Employee Engagement - How?

I’ve recently written about being asked what I do – For somebody who (a couple of years or so ago) dived into the role of Engagement the response has been fantastic.

However, a lot of people struggle with the follow-on question - “So how do you it?” - How exactly do you leverage the Four Enablers? (The Movement - Engage for Success ) How do you arrive at the initiatives that deliver the full potential of an organisation? Indeed, some people have stated “You can’t change people!”

Perhaps the question should be – “How do you affect cultural change?”

Now, I’m not proposing I have all the answers on culture (which according to Nelson Derry is developed thus):

ACTIONS?(become) BEHAVIOURS? (that become) NORMS? (that define)? CULTURE

However, if asked, I would suggest the journey to Employee Engagement requires an organisation to align with, engage with, and empower their people.? I am a firm believer that whilst the initiatives may differ (And indeed, should), there is a standard way to approach them:

1.????? Organisational Assessment: Begin with a detailed assessment of the organisation. Understand your people's capabilities, leadership styles, and cultural dynamics. Tools such as surveys, interviews, and data analysis can provide valuable insights.

2.????? Inform: Introduce the concept of the Four Enablers to people managers, how they impact employee engagement and how they can positively affect cultural change and business performance.

3.????? Reflect & Review: Have your people managers analyse their organisation, assess what works well, and what doesn’t – what more could be done? What would they like to see? Be creative & explore the aspirational possibilities. This is where stakeholder ‘buy in’ is generated – Intent Based Leadership in action.

4.????? Organise & Structure: Taking the outputs from step 3, have your people arrange them into Alignment, Engagement & Empowerment focused initiatives. Hard wire in the structure and balance required of a high performing organisation.

5.???? Delivery & Implementation: Plan and launch the initiatives, involve everyone in the organisation and drive from the top.? Work on the long-term sustainability of your initiatives -create the internal champions, integrate the programme into regular business operations, and develop ongoing support – ‘normalise’ your initiatives.

6.???? Monitoring & Evaluation: Ensure mechanisms are in place to monitor progress and evaluate the programme’s effectiveness – establish the feedback loops to make the necessary adjustments and improvements over time.?

Ultimately, by changing actions and behaviours, we modify the norms and lay the groundwork for positive cultural transformation.?

But hey, what do I know, after all, I’m the new guy being asked what it is I do, right? I wouldn’t have developed the passion and belief I have for Engagement if it wasn’t for Janice McNamara (Who I would hugely recommend), supportive management in James Luter & with collaborative industry partners such as Katie Scanlan

Employee Engagement, however, is crucial to organisational excellence, something we ignore at our peril.

Engage for Success

How would you deliver cultural change?