Enhancing Employee Engagement : From Theory to Practice

 Introduction

Employee engagement has become a buzzword in HRM and personal management in contemporary organizations, and rightly so. Employers are increasingly recognizing its criticality to boosting employee performance, motivation, and productivity. Engaged employees tend to be happy, passionate, and committed about their work, resulting in better-achieved goals and improved organizational performance.  

This post explores theoretical perspectives on enhancing employee engagement in the workplace and practical strategies that organizations can apply to achieve this. 

Theoretical Perspectives on Employee Engagement

 

The most common theoretical perspectives on employee engagement in the workplace are Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Herzberg’s two-factor theory, Self-Determination Theory, and Job Demands-Resources Model (JD-R) theory. 

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs posits that needs are hierarchically arranged and is focused on employee's physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization needs. Herzberg’s two-factor theory, meanwhile, suggests that employee motivation and job satisfaction contribute to engagement in employees; hygiene factors include work conditions for motivations while factors such as recognition and development facilitate job satisfaction. The Self-Determination Theory argues that employee engagement enhances well-being; autonomy, competence, and relatedness to promoting employee engagement while the Job Demands-Resources Model (JDR) theory suggests job demands impart stress, create exhaustion and thereby undermine engagement, while job resources lead to performance progress that bolsters engagement.

 Wilkinson, A. (2020). Understanding Employee Engagement: Theory, Research, and Practice. Routledge

Practical Strategies for Enhancing Employee Engagement

Practical strategies for enhancing employee engagement can rely on the theoretical perspectives adopted by the organization. Four strategies with established criticalities are as follows.

1. Organizational Justice

 

The perception of fairness in organizational procedures and policies impacts engagement. Organizations must ensure alignment of intrinsic drivers like employee voice, autonomy, and acknowledgment, and forming more intrinsically driven employees from fostering engagement through reward schemes.

 

2. Providing a Positive Work Environment

 

A sustainable and enjoyable work environment nurtures engagement. Understanding what employees prioritize using validated tools like climate surveys and enlisting worker involvement for planning interiors and amenities create stronger links to valuing employee opinions, fostering trust and bolsters the workplace's fluidity.

 

3. Encouraging Employee Empowerment

 

Employee empowerment is central to building a culture of job autonomy and creating a sense of ownership of the work, the job, and its results. Organizations can enhance employee empowerment by providing a clear communication framework and employing the inverted hierarchy communication (OHC) model. OHC offers employees greater freedom and ownership to exercise their networks and apply initiatives to resolve issues around their designated work.

 

4. Managing Workplace Stressors

 

The JD-R theory argues that certain job demands are beneficial and challenging, while others impede effective engagement and increase Stressors firms want to avoid. To limit the extent of stressful working conditions, establish clear performance ideologies with realistic expectations, create sound informational hierarchies, and maintain robust interdepartmental tie-ups. Attuning employees to the hazards of burnout and offering them resources on which to lean prepare employees to execute their aspirations and objectives removing inhibitors to performance.

1. Kahn, W.A. (1990). Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work. The Academy of Management Journal.

2. Macey, W. H., Schneider, B., Barbera, K. M., & Young, S. A. (2009). Employee engagement: Tools for analysis, practice, and competitive advantage. John Wiley & Sons.

Conclusion 

Organizations need engaged employees to deliver the strategic objectives of their business. Equipping teams with an operational context built around Key drivers for intrinsic and extrinsic engagement is continuous teamwork at strategic and personal levels. Implementing practical strategies for enhancing employee engagement on an ongoing basis creates an energetic and observant workplace with a culture that fosters performance success. 

Lastly, because engagement has multiple drivers and impact factors, organizations need to be consistent in deploying strategic scaling sprints to measure progress and measure success.

References:

 

1. Kahn, W.A. (1990). Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work. The Academy of Management Journal.

2. Macey, W. H., Schneider, B., Barbera, K. M., & Young, S. A. (2009). Employee engagement: Tools for analysis, practice, and competitive advantage. John Wiley & Sons.

3. Wilkinson, A. (2020). Understanding Employee Engagement: Theory, Research, and Practice. Routledge.

4. Bakker, A.B. & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands-Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology.

5. Gupta, M. & Vouzi, N. (2021). Enhancing Employee Engagement: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Human Resource Management.