
IP Engage for Change 2013

8. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Benefits of engagement are not enablers/drivers
IP Engage for Change 2013
8
Benefits eg:
• Discretionary effort
• Better decisions
• Better strategy, change
• Better operational processes
• Compelling place to work
• Customers enjoying better
service (from engaged
employees)
Enablers (EfS)
• Strong strategic
narrative
• Engaging managers
• Employee voice
• Integrity
• = + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

9. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement 9
“A culture of distributed leadership enables
people to liberate their creativity to deliver
great results for their institution and
themselves”
What engages us?
BY:
 Inviting employees who deliver the
end result to contribute to day to day decisions, strategy
and change in a well governed way.
 Leaders at every level who have the self knowledge,
discipline, appetite & capability to engage people in
in decision making
IP Engage for Change 2013

10. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Telling
the many what has
been decided by
the few
OUTCOME
Hooligans or
spectators
Selling
to the many what
has been decided
by the few
OUTCOME
Compliant
collaborators
Inclusion
Driving
accountability
down by
implicating people
as individuals in
execution
OUTCOME
Willing
collaborators
Co-creation
Judging who will
add value if
included in front
end decision
forming for change
& strategy
OUTCOME
Personally
committed
reformers
From command and control to a more mutual culture
10
IP Engage for Change 2013

11. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Choices of approach open to leaders
“There is a 5th way -
they decide but don’t
even bother telling us”
11
IP Engage for Change 2013

12. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Overwhelming business case (Engage for success data)
 CBI: engaged employees take 2.9 sick days/disengaged 6.19 days
 Towers Perrin: operating margins 3x higher in engaged workforces
 M&S: stores with improving engagement delivered £62m more sales
 Kenexa: In the US companies with engaged staff have highest customer sat
 BAE: engaged staff reduced plane construction time 25%
 BAE: same staff found £26m in savings in two sites
 Gallup: disengaged organizations have 62% more accidents
 Gallup: engaged staff say that work brings their creative ideas – 59% vs 3%
 Aon Hewitt: engaged organizations give 22% higher returns to shareholders
 Total UK: double digit £ms in efficiency savings + new revenue lines (EFC)
 Kenexa – increased engagement could add £26B to UK GDP

13. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Mercenaries
3%
Disconnected
20%
Hostages
28%
Fence-sitters
16%
Apostles
33%
Business case? – UK 25,000 workers YouGov/EfC
13
IP Engage for Change 2013

14. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Why now for employee engagement?
Loyalty for security Transactional relationship
 Velvet revolutions Democratic capitalism
Power over knowledge Digital flattens hierarchy
14
IP Engage for Change 2013

15. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Velvet revolutions
Lech Walesa at Gdansk Shipyard addressing workers

16. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Coincidental social upheavals?
Protestors gathering
in Tahrir Square,
Cairo, Egypt
Demonstrators
marching through
Habib Bourquiba
Avenue, Tunis
Political dissidents in
Sana’a, Yemen
demanding the
resignation of the
president
Protests in Duma,
Syria
The Arab Spring
16
IP Engage for Change 2013

17. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Problems with employee engagement
Definitions & enablers/drivers – more to do locally/internationally
C suite full of boomers and Xers bought up on C&C and ‘lovin it’
Command and control, hierarchical leadership sugared by
employee engagement ‘magic spray’:
Turbo charged top down communication masquerading
Learnt behavioural performances which don’t last
Presentational concessions to mutuality:
Dress codes
First names
Open doors/walking floors
Charm offensives by leaders
17
IP Engage for Change 2013

18. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Be the ‘go to’ resource on employee engagement
1. The behaviour/role model of leaders, managers & supervisors –
Generous Leadership; ‘guides not gods’
2. Engaging widely and deeply to drive transformation, change, strategy
& operational improvement via disruptive interventions
3. Internal communication that enables engagement
4. Engaging widely to deliver inside-out customer/brand promise
5. Helping a new C Suite members to engage with the organization in
his/her first 300 days
6. Helping functional teams (Comms/HR/L&D/Mkt/Finance etc) to be role
models
IP Engage for Change 2013
18

19. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
The shifting nature of leadership
 Complexity requires new capabilities beyond the individual

20. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Leadership & culture - gods to guides
Capabilities to create context

21. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Leadership & culture - gods to guides1
Capabilities to manage participation

22. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Management drivers of engagement and performance
Creates space for teams and individuals to test and explore whilst ensuring short term demands are
met (0.13)
Accepts challenge and addresses questions (0.11)
Provides insight and explanation to help create a clear context for the work we do (0.10)
Identifies the right people to contribute given the demands of different situations (0.10)
Creates value by engaging others (0.09)
Communicates clear messages
about what needs to be done
Has the knowledge needed to
lead our team in the work we
do
Is adept at dealing with
different personalities
Helps members of the team
overcome resistance to
change
Invites people who can make
a difference to be involved,
irrespective of level of
seniority
Helps groups integrate
different perspectives to
create sustainable solutions

23. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Be the ‘go to’ resource on employee engagement
1. The behaviour/role model of leaders, managers & supervisors –
Generous Leadership; ‘guides not gods’
2. Engaging widely and deeply to drive transformation, change, strategy
& operational improvement via disruptive interventions
3. Internal communication that enables engagement
4. Engaging widely to deliver inside-out customer/brand promise
5. Helping a new C Suite members to engage with the organization in
his/her first 300 days
6. Helping functional teams (Comms/HR/L&D/Mkt/Finance etc) to be role
models
IP Engage for Change 2013
23

24. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
How would you recognise it - Ruby & Geraldine’s
contrasting experiences
24

25. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Total UK: “We had to disrupt the ‘dirigiste’ top down norm”
Action for recovery:
Survive, Recover, Thrive
Top down….
…Or bottom up….
Double digit millions in savings bottom up
and “twice the speed of top down”; Paris
25

26. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
1. Elites decide; often secretly
2. Messages formed
3. Messages delivered
4. Messages impact checked
5. Messages reinforced
= Command, control, align & coerce
Geraldine suffered this familiar pattern of
command & control communication:
26

27. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Whose shoes would you rather be in?
27
Ruby’s Geraldine’s

28. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Generalists solve complex problems
28

29. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
 Employees need the
same view / data /
experience as decision
makers at the front of the train
 Better still let them collect it
Complete transparency of data

30. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Getting people into the breakthrough zone
30
Daily operations,
transactional
responses
 Good for
surviving
 Bad for
breakthrough
Flight, Fight
BREAKTHROUGH
ZONE
1 hour recovery Needs dynamic
experiences over
some hours
Enough!

31. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Strategy – ‘Need to Want’
31

32. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement 32
Vision
To be the most relevant F&P practice we can be to our
clients, our people and our firm
This means being
 The number one choice for our clients
 An employer of choice
 Vital to the achievement of our firm's vision and respected by
everyone in DLA Piper

33. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Our vision and strategy
33
Vision
Communication
F&P offerings &
knowledge
I to We Leadership capability Employer of choice

34. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement

35. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Visible progress
35
… plus a detailed reporting of savings within each business unit
Additional
revenues
plus
cost
savings
…..plus detailed programme impact reporting by Business Unit
Department

36. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement 36

37. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Get the ‘how to’ & receive discount via:
www.gowerpublishing.com/isbn/9781409443247
IP Engage for Change 2013
37

38. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
The Engage for Change model for inclusive
strategy, change etc
1. The vision/’where we need to be’ – simply stated
2. Your default approach to engagement – enabler or
disabler?
3. Negotiating who should be engaged – the power of
the peach
4. A creative intervention to engage your leaders and
people
5. Integrating the intervention as a part of business
strategy
38

39. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
Be the ‘go to’ resource on employee engagement
1. The behaviour/role model of leaders, managers & supervisors –
Generous Leadership; ‘guides not gods’
2. Engaging widely and deeply to drive transformation, change, strategy
& operational improvement via disruptive interventions
3. Internal communication that enables engagement
4. Engaging widely to deliver inside-out customer/brand promise
5. Helping a new C Suite members to engage with the organization in
his/her first 300 days
6. Helping functional teams (Comms/HR/L&D/Mkt/Finance etc) to be role
models
IP Engage for Change 2013
39

40. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement 40
To be relevant in future…..
1. ‘In the tent’ advisor - challenging the pattern of top
down, elite based decision making.
2. Negotiating with elites where others can contribute to
add value and accelerate change & strategy -
understand the demographics of the workforce.
3. Knowing how to create open source engagement
experiences/interventions F2F & digitally…vs
cascades.
4. Building the ‘engagement challenge’ into change &
operational improvement processes.
5. Grafting engagement capability into training,
development, performance management &
recognition.

41. © Engage for Change 2011 This is the IP of Engage for Change
and can only be reproduced in whole or in part with acknowledgement
And finally
Sir Wim Bischoff (chair Lloyds Banking Group) as a senior
sponsor of Engage for Success
“employee engagement will
become be one of the key health
factors to be considered by
shareholders” – the velvet
revolution at work is becoming
main stream
41