employee engagement institute report

8/12/2019 Employee Engagement Institute Report

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Developing the Employee Engagement Institute

An in-depth report submitted to the Talent Consulting Team

Submitted on:

January 2009

Authored by:

Sam Young, Ph.D.

Monika Black, Ph.D.

Gil Vega, M.S.

Personifieda CareerBuilder Company


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CONTENTS

Contents .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 3Personified Employee Engagement Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 4

Project Overview ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 4Project Goals .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Employee Engagement: Defining the Goal ............................................................................................................................................ 5Consultant Methodology: Assessing the Level of Engagement .................................................................................................. 8

Needs Assessment ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 8Organizational Analysis ........................................................................................................................................................................ 8Competency Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8Employee Engagement.......................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Results................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9Organizational Analysis ........................................................................................................................................................................ 9Competency Analysis .......................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Example Training Module: Increasing Engagement by Building Trust .............................................................................. 15Employee Engagement Training Module ...................................................................................................................................... 15Training Objectives ................................................................................................................................................................................... 15Plan of Instruction ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 15Curriculum ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17

Be able to define trust......................................................................................................................................................................... 17Be able to demonstrate the mechanics of trust ..................................................................................................................... 17Be able to demonstrate trusting behaviors in negotiation ............................................................................................. 19 Know how to build and maintain an environment of trust ............................................................................................ 19

Evaluation Framework............................................................................................................................................................................ 20Activity Examples ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 21

Role-playing positive, trust building behavior mechanics ................................................................................................... 21Exploring differences in understanding What are we talking about?..................................................................... 22

Final Summary.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 23Implementation Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................. 23Future Research Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................ 23

Linking Competencies to Engagement....................................................................................................................................... 23Linking Engagement to Turnover ................................................................................................................................................ 24

References........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25Appendix A Needs Assessment Senior Management Survey ................................................................................................ 26


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Employee Engagement ............................................................................................................................................................................ 26Key ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 26Items ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 26

Competencies ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 27Key ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 27Items ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 27Demographics ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 28Organizational Information ............................................................................................................................................................. 28

Appendix B Custom Employee Engagement measure ............................................................................................................. 30Individual Level .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 30Organizational Level ................................................................................................................................................................................. 30

Appendix C Psychometric Properties of the Employee Engagement Measure ........................................................... 31 Appendix D Table of Competencies ................................................................................................................................................... 33Appendix E Template Evaluation Tool ............................................................................................................................................. 35

Reaction Questionnaire .......................................................................................................................................................................... 35Learning Test ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 35Behavioral Evaluation ............................................................................................................................................................................. 36Organizational Results ............................................................................................................................................................................ 36


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The specific intent of this project was to explore the construct of employee engagement and identify

ways in which it can be trained for Personifieds Employee Engagement Institute. The Employee

Engagement Institute will serve to increase workforce efficiency by training employees, management

and organizations to improve employee engagement. Given the lack of consensus in the scientific and

business community about the concept of employee engagement, a data-driven approach was

developed for Personified.

An analytical approach was used to define employee engagement, assess the level of need for training

among Personified clients, and to develop a comprehensive approach to training organizations on

employee engagement. An organizational analysis was conducted to determine organizational leaders

perceptions of the current state of employee engagement in the industry. A custom engagement scale

was developed and validated to assess individual and organizational aspects of engagement. Acompetency analysis identified a list of competencies that are related to employee engagement and are

conducive to training.

Survey results revealed that 80% of senior managers feel that employee engagement is important, and

more than 50% of managers would be interested in training programs designed to increase employee

engagement in their organization. The top competencies identified as associated with employee

engagement were Conflict Management, Building Trust, Flexibility, Initiative and Continuous Learning.

Results from the organizational analysis complimented findings in the literature which concluded that

the training should be targeted at middle management. Additional research was conducted to develop a

comprehensive approach and an example training module to serve as a guiding framework for the

development of future training modules in the Employee Engagement Institute.

A global, three-pronged approach to employee engagement (e.g., at the individual, organizational, and

managerial levels) was developed. In addition, we used this as the basis for an example training

module on improving engagement by building trust within organizations. The example module

presented in this report integrates Gagnes Nine Events of Instruction to facilitate learning. Also

included are recommended curriculum on trust, sample activities, and a suggested evaluation

framework. Psychometric properties of the engagement scale are also outlined. Finally, suggestions for

future research are presented, which can be used to inform towards further development of the

Employee Engagement Institute.


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PERSONIFIED EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT ANALYSIS

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Employers are increasingly focused on their human capital as their most valuable asset. Due to

declining economic forces, there is a critical need to further engage employees in a way that will help

them work more effectively. Today, most employees are only moderately engaged (60%) or

disengaged (20%); less than 20% of employees report being highly engaged (freely giving extra effort

on an ongoing basis).1Further engaging the "massive middle" will be a priority for those organizations

looking to truly utilize their human capital.

It is clear that many organizations are now responding to these workforce challenges with increased

investment in employee engagement (EE). Organizations are developing workshops, trainings and

incentives to try and engage their employees to work better and more eff iciently. However, at this point

in time there is a lack of effective, understandable conceptualizations of EE; many business leaders

continue to struggle with how to define it and subsequently how to measure it. The purpose of the

current project was to assist Personified in developing and conceptualizing EE and to provide

recommendations for future training modules designed to improve EE. Findings from this project are

intended to inform Personified in developing the Employee Engagement Institute (EEI).

PROJECT GOALS

The EEI will serve as an economical solution for Personifieds clients to develop a more effective and

efficient workforce. The goal of this project was to further develop the infrastructure for Personifieds

EEI. The specific objectives for this project were to:

Review relevant EE literature to provide Personified with a more cohesive, parsimonious

framework of the EE construct.

Develop a survey that assesses clients understanding of EE and identify who in their

organization training would best serve.

Create a custom survey that accurately measures EE.

Link the EE construct to relevant and trainable behaviors.

Identify training topics that are relevant to potential clientele that Personified could focus on in

future training module development.

Provide recommendations for an evaluation framework which will serve as a guide for the

proposed and future modules.


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EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: DEFINING THE GOAL

EE is a construct that is difficult to reduce to one all-encompassing definition. It has commonly been

identified as increased work ethic and dedication or commitment to an organization, vigor and

absorption in work processes, superior task performance, positive affect toward the organization as

whole, reactionary or anticipatory responses to organizational challenges, as well as an overall

willingness and ability to contribute to company success. Organizational environment and leadership

are also factors that have been examined as theoretically linked to EE.

From a human capital standpoint, it is possible for every employee to become engaged. There are a

few necessary aspects which allow for greater development of EE. First, it is important for employees to

have passion and commitment to the organization they work for. This can be viewed as the foundation

on which EE is built, because without passion for work and organizational or task commitment, EE is

not possible. Second, engaged employees complete work that needs to be done, even at the expenseof resisting the status quo. Further, it is very helpful for the values of the individual and the organization

to be in parallel to assure that employees make changes knowing that they are ultimately in line with

the organizational vision.

The ability for an employee to put forth his or her preferred self is key to engagement because an

employee must feel comfortable expressing who he or she is. In large part, this has to do with the

acceptance of employee goals and values by management and the greater organization. Lastly,

employees possessing an autotelic personality (engaging in activities solely for individual satisfaction

rather than specific gains or rewards) have higher occurrences of EE within the workplace.

Although EE is somewhat dependent on employee factors, the majority of the responsibility for

development of EE within an organization falls on the company itself. First, proper leadership is

essential to the development of EE. More specifically, transformational leadership by management

helps foster engagement in others due to the articulation and commitment to the vision that employees

receive from their superiors. Not only should managers have a strong sense of leadership, but they

should also be able to fulfill the objectives of the organization by utilizing the strengths of each

individual. In other words, effective leaders capitalize on the competencies that employees have, not

those which the manager wishes they had.

Next, the organization should provide work that is challenging, has variety, and provides employees

with autonomy. Any employee will dislike work that is tedious and does not seem on par with his or her

perceived intelligence, therefore it is important for managers to pinpoint employee strengths and

provide work that allows for independent decision making in the areas the employee is an expert on.


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Lastly, trust is an essential component for the organization to gain from the employee. Engaged

employees will offer their all to an organization, and in turn, the employees must feel that they will not

suffer in any way for offering their services.

EE is not something that can be fostered through any one solution. Not only does EE require effort from

the employee but it must also be promoted by management and encouraged by the organizational

environment. Only when there is a global effort to EE can organizations realize the benefits of lower

turnover and increased bottom line, as well as allow employees to gain a sense of self-efficacy and

organizational purpose. With all of the above in mind, we recommend that Personified embrace a

three-pronged approach to EE: employee, management, and organizational environment.

FIGURE 1. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IS BEST THOUGHT OF AS THREE-PRONGED CONSTRUCT. 1,3

Employee

ManagementOrganizational

Development

Employee

Engagement

Self-efficacyPsychological

engagement

Work

commitment

Change-driven

Provides

development

opportunities

Clear

expectations

Attentive to

justice

Rich task

characteristics

Transformation

al leadership

Support for

engaged

behaviors

Acceptance of

employee-preferred self

Link between

work and

employee values

Fosters sense of

control over

environment

Autotelic

personality

Hold employees

accountable

Finally, there are a few last issues to note. First, EE is fa r easier to foster during the beginning of ones

career (e.g., on-boarding). New hires possess an energy and enthusiasm for the potential of their new

position, and therefore the organization can capitalize on this by creating an orientation with the above

information on employee and organization responsibilities to fostering a sense of EE. Second, despite

the benefits of EE for the organization, there is a limit on how much energy employees possess and

thus engagement in some roles comes at the expense of engagement in other roles. Highly engaged


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employees tend to exhibit signs of burnout faster than non-engaged employees; thus, management

should provide the necessary accommodations to highly engaged employees.

It is important to note that job satisfaction does not equal EE. Although job satisfaction measures may

determine if work conditions provide for engagement, they do not directly tap the construct. Lastly, EE

is not just dependent on employee states and personality traits, it is also highly dependent on the

organizational environment. Although EE has many facets, it can be simplified by stating that

employees need the will (sense of mission, passion, and pride that motivates them to give their all), and

the way (resources, support, and tools from the organization) in order to become engaged in an

organization.

Because engagement at the individual level might be composed of inherent characteristics that are not

conducive to training, training at the management and organizational level are likely more fruitful. For

example, although passion from an employee is a requisite to engagement it may not be feasible to

train individuals to be more passionate as this may represent a stable personality characteristic. On the

other hand, managers can be trained to better engage employees by teaching them to recognize

superior employee behavior. Similarly, organizations can improve EE by fostering a trusting workplace

climate. Indeed, the best way to encourage EE changes at the individual level would be to train and

focus on aspects of the managerial and organizational levels.


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CONSULTANT METHODOLOGY: ASSESSING THE LEVEL OF

ENGAGEMENT

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

A needs assessment and competency analysis were conducted to determine: 1) the extent to which

organizational leaders identify EE as a problem in their organization, and 2) to assess the key

competencies associated with EE. The two assessments were distributed electronically through an

online survey.

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

An organizational analysis is typically completed as an initial step in a needs assessment to determine

the desires of the organization2. The extent to which Personified clients perceived EE to be a problem

in their organization was assessed.

Organizational leaders (e.g., managers, director, senior management team, CEO/Presidents) from a

pool of past and current clients of CareerBuilder, Inc. were sent the survey via e-mail. Participants

responded to a series of questions regarding their opinions about EE in their organizations (e.g., To

what extent is employee engagement important to your organization? ; To what extent would you be

interested in training programs designed to increase employee engagement in your organization? ).

Participants also indicated the extent to which they were concerned about the lack of EE within specific

groups of employees (e.g., non-salaried employees, managers, senior/upper management) and across

departments of the organization (e.g., Human Resources, Operations, Information Technology; see

Appendix B for the complete survey).

COMPETENCY ANALYSIS

EE is a relatively new concept and many organizations find it challenging to define 1,3, which can lead to

problems for organizations attempting to increase EE through training. A competency analysis is a tool

that can be used to identify the core competencies that are needed for successful employee

performance across multiple disciplines within the organization. Since competencies are less specific

than task-level knowledge, skills and abilities, they lend themselves well to creating more broad training

modules designed to increase EE within organizations.

Using the provided conceptualization of EE in literature, the consulting team first identified a general list

of competencies proposed to be related to EE. Several sources detailing competencies used in the

workplace were examined. For this project, we referred to New York State Department of Civil


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Services4 tech report on competencies to create an initial competency list. The consulting team

identified twenty competencies related to EE (competency definitions can be found in Appendix D).

In order to validate the list of competencies, the competency list was evaluated by the same senior

managers surveyed in the organization analysis. Participants indicated whether certain competencies

were important characteristics for EE at their organization (e.g., empowering others, building trust,

facilitating others). Participants were given the opportunity to list additional competencies that they

believed related to EE but not represented in the survey. This competency analysis was simultaneously

distributed with the needs analysis.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

A measure of EE was developed and distributed to respondents available to CareerBuilder and

Personified. Measuring EE must become an important part of any training module or collection ofmodules aimed at increasing EE in the workplace. The consulting team sought to provide a working

measure of EE that did not require licensing fees.

RESULTS

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

A total of 37 senior managers responded. The results suggest that over 80% of the surveyed senior

managers feel that EE is important, and would be concerned with a lack of EE in their organization.

Furthermore, more than 50% of the surveyed managers would be interested in training programs

designed to increase EE in the workplace.

When we examined the perceptions of senior managers about EE in their particular organization, it was

observed that senior managers believed that their employees, on average, are neither engaged nor

disengaged (Figures 5 and 6) and were moderately satisfied with the level of EE (Figures 7 and 8). The

average level of engagement as perceived by senior managers, depending on whether employees are

arranged by job level (non-salaried employee through executive) or department (e.g., human resources

and sales) ranged from 3.21 to 4.05; higher scores indicated more positive evaluations (1 = Very

Disengaged to 5 = Very Engaged).


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FIGURE 2. REPORTED IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGEMENT IN MANAGERS (RESPONDENTS) ORGANIZATIONS.

FIGURE 3. ANTICIPATED LEVEL OF CONCERN TO LACK OF ENGAGEMENT AS REPORTED BY MANAGERS.


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FIGURE 4. LEVEL OF INTEREST IN TRAINING PROGRAMS DESIGNED AT INCREASING ENGAGEMENT, AS

REPORTED BY MANAGERS.

FIGURE 5. MANAGERS PERCEPTIONS OF ENGAGEMENT ACROSS DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ORGANIZATIONAL

HIERARCHY (1 = VERY DISENGAGED TO 5 = VERY ENGAGED).


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FIGURE 6. MANGERS PERCEPTIONS OF ENGAGEMENT BY DEPARTMENT (1 = VERY DISENGAGED TO 5 = VERY

ENGAGED).

FIGURE 7. MANAGERS SATISFACTION WITH ENGAGEMENT ACROSS DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ORGANIZATIONAL

HIERARCHY (1 = VERY DISSATISFIED TO 5 = VERY SATISFIED).


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FIGURE 8. MANAGERS SATISFACTION WITH ENGAGEMENT BY DEPARTMENT (1 = VERY DISSATISFIED TO 5 =

VERY SATISFIED).

COMPETENCY ANALYSIS

Results suggest that managers agreed that the competencies we presented were related to EE (see

Table 1). The competencies clustered around the Important response, and it is worth noting that the

median values were either 4 or 5.

TABLE 1. MEANS, MEDIANS, AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF MANAGERS ASSESSMENT OF COMPETENCY

IMPORTANCE RELATIVE TO EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT (1 = VERY UNIMPORTANT TO 5 = VERY IMPORTANT).

Competency Mean MedianStd.

Deviation

Flexibility 4.17 5 1.51

Building Trust 4.11 5 1.61Conflict Management 4.06 5 1.47

Initiative 4.00 5 1.57

Continual Learning 4.00 5 1.57

Change Management 4.00 5 1.46

Communication skills 4.00 5 1.57

Empowering Others 4.00 5 1.46


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Thinking Strategically 4.00 5 1.57

Managing Performance 3.94 4.5 1.43

Providing Motivational Support 3.94 4 1.55

Developing Others 3.94 4 1.55

Interpersonal Skills 3.94 4 1.55

Coaching 3.83 4 1.51

Visioning 3.78 4 1.52

Emotional Intelligence 3.78 4 1.4

Resiliency 3.75 4 1.57

Facilitating Others 3.72 4 1.49

Valuing and Leveraging Diversity 3.67 4 1.46

Project Management 3.61 4 1.54


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EXAMPLE TRAINING MODULE: INCREASING ENGAGEMENT BY

BUILDING TRUST

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT TRAINING MODULE

Results from the needs assessment demonstrated that an organizational need for training to increase

EE exists, and that senior managers indicated that certain competencies were related to EE. We

recommend keeping in mind the three-pronged approach that focuses on the employee, managerial,

and organizational levels when forming training objectives. The text in brackets below will demonstrate

how this may look when designing training objective.

TRAINING OBJECTIVES

At the completion of training the trainee should:

Be able to define trust

Be able to demonstrate the mechanics of trust [fostered at the individual and management

levels]

o Behaviors [individual level]

o Emotions [individual level]

o Communication [management level]

Be able to demonstrate trusting behaviors in negotiation [individual level]

Know how to build and maintain an environment of trust [management and organizational

environment level]

PLAN OF INSTRUCTION

It is recommended that training modules be designed and implemented using principles of Gagnes

Nine Events of Instruction6. According to Gagne, the following nine events help activate mental

operations and processes that facilitate effective learning:

1. Gaining AttentionThe instructor should present a stimulus to aid reception of the upcoming

content. This is commonly done by asking questions of the learners, having the learners

themselves pose questions, using novelty, surprise, or humor. This helps activate the learning

process of attention.


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generative note-taking, and giving examples that are relevant to the trainee. This helps facilitate

the processes of retention and retrieval.

CURRICULUM

Curriculum should be culled from a variety of sources. Popular management books on a given topic canbe included due to their face validity for potential clients and trainees, and scholarly journals should be

consulted in order to build a training module that is grounded in theory. There are some scholarly

journal references included in this tech report6,7,8,9.

BE ABLE TO DEFINE TRUST

Rationale: A good introduction to the module would be a framing of the topic trust so all employees

have a similar understanding of the concept. It sets the stage for the rest of the class.

Example of a possible definition: A willingness of an individual or group to be vulnerable to the actions

of another individual or group based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action

important to the original individual or group, irrespective of the ability to monitor or control the party.5

Suggested activities: Large group discussion of what trust is in the workplace (provide examples of

good experiences, why it is important, etc.), small break-out groups that analyze case studies of

positive and negative trust environments

BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THE MECHANICS OF TRUST

BEHAVIORS

Rationale: Specific behaviors that participants can change in order to more effectively build trust. This is

the main tier of the training module. The focus on this training objective is related to the individual level

of engagement. Content can include:

Specifying Expectations- Employees who consistently perform what is expected of them will be

perceived as reliable, and therefore trustworthy. This can be accomplished by encouraging

employees to be specific about their expectations regarding duties and tasks and put forth best

efforts to meet expectations. Providing explanations when expectations are not met will help

maintain perceptions of reliability among employees.

Encouraging Positive Reinforcement- Letting employees know when they have done something

right through positive phrases will encourage them to repeat the behavior. An atmosphere of


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positive feedback will foster the perception that employees are valued and trusted to perform

their jobs in a satisfactory manner.

Clearly Communicating Messages - Relaying expectations clearly will prevent

miscommunication. Reflective phrases such as What I hear you saying is or Let me res tate

what you just said to make sure I understand will foster effective communication.

Providing Honest Feedback - An essential principle of learning is feedback. Just as it is

important for employees to know when they have done something correctly, it is as crucial for

them to recognize when they have done something that does not meet expectations. Providing

honest feedback about ways in which employees can improve their performance will help them

meet organizational standards and therefore be trusted by coworkers.

Staying Positive-Neutral - Make use of communication strategies such as the feedback

sandwich. For example, when critiquing employee performance, first state a positive praise,

follow up with the negative feedback, and then finish with another positive comment.

Possible activities: Trust-building simulations, role playing trust-building interaction styles (see activity

example #1)

EMOTIONS

Rationale: An understanding of the emotional side of trust building is important. The focus on this

training objective is to the individual level of engagement. Content can include:

Encouraging positive and open attitudesAttitudes and accompanying non-verbal behavior say

a lot to employees and other co-workers. Learning how to project the right attitude will be highly

noticeable, and will encourage more open interactions.

Managing emotional responses It is easy to let emotions take over when working with those

you dont agree with, or when in a negotiation situation. Emotional outbursts are not

constructive; self-regulating your emotional responses will help foster a more trusting

environment.

Possible activities: Empathy exercises; form small break-out groups to discuss how emotional

environments have affected trust in the past; mindfulness exercises; possibly take an inventory of

emotional expression, self-management, and/or emotional intelligence


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COMMUNICATION

Rationale: A key aspect of trust is knowing how to communicate in a way beyond behaviors and

attitudes. One must know how to state interests and perspectives in a trusting way in interpersonal

interactions. The focus on this training objective is related to the managerial level of engagement.

Content can include:

Fostering a sense of inclusion within the environment - Allow trainees to understand the

importance of an open environment free of criticism. Talk about the importance of diverse

opinions on the work process.

Effectively getting your point acrossProvide trainees with a framework for voicing their opinion

in constructive, rather than destructive ways. Allow trainees to understand effective techniques

in managing a conversation where both parties are passionate about the outcome.

Understanding individual differences - People attach different meanings to interaction styles,

phrases, and even individual words. Individual differences matter and these should be explored

with an emphasis on cultural awareness and sensitivity.

Possible activities: Instructor-led discussion or discussion in small groups in order to get more

involvement from participants who may be quieter, videos with good and bad examples to gain interest

in the topic, a team game with a small element of competition (i.e. theme-based Pictionary), or an

exploring differences activity (see activity example #2)

BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE TRUSTING BEHAVIORS IN NEGOTIATION

Rationale: Negotiation often is implicitly considered an antagonistic situation, but that does not need to

be the case. The focus on this training objective is related to the individual level of engagement.

Content can include discussions of Win-Win philosophies and strategies.

Possible activities: Incorporate information learned from above by providing a somewhat antagonistic

negotiation scenario that pairs of individuals must work out (the situation must be difficult), role-playing

in front of the group, group discussion on personal methods for finding common ground

KNOW HOW TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN AN ENVIRONMENT OF TRUST

Rationale: Beyond the person, organizations must foster a climate of trust. Content can include ways

that employees at every level of the organization can model trust strategies, as well as methods that

encourage others within the organization to do so as well. The targets for this training objective are the

management and organizational levels of engagement.


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Possible activities: Self-created action plans to think through specific ways in which learned strategies

can be applied in day-to-day work activities; group discussion on self-evaluation criteria for identifying

successful behaviors

EVALUATION FRAMEWORK

Outcomes-based evaluation focuses on the results of training. Outcomes are typically assessed across

four levels, including reaction, learning, behavior and results (Goldstein, 2002). An overview of the

different levels of evaluation is provided below. These levels were used to develop an evaluation form

template (see Appendix E).

TABLE 2. KIRKPATRICKS EVALUATION TAXONOMY2

Reaction

Extent to which trainee is satisfied with or enjoyed training (e.g., instructor,

management process, testing process, materials used, course structure, and utility

of program for trainee).

Learning

Extent to which trainee has learned principles, facts and techniques specified

during training (e.g., definition of trust, ability to state interests in a way that

promotes trust, knowledge of strategies to maintain a trusting environment).

Behavior

Extent to which training improves the ability for employees to build trusting

relationships in their colleagues, supervisors, senior managers and others in the

workplace environment.

Results Extent to which training impacts organizational results, like employee turnover andcost savings associated with lower rates of turnover.

The above evaluation framework should be used as a guide for evaluation procedures in training

modules developed by Personified. The learning and behavioral items will have to be adjusted to fit

each individual training module, but the affective and results evaluation criteria can generalize to all

future training modules. Of the four evaluation levels, behavioral evaluation is the most important. This

is where Personified and its clients can learn whether the training has led to on-the-job change.

Although important, satisfaction with training, as well as increased declarative knowledge due to the

training, does not reflect whether individuals will change behavior on the job. Thus, the importance of

the behavioral-level evaluation procedure should be emphasized to all clients.


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ACTIVITY EXAMPLES

ROLE-PLAYING POSITIVE, TRUST BUILDING BEHAVIOR MECHANICS

Time: 20 minutes

Equipment: None

Method: Divide the participants into groups of three. Groups will practice providing feedback on projects

which the employees can relate to (e.g., budget proposal and presentations to recent clients). One

participant should assume the role of a manager giving feedback to an employee, another should take

the role of someone to whom feedback is given, and the third participant should act as an observer.

The first participant is informed before the role-playing begins that their character, the manager, is

generally unhappy with, for example, the presentation. He or she feels that:

The presentation did not adequately explain the benefits that their company can offer clients

(the example company should be customized for each client).

There were some noticeable grammatical errors.

The employee did not involve his or her colleagues enough in the preparation of the

presentation.

The participant is notified that besides the above, their character has no other problems with the

presentation.

The second participant, the employee, is also unhappy with the presentation. He or she feels that

He or she was not given adequate time to prepare the presentation.

While the he or she was encouraged to work with other employees, those employees were

overloaded with work and had not been informed by management that their support might be

needed.

He or she felt like the goals of the presentation were not clearly explained, and there was little

guidance beyond vague statement such as focus on effective communication, and make the

presentation memorable.

He or she did feel, however, that they were excited to be given the responsibility of presenting to

and interacting with prospective clients.

The third participant, the observer, can reflect on communication styles of the other two.

The participants should be given a few minutes to familiarize themselves with the material of their

character so they can interact more naturally without referring back to the character notes. The


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manager should initiate the interaction however he or she would like. The role-playing should last

approximately 5-10 minutes. The training facilitator should notify participants when time is up, and that

they should then switch roles, and again initiate the interaction.

At the conclusion of the interactions, the facilitator should bring the participants back into a group

setting. The following questions can be used to spur a group discussion:

How representative would you say your interactions are of a normal negative feedback session

in the workplace?

How easy or difficult was it to utilize some of the trust building behaviors that we have talked

about?

What do you think is the easiest behavior mechanic to implement in the workplace? The most

difficult?

EXPLORING DIFFERENCES IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

Time: 15 minutes

Equipment: A ball

Method: This activity introduces the idea that a word can mean many different things to different

people. Participants should throw the ball around the group and when you catch the ball you have to

explain what you think about when you hear the word.

For example, if the word chosen is religion, definitions might include how I decide right from wrong,

people praying or even a cause of arguments. Other words could include: paradise, conflict, the

name of your town etc.


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FINAL SUMMARY

There is clearly a market for training that increases engagement in the workplace. We have provided an

example training module to Personified that focuses on the Building Trust competency. This

competency is one of the twenty that the senior managers surveyed in our study indicated were

strongly related to EE. The training objective objectives were specific, observable, and measurable.

Future training objectives developed by Personified should have these characteristics. The consulting

team used a conceptually driven three-pronged approach to EE and recommends that future training

modules be developed in a similar manner. The three-pronged approach has conceptual support from

the available literature on EE, and clients will most likely find it logical and easy to understand. The

training objectives were tailored to reflect the three-pronged approach to employee engagement.

However, not all competencies will lend themselves equally to the three-pronged approach.

IMPLEMENTATION RECOMMENDATIONS

It is critical that relevance of the training modules to clients occupy a central role in the development of

the EEI. This should be discussed with all potential clients before any training is implemented. The

provided EE scale has been analyzed as a descriptive tool only at this point, not yet as a diagnostic

tool. Therefore, these modules should always tie back to relevant on-the-job behaviors so that the

service Personified provides is not misrepresented. This is a discussion that should be incorporated

into Personifieds initial communication strategy with potential clients before services are purchased.

FUTURE RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS

LINKING COMPETENCIES TO ENGAGEMENT

In line with Personifieds data-driven approach, the consulting team recommends future research that

further examines the linkages between competencies and EE. A survey should be constructed in which

the twenty competencies found within this tech report, and any included at Personifieds discretion, are

evaluated.

Specifically, respondents should be asked to evaluate the 1) importance of each competency tosuccessful performance in their organization, and 2) the degree to which he or she (the respondent)

personally possesses each competency. Additionally, the EE measure created by the consulting team

should be administered to the respondents. The resulting information can be analyzed in three different

ways.


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Analyses could be run to determine if highly engaged employees are more likely to possess some

competencies compared to others. This will provide further guidance on which competencies

Personified should focus on when designing training modules in order to increase engagement within

organizations.

A difference score can be calculated between the importance and degree of possession for each

competency. This difference score can be used to determine which competencies are most deficient in

the workplace (e.g., high difference scores equal greater importance and decreased personal

possession). A recommended strategy is to subtract the degree of possession value from the

importance value, and then sort the data in ascending order. All data with negative values should be

ignored for this particular recommended analysis, as these indicate high degree of possession with little

importance.

The difference score calculated in step B can be correlated with respondents scores on the EE

measure. This will provide information as to whether increased deficiency on certain competencies is

related to decreased engagement within the workplace. If this is found to be the case, there will be

even more evidence for training modules aimed at these particular competencies because the

deficiency is known, and the relationship to engagement will be documented.

The proposed research recommendations should provide useful information for the development and

marketing of training modules.

LINKING ENGAGEMENT TO TURNOVER

The provided EE measure should be analyzed with organizational turnover rates. Personified could use

their relationships with organizations to administer the short EE measure to organizations, and collect

turnover information for the departments in which they collected EE data. If necessary, this could be

done in exchange for the information regarding the level of engagement of their current employees.

This may even result in an interest for training modules from the EEI. The data gathered here may

reveal an empirical correlation between engagement scores and turnover.

Additionally, the engagement measure can be administered before and after implementation of the EEI,

with information provided by the organizations regarding their turnover rates at the two times of the

survey administration. With enough data gathered through this manner, Personified may be able to

draw empirical, causational conclusions that the EEI training modules do increase engagement, which

results in decreased organizational turnover. There will need to be a lot of information points at this

stage, since the complexity of turnover is affected by many variables, the effect size is likely to be small

and hard to detect.


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REFERENCES

1. Tower Perrin (2003). Working today: Understanding what drives employee engagement.

Stamford, CT: Towers Perrin.

2. Goldstein, I. L., & Ford, J. K. (2002). Training in organizations (4thed.). Belmont, CA:Wadsworth.

3. Macey, W. H. & Schneider, B. (2008). The meaning of employee engagement. Industrial

and Organizational Psychology,1,3-30.

4. Stern, A., Berger, S., Blackwood, R., Chauvin, M., Farquharson, B., & Powell, S. (2002,

October). Competencies: Report of the competencies workgroup (G. Sinnott & G. H.

Madison, Eds.). New York State: New York State Civil Service Department, Office of

Human Relations.

5. Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of

organizational trust.Academy of Management Review, 20, 709-734

6. Gagne, R.M., Briggs, L.J. (1974). Principles of Instructional Design.New York: Holt,

Rinehart, & Wilson.

7. Sinetar, M. (1988). Building trust into corporate relationships. Organizational Dynamics,

16(3),73-79.

8. Mishra, J. & Morrissey, M.A. (1990). Trust in employee/employer relationships: A survey

of West Michigan managers. Public Personnel Management, 19,443-486.

9. Schoorman, F.D., Mayer, R.C., & Davis, J.H. (2007). An integrative model of

organizational trust: Past, present, and future.Academy of Management, 32,344-354.


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APPENDIX A NEEDS ASSESSMENT SENIOR MANAGEMENT

SURVEY

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Employee Engagement is often defined as an individua ls involvement and satisfaction with work, as

well as enthusiasm for work. Engaged employees value, enjoy and believe in what they do, exhibit

increased organizational commitment and demonstrate this through their willingness to go beyond the

requirements of the job.

We are interested in assessing your opinions about employee engagement in your organization. Please

read the items below and respond with the answer that best represents your personal beliefs.

KEY

1= Very Unimportant/ Unconcerned/ Disinterested/ Disengaged/ Dissatisfied

2= Unimportant/ Unconcerned/ Disinterested/ Disengaged/ Dissatisfied

3= Neither Important/ Concerned/ etc nor Unimportant/ Unconcerned/ etc

4= Important/ Concerned/ Interested/ Engaged/ Satisfied

5= Very Important/ Concerned/ Interested/ Engaged/ Satisfied

ITEMS

1. To what extent is employee engagement important to your organization?

2. How concerned would you be if you observed a lack of employee engagement in your

company?

3. To what extent would you be interested in training programs designed to increase employee

engagement in your organization?

4. How engaged do you find the following groups in your organization?a. Non-salaried employeesb. Salaried employeesc. Managers / supervisors

d. Executivese. Human Resources personnelf. Operations personnelg. Information Technology personnelh. Marketing/Advertising personneli. Sales personnel

5. How satisfied are you with the level of engagement of the following groups in your organization?a. Non-salaried employeesb. Salaried employees


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c. Managers / supervisorsd. Executivese. Human Resources personnelf. Operations personnelg. Information Technology personnelh. Marketing/Advertising personneli. Sales personnel

COMPETENCIES

A competencyis a characteristic of an employee that contributes to successful job performance and the

achievement of organizational results. These include knowledge, skills, and abilities plus other

characteristics such as values, motivation, initiative, and self-control. Please read the list of

competencies below and indicate the extent to which you believe each is important in your

organization.

KEY

1= Very Unimportant2= Unimportant3= Neither Important nor Unimportant4= Important5= Very Important

ITEMS

1. Empowering Others

2. Building Trust

3. Resiliency4. Facilitating Others

5. Project Management

6. Flexibility

7. Conflict Management

8. Providing Motivational Support

9. Interpersonal Skills

10. Developing Others

11. Valuing and Leveraging Diversity

12. Emotional Intelligence

13. Managing Performance

14. Visioning15. Communication skills

16. Coaching

17. Change Management

18. Thinking Strategically

19. Continual Learning

20. Initiative

21. Are there any other competencies that you feel are related to employee engagement? Please

list and briefly define each competency you would like to add.


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___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

DEMOGRAPHICS

Gender (male/female): _______

Age: _______

Years of service to the organization: _______

Racial/Ethnic Background:

African American / Black: _____

European American / White: _____

Hispanic/ Latino: _____

Asian American: _____

Arab American: _____

Native American: _____

South Pacific Islander: _____

Other (Please specify): ____________________________________

ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION

How would you best categorize the organization that you work for:

Advertising/Marketing

Nonprofit

High Tech

Manufacturing/Industrial

Insurance

Sales/Retail

Service Industry

Education Healthcare/Health Services

Finance/banking

Other ____________________________________

What is the approximate size of your organization?

Less than 100

101 - 500

5011,000


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1,001-3,000

3,001 to 5,000

Greater than 5,000


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APPENDIX B CUSTOM EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT MEASURE

Employee Engagement is often defined as an individuals involvement and satisfaction with work,

as well as enthusiasm for work. Engaged employees value, enjoy and believe in what they do,

exhibit increased organizational commitment and demonstrate this through their willingness to go

beyond the requirements of the job.

The items below describe your experiences at your work. Use the scale below each statement to

indicate the extent to which you agree that the statement accurately describes your workplaceexperience (1 = strongly disagreeto 7 = strongly agree).

INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

1. I am personally committed to the organization Imworking for.

2. I believe my work contributes to the success of my organization.

3. I am willing to go above and beyond what is expected of me at work.

4. I enjoy the work that I do.

5. On most days, I enjoy coming to work6. It is easy for me to work for long periods of time.

7. I am often challenged by my work.

8. I proactively seek opportunities to contribute to my organization

ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL

9. I work in a supportive work environment.

10.I believe that my organization provides me with the materials and tools to do my job well.

11.I take pride in the work that my organization does.

12.When I perform well my efforts are acknowledged by my organization.

13.I feel that my organization is interested in their employees well -being.14.I have the opportunity to develop myself professionally at my organization.

15.I believe I will advance professionally in my current organization.

16.Leaders provide a clear direction of the direction that the organization is headed.


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APPENDIX C PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT MEASURE

A 16-item measure of EE was developed (Employee Engagement Scale) for this project based on

factors which have been identified as conceptually related to the construct. 1,3Of the 16 items, 8

were intended to assess individual factors of EE and 8 were intended to evaluate organizational

factors (see Table 1 below for the items). Respondents (N= 41) indicated the extent to which they

agreed with each item (1 = strongly disagreeto 5 = strongly agree), higher scores indicating higher

levels of engagement. Scores on the items of the different dimensions were highly reliable ( =

.92All; = .89Individual Subscale; = .92Organizational Subscale).

Items were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis to examine factor structure. Using principal

axis factoring, with Promax rotation, 3 factors emerged with eigenvalues greater than 1. However,

upon closely examining factor loadings of each item we decided to retain a 2-factor rather than 3-factor solution for two reasons. First, the 2-factor solution made better conceptual sense. Second,

the 2-factor solution was more parsimonious.

Using .4 loading cutoff, the two factors accounted for 60.26% of the total variance in the data. The

first factor accounted for 48.31% of the variance and was labeled Organizational Engagement. The

second factor, labeled Individual Engagement, accounted for 11.95% of the variance in the data

(see Table 1 for factor loadings of the scale). Although the data support the intended two factor

structure (e.g., organizational and individual), we recommend that the factor structure be cross-

validated in a new sample using a greater number of respondents. It is also recommended that the

two items which loaded on both factors (items 5 and 11; see p. 25) and the one item which loaded

on neither factor (item 8) be omitted from future versions of the scale.


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TABLE 3. FACTOR LOADINGS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT SCALE

Employee Engagement ScaleOrganizationalEngagement

IndividualEngagement

I believe I will advance professionally in mycurrent organization

0.92

I feel that my organization is interested intheir employees wellbeing

0.92

I have the opportunity to develop myselfprofessionally at my organization

0.92

When I perform well my efforts areacknowledged by my organization

0.85

Leaders provide a clear explanation of thedirection that the organization is headed

0.82

I believe that my organization provides mewith the materials and tools to do my job

well

0.79

I work in a supportive work environment 0.71

I am often challenged by my work 0.55

On most days I enjoy coming to work 0.54 0.43

I take pride in the work that my organizationdoes

0.50 0.42

I am willing to go above and beyond what isexpected of me at work

0.94

I believe my work contributes to thesuccess of my organization

0.90

It is easy for me to work for long periods oftime

0.71

I enjoy the work that I do 0.57

I am personally committed to theorganization I work for

0.53

I proactively seek opportunities to contributeto my organization

Note. Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. Rotation Method: Promax

with Kaiser Normalization.


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APPENDIX D TABLE OF COMPETENCIES

TABLE 4. COMPETENCIES RELEVANT TO EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Building Trust

Addresses perceived harm to the other person by fully

acknowledging any harm done, clarifying intentions, and

finding a suitable remedy that affirms the value of therelationship.

Shares thoughts, feelings, and rationale so that others

understand personal positions.

Change Management

Develops, plans, and follows through on change initiatives.

Helps employees develop a clear understanding of what

they will need to do differently as a result of changes in the

organization.

Coaching Provides guidance in how to strengthen knowledge and

skills to improve personal and organizational performance.

Communication skills

Ensures that others involved in a project or effort are kept

informed about developments and plans. Speak and writesclearly.

Creates informative presentations with convincing

information.

Conflict Management Recognizes differences of opinion, brings them out into the

open for discussion, and looks for win-win solutions.

Deals effectively with antagonistic situations.

Continual Learning Builds on strengths and addresses weaknesses.

Pursues self-development.

Developing Others Uses appropriate methods and a flexible interpersonal

style to help others develop their capabilities.

Emotional Intelligence

Demonstrates an ability to control and filter emotions in a

constructive way.

Demonstrates an appreciation of the differences in how

others feel about things.

Empowering Others

Gives people latitude to make decisions based on their

level and area of responsibility and level of knowledge and

skills.

Provides resources and feedback as needed.

Facilitation Exhibits behaviors and techniques that enhance the quality

of group processes.

Flexibility

Picks up on the need to change personal, interpersonal,and professional behavior quickly based on the demands

of the project, customer, or solution.

Reevaluates decisions when presented with new

information.

Initiative Identifies what needs to be done and takes action before

being asked, when the situation requires it.


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Interpersonal Skills Relates well with others.

Demonstrates consistency and fairness.

Managing Performance

Works with employees to set and communicateperformance standards that are specific and measurable.

Supports employee efforts to achieve job andorganizational goals (e.g., by providing resources,removing obstacles, acting as a buffer).

Project Management

With staff, develops a work plan with tasks, timeframes,milestones, resources, and dependencies.

Monitors project progress and evaluates performance.

Providing MotivationalSupport

Acknowledges and thanks people for their contributions incompleting work and meeting customer needs.

Finds creative ways to make work rewarding.

Resiliency

Can effectively handle several challenging problems ortasks at once.

Deals effectively with pressure and stress.

Thinking Strategically Provides analysis of policy issues, develops program

proposals, and develops plans that address long-termcustomer and stakeholder needs and concerns.

Valuing and LeveragingDiversity

Values diversity as exhibited in hiring choices,assignments made, teams formed, and interaction withothers.

Fosters an environment in which people who are culturallydiverse can work together cooperatively and effectively inachieving organizational goals.

Visioning

Communicates a clear, vivid and relevant description orpicture of where the organization should be 3, 5 or 10

years out.

Influences others to translate vision to action.


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APPENDIX E TEMPLATE EVALUATION TOOL

REACTION QUESTIONNAIRE

When to administer: At the end of the training module

For each statement below, circle the number that best describes the extent to which you agree ordisagree with that statement using a 1-5 scale (1 = Strongly Agreeto 5 = Strongly Disagree).

1) The objectives of this training were clear.

2) The instructor was helpful and contributed to the learning experience.

3) There was an appropriate balance between lecture, participant involvement and activities in

the training.

4) The topics covered in this training were relevant to the things at work.

5) I can see myself performing more effectively after attending this program.

6) The logistics for this program (e.g., arrangements, food/beverage, room, equipment) were

satisfactory.

For each statement below, circle the response that best reflects your opinions.

7) The length of the program was:

a. Too long

b. Too short

c. Just right8) Overall, how would you rate the usefulness of the program (1 = Extremely Useful to 5 = Not

Useful at All)

LEARNING TEST

When to administer: At the end of the training module

Choose the BEST response for each item below.

1) The definition of trust can best be defined as follows:[Answer = B]

a. The ability to influence another individual or group in a positive way

b. A willingness to be vulnerable to the actions of another individual or group

c. The sense of feeling comfortable with ones co-workers

d. The ability to keep private information confidential

2) Examples of the behavioral mechanics of trust include: [Answer = B]

a. Specifying Expectations.

b. Staying Positive Neutral.

c. Providing Honest Feedback.

d. All of the Above

3) A technique for managing the emotional aspects of trust is: [Answer = D]


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a. Keeping your feelings to yourself

b. Talking about your problem with co-workers who feel the same way you do

c. Letting your feelings come out all at once

d. Encouraging positive and open attitudes

For each statement below, indicate whether it is true or false.

4) Negotiating a Win-Win strategy can diffuse an antagonistic situation [True]

5) Only members of the senior management team can foster a culture of trust [False]

BEHAVIORAL EVALUATION

When to administer: Three months after attending the training so participants have had a chance to

apply what has been learned.As written it is designed to be completed by the trainees supervisor.

For each statement below, circle the number that best describes the extent to which youremployee exhibits the specified behavior using a Likert scale of 1-5 (1 = Almost Alwaysto 5 =

Almost Never).

1) Maintains a positive and encouraging attitude.

2) Uses positive reinforcement when working with others.

3) Provides honest feedback.

4) Encourages diverse opinions in the workplace

5) Exhibits behaviors that are supportive of a culture of trust.

6) Encourages others to be more trusting.

ORGANIZATIONAL RESULTS

When to analyze: At least six months after attending the training so the effects of the training have

had a chance to diffuse into the organization.

1) Increase in EE (Appendix B)

2) Decrease in Employee Turnover and related costs

employee engagement institute report

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