Employee Engagement Perspectives - Issues - Research and Practice

Question: Discuss about the case study Employee Engagement for Perspectives, Issues, Research and Practice. Answer: Benefits of employee engagement An engaged employee is distinctly recognizable in the crowd of the total employee strength of any organization simply by his extent of interest and involvement in the deliverance of his designated responsibilities (Albrech 2011). The subject of employee engagement over the last couple of decades has generated much interest, not only among the multinational corporations but also among the small and medium sized corporations and even government sector enterprises across the globe (Evans,2010). From the standpoint of a business organization, the significance of employee engagement is multifaceted (Albrech 2011).According to Brodie et al, (2011), in the modern market of high competition, organizations must build employee engagement which can be achieved through proper strategies of leadership and an organizations commitment to the cause of increased employee commitment. Employee commitment means empowered employees who will strive hard for their personal growth, as well as that of the company ( Lockwood., 2007).This type of commitment helps in the development of a strong and positive organizational culture that provides flexibility of work and growth of employees without any bias towards gender (Coronel et al., 2010).Employees - both male and female - are very vital to an organization, and a positive work culture which provides equality to both genders leads to greater prosperity for the organization when compared to other competitors (Alfes et al., 2010). The organization gains endlessly from its share of engaged employees in various ways; productivity, employee retention, innovation, employee satisfaction and profitability which have been discussed under the following heads: Productivity As has been pointed out by Dromey and Broadbelt, (2012), the factor of productivity is quite significant since it involves the performance of the employees towards the success of a particular business venture. Productivity is bound to take a slump over time in a work unit where the staff attendance is low or there is an escalating rate of absenteeism amongst the workforce (Avery et al., 2007) The performance of the workforce has always remained the key to success in any organization; hence, the business must show its responsibility towards its employees by keeping them committed and motivated around the clock and extracting the optimal output from them (Gagn and Bhave, 2011). According to Purcell (2010), an engaged employee is not only efficient but is also success driven in nature and therefore nurtures an ambience of motivation amongst the workforce. This results in higher productivity over time, thus keeping the organization on the track of success. Employee Retention The factor of high levels of employee engagement reduces the rate of employee turnover considerably in any business enterprise (Avery et al., 2007). The employees who remain invested in achieving the common goal of the organization tend to stick to their jobs rather than move around in the sector (Lee and Kwak, 2012). This phenomenon lowers the rate of transferring for better options and in the long term, the company ends up having many loyal employees guiding it towards success (Gruman and Sachs., 2011). The workforce that remains engaged tends to attract more new employees to the organization. Innovation Every business is in need of constant innovation and changes in their products and commodities to remain in competition, making the process of transformation almost imperative in any kind of business operations (Kular et al., 2008). The company which has high levels of employee engagement boasts of a workforce that is passionate and committed towards their work, making them strive hard to find newer ways to create success in their businesses (Avery et al., 2007). Therefore this will result into high levels of involvement that engaged employees feels words towards the organization. Employee Satisfaction Research studies have revealed that satisfied employees are engaged employees in any enterprise. When the company implements proper initiatives for employee satisfaction, the workforce feels its importance and starts considering itself as a stake holder of the enterprise (Kular et al.,2008). When the level of satisfaction in an organization has increased, employee engagement becomes better. According to Rayton (2012), it is satisfied employees who play a crucial rolein propagating the company to outsiders and who help in realization of the mission, vision and aim of the brand. Profitability More often than not companies with an engaged workforce have higher levels of operational efficiency that results into better productivity, thus increasing profitability over time (Lee and Kwak., 2012). A study by Alfeset al. (2010) revealed that the employees who are engaged produce almost over 30% more revenue for the company. The productive employees have been observed to bring down the operational costs considerably, which reflects in a heightened margin of profit (Lockwood., 2007). Drivers of engagement With the study of organizational success, the concept of employee engagement has emerged. A report by McLeod and Clarke (2009), highlights the drivers of engagement. They mention four categories, namely; strategic narrative, employee voice, engaging managers and integrity. These are further below: Strategic Narrative As stated by McLeod and Clarke (2009), report strategic narrative has been defined as a clear, transparent and precise view of the culture of the organization which is focused on the clear conveyance of a strategy through which every level of the hierarchy remains well informed about the larger goal of the enterprise. It provides the employee an approach or line of action that bridges their responsibility with that of the organizational aims and vision McLeod and Clarke (2009). The leaders role is stressed more in putting forward the narrative so that the employees can very well decipher their extent of contributions towards it. It is important, however, according to the Clarke report that the operations and culture of the organization be reflective of this kind of narrative. Engaging Managers The engagement of managers requires an approach from both line managers and the rest of the employees of an organization which focuses on effective and efficient deliverance of the work, which is guaranteed from the employees by making them feel important and cared for through appreciating their efforts and valuing their contribution. According to Bolton et al (2013), engagement of the managers needs not be for creating restrictions; rather engagement through fair and individualistic treatment will empower managers and facilitate the staff members in doing their jobs. Hence, the behavioral approach and action of the managers must be primarily directed towards the support and wellbeing of the employees (McLeod and Clarke 2009). Employee Voice This is one of the communicative drivers of engaging the employees through which the opinions and the views of the workforce are taken into consideration (Macey and Schneider, B.,2008). These opinions and views are responded to so that through the practice of a collaborative or participative management approach, the business is driven towards growth and success (Shashi, 2010). It is not to be regarded as just a medium of expressing a viewpoint; rather, the employers must make it a habit of asking the opinion of the workforce and giving it due consideration (Macey and Schneider, 2008). This will result into employees actively participating in a process of contribution to the future prospects of the enterprise. Integrity This is regarded as the final driver of engagement which permeates throughout the organization in the reflection of adherence and due compliance with the culture, values and norms of the organization (Markos and Sridevi, 2010). The void between the stated and practiced values is nullified, resulting in a position of integrity and trust in the behavior of the organization (Shashi., 2010). The gap between the practiced values and the declared ones reflects a poor picture about the integrity of the enterprise in the eyes of the employees resulting in employee disengagement (Gruman and Saks, 2011). It is therefore important that an alignment between the two is present at all times to promote and ambience of trust and integrity, consequently resulting in engagement within the workforce ( Lockwood., 2007). Employee Voice and Strategic Narrative The report of McLeod and Clarke (2009), shows that enablers using strategic narrative and employee voice have a strong association with the internal communication processes of the organization. As a part of the process of communication within the enterprise, it is most important that information is shared between the senior level managers and the employees on a regular basis (Welch and Jackson, 2007). Lockwood (2007), emphasizes that the workforce is eager to know the aims, plans, achievements and vision of the enterprise simply because the security of their employment has a direct relation with the progress of the enterprise. It is crucial for the enterprise to develop a culture of direct communication between the employees and the senior managers, and not simply the representatives of the former (Welch and Jackson, 2007). As stated by Markos and Sridevi (2010), the role of a clear and continuous process of communication has been emphasized by several practitioners and theorists in the development of the paradigm of employee engagement within the enterprise. Inconsistent and ambiguous communication not only results in misunderstanding but also creates unnecessary confusion amongst the workforce (Aral et al., 2013). One of the most important aspects of internal corporate communication is the content and the tone that the communicative process bears (Welch and Jackson, 2007). However, the process has mostly been discussed as a one-way system, and there is little emphasis on a justified two-way initiative at some point in the process( Lockwood., 2007). Although in most cases employees are interested in understanding the strategy of the organization, more often than not the discussions and sharing of information hinges on a singular aspect, leaving the employees largely disconnected to the strategic goals of the enterprise (Welch and Jackson., 2007). According to Albrech (2011), it is vital that the employees identify with the organizational policies. If this connection is lacking, it results in work related stress, anxiety, fatigue and weakness. After all, it is through effective communicative processes that an understanding and sense of trust develops in the mind of the employees regarding the strategic direction of the enterprise (Dromey and Broadbelt,. 2012). Improper understanding about the strategic direction results inemployees being uncommitted; this results in growing reluctance within the workforce to trust the senior level managers (Von Krogh, 2012). The narrative which the senior managers share with the employees must therefore be in alignment with the values of the organization (Dromey and Broadbelt, 2012). Employees are always on the lookout for leaders whom they can approach and converse with.This however makes it mandatory that the communicative process should reflects a clear direction that enables action, helps in the development of awareness, and creates safe opportunities in reaching solutions (Dromey and Broadbelt, G. 2012). Role of social media in supporting employee voice and strategic narrative Previously, the channels of voice were constricted to personal meetings, employee surveys and suggestion boxes among others (Evans., 2010) Over time they were losing their importance and popularity in the wake of the digitized communication of dialogues through the medium of internet (Lee and Kwak., 2012). The advances in technology provided more engaging ways to deliver messages and promote exchanges on various professional issues (Park et al., 2009) The advantages of social media have literally transformed the scope of conveying any kind of information from one end of the enterprise to the other (MacLeod and Clarke, 2009). Often, the number of employee comments can be overwhelming and cause most comments to go unread and remain unheard (MacLeod and Clarke, 2009). It is here that the effective navigation through the social media platform would assist in providing each employee comment equal importance (Lockwood., 2007). Moreover, the interactive nature of social media platforms makes the exchange a more engaging and participatory experience (MacLeod and Clarke, 2009). According to Macey and Schneider (2008), recent research reports reveal that a high percentage of employees favor the social media channels for communication with their senior managers, and almost 60% of staff would like to Tweet or use Facebook in communicating with seniors. Per the report of Watson (2012), almost one-fifth of employees in the UK were found to be using various social media tools such as discussion forums, blogs and other networking platforms. With the advent of social media, the communication pattern within the workspace has changed from being monologue in nature to being multidimensional (Park et al., 2009). Through the use of social media platforms, the voice of the employee is heard by one and all; hence, conveyance of feedback tends to become less hierarchical, but rather more networked in nature (Welch and Jackson, 2007). Therefore, the voice of the employees has become more enriching and open than it used to be, resulting in its authentication and resonance from the larger section of the working community within the enterprise (Park et al., 2009). Organizational Culture of Uganda In regard to the cross cultural report of Geert Hoffstede (2011), the cultural values of an organization have a dominant role in building employee engagement in that organization. The report highlighted certain factors and showed how the dimensions of national culture impact employee engagement in an organization. The list of indices is Power distance Index, Individualism and Collectivism. .The Power Distance Index is the degree of unequal power distribution that is accepted and expected by the less powerful members of society. This depends on the way a society handles the distribution of power and inequality (Coronel et al., 2010). If the society accepts a large degree of power distance, then there will be more acceptance of hierarchical order in which everybody has a place (Gagne and Bhave., 2011). If the society accepts lower power distances, then the people must strive more to achieve the equalization of power. It was also found in the report of Munene et al., (2000), that in Ugandan culture, there is a low level of acceptance of power inequality, in other words a low power distance, which causes an increase in the employee engagement in organization. This differs from the finding in some Western countries such as Germany and United States (Rurkkhum and Bartlett, 2012). Another dimension pointed out in the study by Bergstrm et al., (2012) is the relation between individualism and collectivism that explores the extent to which the people of the society are divided into groups. In societies where there is more individualism, there are loose ties between people and they tend to relate to only a single individual or their own family (Rurkkhum and Bartlett, 2012). Collectivism explores the extent to which people of the society share a tightly integrated relationship and that extends beyond ones individual family to the extended families and in-groups. According to the report of Munene et al., (2000), Ugandans are collective in nature which results in greater employee retention and positive work culture in the organizations. Another most important dimension in society is the difference of masculinity and femininity in the organization (Gagn and Bhave, 2011). The preference of heroism, achievement, power and position are represented by the society as the masculinity side. The feminine side of the dimension is in turn considered to be weak and displays a preference for cooperation, caring and modesty (Coronel et al., 2010). Gender dimension directly impacts the employees working in an organization. The report of Munene et al., (2000), showed that the culture of Uganda is less masculine, which causes a greater impact in the growth of the employees and employee engagement in the organization (Coronel et al. 2010). The fourth important factor is the Uncertainty Avoidance Dimension that represents the extent to which a society is comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity (Hofstede Report, 2011). There are many countries according to the same report of Hofstede which follow a strict code of belief and behavior in regard to these characteristic, which often impacts on the growth or flexibility of an organization and its decisions. In Ugandan culture, there is a low tolerance of uncertainty, though not to an extent which greatly impacts the employees of the organization (Bergstrm et al., 2012). Conceptual Framework The growth of an organization largely depends upon the employees and the engagement of employees in an organization. In other words amidst multitude of factors that are responsible for organizational growth an engaged workforce is the primary driver of growth since employees are considered the very life blood of an organization ( Kular et al., 2008). There is generally a highly competitive environment, and so the employee engagement is very necessary for the growth of the company (Avery et al., 2007). In order to contribute to the growth of the companies, it has become very important to increase employee retention and this can be done onlythroughsuccessful employee engagement policies (Park et al., 2009). An able leader utilizing leadership strategies to maintain the employees of the company, their growth and their management is the most important dimension (Bolton et al., 2013). Employees must have a strong commitment to their organization, which can highly benefit a company during the time of threat, as well as in the competitive market when competition is high (Kular, et al., 2008). This can only happen when the organization also follows certain policies and norms that make an employee feel loyal towards the organization. The presence of positive environment is only possible with a positive work culture, with flexible behavior towards employees as well as few gender biases and collectivism in the attitude of the employees (Bergstrom et al., 2012). It is crucial for the enterprise to develop a culture of direct communication between the employees and the senior managers, along with the flexibility of sharing ideas and opinions in the growth of the same ( Kular et al., 2008). It is mandatory in organizations to have proper communication to cause awareness among employees, help in addressing their personal as well as professional problems and also aid in achieving safe solutions to these problems ( Parket al., 2009). This point is where the role of an able leader is important - one who can facilitate teamwork through the sharing of ideas and opinions, guide the employees, and personally understand the employees and their ability (Bolton et al., 2013). This results in greater employee satisfaction and helps in the profitability of the organization. With employee satisfaction there is more employee commitment, which leads to more developed innovation and newer ideas for the development of the product and the success of the business ( Gagne and Bhave., 2011). It has also been found in research that company profitability increases by 30% with more employee engagement (Bergstrm, et al., 2012). Relationship between Employee Engagement and Performance Source: Journal of Service Research, Brodie et al., (2011) In a recent research by MacLeod and Clarke, (2009), it has been found that the interactive nature of social media platforms makes the exchange between the managers and the workforce a more engaging and participatory experience. With the advent of the digitized medium of communication through the internet, the workforce in several of the UK organizations have been found to be more eager in using several forms of social media platform such as tweets or face book as a potent means of communication with the seniors (Watson., 2012). This kind of channels of communication has literally transformed the scope of conveying any kind of information from one end of the enterprise to the other. The communication pattern no more remains monologous rather it has become multidimensional in nature (Park et al., 2009).If an organization possesses collectivism then there is also collective output from the employees, resulting in a further increase of productivity of the organization (Rurkkhum and Bartl ett, 2012). As well, when a company displays flexibility in opinions and work methods, there is a resultant increase in that organizations productivity (Aral et al., 2013). Finally, more productivity results in increased profitability for the organization. The illustration below gives an idea of the conceptual framework used in the ongoing discussion. Conceptual Framework Source: Gallup Management Journal, Adapted from Crabtree, (2005) The above illustration is reflective of the model of employee engagement which establishes a connection between the benefits, drivers, employee voice and strategic narrative and the role of social media in supporting the strategic narrative and employee voice within an enterprise. This conceptual framework between the indicated variables in the diagram above is the basis of discussion of the role of social media in the government organizations of Uganda. There is a mutual interdependency between the given variables since the advantages of employee engagement remains the very basis of cultivating a culture of engagement which in turn finds the best expression in the form of giving significance to the voice of the employees and maintaining a appropriate line of action throughout the different hierarchical levels of the organization. In the presence of such a culture during the current times with the proliferation of the social media platforms both the employee voice and the strategic n arrative has been strengthened for realizing the organizational objectives. In turn the verdant use of the social media tools promotes the advantages of the factor of employee engagement beneficial for the overall growth of the enterprise. Please Note: As increased productivity is both a part of benefits and drivers of engagement hence it has not been displayed separately in the above diagram and also the focus of the diagram is mainly on the broad heads and not the sub topics related to the review of the literature on the given topic. References Albrech, S.L., 2011. Handbook of employee engagement: Perspectives, issues, research and practice. Human Resource Management International Digest, 19(7). Alfes, K. Truss, C. Soane, E. Rees, C, Gatenby, M. 2010. Creating an Engaged Workforce. 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