1. The Power of Employee Engagement
‘What We Do Makes a Difference!’
TEM Conference August 2006
Robyn Clark Professional & Organisational Development Consultant
The Centre for Professional Development
Macquarie University
Let me introduce this presentation with 2 scenarios.
Scenario 1 – its 6am, the alarm clock rings. You strain through blinkered eyes to see the time. 6am I’ll just lie here for a few more minutes as its Monday & I don’t have anything challenging to do at work today. My boss wouldn’t even know if I’m there or not. I haven’t had any feedback on the project that I have just completed – on time & under budget. So who cares if I don’t turn up today.
Scenario 2 - its 6am, the alarm clock rings. You strain through blinkered eyes to see the time. 6am – you bound out of bed, jump in the shower. Gulp down some breakfast and head off to work. You are excited as today you will be presenting the results of the project that you have just completed. Your manager has asked you to brief the team on the implications of your research and seek support for the implementation. You have had regular progress meetings with your manager over the last three months and have been praised on your resilience in this project that has had many barriers. You have been asked if you would like to also present the results to the senior management team meeting – a great opportunity for exposure in this institution.
Which employee do you want in your team? What are the differences in the attitude of these 2 employees and what impact could you have on that behaviour?
What I am here today to discuss is the notion of employee engagement and the impact that is can have on organisational effectiveness.

2. “These cannot be the two miners, they are on their feet they are hugging their wives. This is the most incredible thing I have ever seen, these blokes are on their feet, in their mine gear, they’ve tagged off – Frances can you absolutely believe what you're seeing?” Tim Cox, ABC Tasmania Mornings presenter. “It’s what I would have expected of these two boys.” Beaconsfield Uniting Church minister, Rev. Frances Seen
From this recent example, employee engagement can be found in all walks of life. We see it in the way someone proposes solutions to current organisational or work unit problems. Their commitment to go beyond the call of duty.
These 2 miners who were trapped underground for 14 days and their subsequent rescue is an example of how committed employees can achieve a goal when striving against the odds. Reports on the rescuers and their dogged determination to get these two guys out alive indicate the extent that employees will go to in the face of extreme danger. This is what we are here to look at – not necessarily the danger part!

3. Engagement?
(SMH 9/5/2006 pg 5) from a worker involved in the Beaconsfield mine rescue:
"I've never seen a bunch of guys work harder or better...There's guys you might not have thought much of as workers, blokes who when they got down the hole only wanted to get out again. Not any more. They come and they want to do more and more...They're just committed. Same with bosses upstairs. Its brought out the best in everyone."
Its hard to imagine a quote that suggests more strongly that the basis for commitment is aligned interests, which may (as in this case) only be a temporary state of affairs.

4. Presentation outline
Compare & contrast definitions of employee engagement
Employee engagement in Higher Education
Higher Education employee surveys - data
Discuss the implications for Leaders in Higher Education – using a reframing model
My purpose here today is to discuss the notion of employee engagement and the implications of the data that has been gathered from Higher Education Institutions over the last 3 years.
With a response rate of 74% from these employees surveys, higher than any other sector, the data provides an opportunity for managers in Higher Education to view their organisation from the position of the employees.
I will also demonstrate the use of a tool that can assist managers in breaking down a current issue or challenge and then ‘reframing’ it through a variety of lenses to ensure all the management outcomes of engagement are being addressed.

5. What is Employee Engagement?
‘the extent to which employees commit to something or someone in their organisation, how hard they work, and how long they stay as a result of that commitment’
(The Corporate Leadership Council )
‘employee passion, representing the popular construct of employee engagement and three subcomponents of organisation commitment, job satisfaction and intention to stay’
(Dr P Langford, MQ 2006)
There are many definitions available on the web, in journal articles and management books. I have selected 2 that highlight the key themes.
Firstly from the Corporate Leadership Council the key elements are the commitment, how hard they work and how long they intend to stay.
Secondly from Dr Peter Langford from Department of Psychology at MQ and Director of Voice Project , a consulting group that provides employee surveys to organisation's, the measure of passion as defined by the organisational commitment (not discipline specific), the job satisfaction and the intention to stay with the organisation. These measures will be reviewed later and the results from the Higher Education data presented.

6. Characteristics of Employee Engagement
‘feeling valued for actions
commitment to something or someone in the organisation, and how long they stay as a result of that commitment
loyal employees (versus satisfied employees) stay because they want to
emotionally and intellectually committed to the organisation as measured by three primary behaviours: Say, Stay, Strive
discretionary effort in the form of brainpower, extra time and energy.’
One of the sources of information and research about employee engagement is DDI, a global organisation that specialises in identifying and developing leaders, also provide employee surveys for organisations.
In a conference this year, the focus was on the notion of Employee Engagement. A key discussion at the conference was the aspect of Discretional Effort. Let’s look at that and see where it fits into employee engagement…
Source: DDI Talent Management Conference 2006

7. What is discretionary effort?
Predicted/expected performance
Performance gap/ additional effort required
Current performance
Discretionary effort could represent a range of performance as broad as 20% to 40% above the performance actually realised by an organisation and could be directed toward improved output, results, quality, customer service, and safety. Consequently, discretionary effort represents an unmanaged and unrealised resource for successful as well as troubled organisations.
Discretionary effort is described as the level of performance above that which is required for the team member to maintain their employment. It is an employee’s desire to go beyond the collecting of a salary. It is a willingness to be interested and involved in assisting the organization in the accomplishment of the strategic goals. Essentially, it’s what every one of us is able to do with regard to our jobs and in support of our organizations. If we all agree that discretionary effort exists in every member of every team and that it would benefit us, how do we, as leaders, tap into the discretionary effort that all members of our teams possess? The solution is simple in theory but difficult in practice.
For example, an employee can choose to not just solve a student problem but to also recommend a change in a process so that it can become more student focused. At MQ, we have developed a buddy system and transition program for first year students. This was in response to the increased drop out rate during 1st year. A staff member has researched globally how other Higher Ed institutions ‘look after’ their first years. Her dogged determination to do something about this led to the development of a very successful program and drop out numbers have declined from 1st year students. This was initially outside of her job description but that did not stop her putting in extra hours when required to get this project completed.

8. What is discretionary effort?
difference between how well people actually perform and how well they are capable of performing.
wholly within the control of the employee
Collaboration required between employees & the organisation to capture additional level of effort and performance
The term discretionary implies that this additional effort is wholly within the control of the employee and, to a large extent that is true. However, effectively capturing this additional level of effort and performance requires a truly collaborative effort between employees and the organisation.
While this process can technically be called performance planning and management, in reality, it falls under the requirements of leadership - not management. Systems are managed; people are led. Leadership is a relationship – not a position – and as any healthy relationship is behaviour based, self-awareness and empathy become key components in the relationship’s success. Leaders need high levels of both.

9. Employee engagement = Discretionary effort?
According to May, Gibson & Harter (2004), ‘for the human spirit to thrive at work, individuals must be able to completely immerse themselves in their work. That is they must be able to engage the cognitive, emotional & physical dimensions of themselves in their work.’
Does discretionary effort follow from engagement or does it drive engagement?
At the individual employee level, the fundamental driver of increasing employee engagement is whether people can fulfill personal values and goals through work. As people have less control over their work environments, they seek other ways to meet personal wants and needs. Some of the most prevalent values that impact employee engagement are: recognition, respect, self-development, achievement, and enjoying co-worker relationships. Although many employees value job security, most no longer believe it's a realistic expectation.
Ultimately, the more individuals perceive their top values being fulfilled through their work, the more "fully engaged" they are. This leads to giving discretionary effort beyond the minimum requirements of the job.
Therefore the more engaged employees feel, the more willing they will be to ‘go the extra mile’, cognitively, emotionally & physically immerse themselves in their work. In Higher Education we see examples of this every day.
Researchers who are not daunted by a set back in their experiments.
Lecturers who are not deterred by the failing or troublesome student.
Finance staff who are not afraid to challenge budget decisions, HR staff who deal with complex and ever changing industrial relations legislation, Marketing & PR staff who have the media hounding them for a ‘sensational story’.
There are probably many other examples in this room of where Higher Education employees have chosen to apply their discretional effort in their role last week. At the same time there may be some of us who have chosen not to as well. The implications of this are extreme in an ever changing work environment. Leaders are being required to drive the discretional effort as we work with fewer resources to get the same amount of work done.

10. Engage Employees and Boost Performance
Engaged workers exert more “discretionary effort.”
Go beyond meeting the minimum standards for their job.
Discretionary effort separates great performers from average performers.
(The Hay Group, December 2001.)
The Hay Group a global consulting company, found in their research in 2001 that committed people will go the one step farther, creating a true competitive edge.  When the unexpected is to be expected, you want employees to instinctively know what is right for the institution, and act accordingly. The right tools, rules, and regulations may go a long way, but only committed employees deliver superior results or high quality standards where they encounter the unexpected. .
Harter, Schmidt & Hayes (2002) suggest:
Employees are proud of their company and satisfied with their job in part because their basic needs are met fairly consistently.
Employees are emotionally and cognitively engaged when:
They know what is expected of them
They have what they need to do their work
They have opportunities to feel they have made an impact and become fulfilled in their work
They perceive they are part of something significant with co-workers whom they trust
They have chances to improve and develop.

11. Managers can increase the engagement of their employees by:
offering tangible rewards,
ensuring quality of work,
promoting work/life balance (or flexibility),
acknowledging values,
creating an enabling environment and,
providing growth opportunities
(The Hay Group, December 2001.)
The Hay Group also suggested some actions for managers on how to increase the engagement of their employees.
In a recent study into the notion of work/life balance by the Department of Psychology at MQ, findings are indicating that it is not just the balance that is important but the flexibility – people want control over their time. Dr Peter Langford suggests that its ‘alignment’ that is important – working for an organisation that has similar values to our own’.
Flexibility is important but the tried & tested management practices suggested here are more influential in engaging the human spirit at work.
For example, take a manager who strictly rules the times that employees are allowed to take lunch break, monitoring the time spent getting a coffee or on the phone. Don’t laugh this still happens in many organisations today – is this why there is more burn out and work-related stress? We can all probably think of examples where some flexibility in our role would have enhanced willingness to apply our discretionary effort.

12. Does salary level impact engagement?
Lower paid workers –
motivated by the quality of treatment they receive from their immediate manager
Want fair performance evaluations and compensation.
Higher paid employees –
want prestige
are motivated by recognition for their contributions, the image of their organisation, career advancement, departmental collaboration and training in new skills.
(Management Issues, 2005)
A study in the UK in 2005 investigated the impact that salary level would have on employee engagement. The findings indicate that lower paid workers will increase their engagement if they are treated fairly & constructive performance feedback is provided on a regular basis – let me know how I am doing and what I can do to improve – don’t we all need this type of feedback, not matter what our salary level?
The study also found that higher paid employees are also motivated by recognition for their contributions – performance feedback. The implications from these findings appear to be that as leaders in Higher Education, we need to provide meaningful work, ongoing performance feedback & recognition of contributions as well as the opportunities for further advancement within the institution.

13. Disengagement?
May, et al (2004) describe this as ‘lack of meaning in one’s work that can lead to alienation or ‘disengagement’ from one’s work.’
results in a largely unproductive workforce & will impact competitive advantage.
May, Gilson & Harter found that ‘excessive amounts of stress, emotional exhaustion and injuries may prevent individuals from being available for their roles. Employees should also be encouraged to invest in themselves in order to create new resources (learn new skills) producing the ongoing learning that is found to be essentials for commitment to an organisation.
Mangers need to be careful when designing jobs and explaining roles & responsibilities to minimise the cognitive, emotional & physical strain experienced by employees. Job-person fit is a key driver of employee engagement. When these elements are not present, disengagement will occur and productivity will decline.

14. Cost of disengagement Gallup survey 2006 of 1,500 Australian workers:
20% actively disengaged at work
costs the economy an estimated $31.5 billion per year.
Causes identified
not receiving praise or recognition for doing good work
Lack of open & honest communication
Engagement requires certain levels of physical energy, strength and readiness. The cost to organisations when employees are not committed to their roles and do not feel the desire to add the extra effort can be measured in real dollars. Kahn (1990) found that it is difficult for people to engage personally in fulfilling work processes when organisational strategies do not fit their own values. People struggle with their desire to contribute to the goals if they feel emotionally & physically exhausted.
Lack of open & honest communication implies the message should provide context to further explain the issue at hand – its causes, the plan of action, when changes will occur, why they are necessary, & how they will effect the employees.
A two-way dialogue is essential to maintaining employee engagement in the midst of adversity. Providing employee with the means to comment or ask difficult questions ensures their concerns will be addressed and gives them the opportunity to participate in resolving the situation.

15. Higher Education context
Sectoral issues:
Corporatising universities
Commercialisation
Productivity & efficiency
Changes to work practices
Changes to work climate
Competitive market – private providers, etc
Szekeres,J. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 2006
Let’s turn our focus to the Higher Education sector. There has been a clear mandate for change in the sector from a number of different forces, as indicated in the article by Szekenes in a recent Journal of Higher Education article.
The move to make universities more ‘corporate’ = focus on professional roles to improve performance & productivity and how they might be aligned to improving the performance and productivity of their area of influence.
Commercialisation - = some discussion on the focus on the ‘product’ (read program) and the ‘customer’ (read student) to apply a more commercial or business like model in a highly competitive market. Having a ‘product’ that is is of high quality & flexibility will attract more ‘customers’. Added service to the ‘customers’ in the form of student services on campus will add to the university experience – as many of our international students find.
Productivity & efficiency = increased output from the smallest level of input to maximise profits – using fewer resources to still achieve the same or better output – thus achieving a more profitable outcome for the university.
Changes to work = refocus on improving administrative processes & less on the relationships. These are key elements of ongoing quality improvement. Streamline the administration and fine tune the processes – as many automated or online to minimise the need for personal contact – such as online enrolments for students & online recruitment & selection.
Changes to work climate = restructuring & downsizing, economies of scale. All terms that are heard daily in Higher Education institutions now – as they have been in the corporate world for many years.
Competitive market - We now operate in a more competitive market with private providers, student numbers declining, new programs. Universities are more at risk in their core business than ever before.

16. Definition of Employee Engagement in Higher Education?
Is it necessary to be different?
Individual goals aligned to organisational goals
Values respected yet sometimes challenged
Culturally, universities have ingrained history with rituals & ceremonies.
Individual goals aligned to organisational goals = clarity in role & expected measures of performance for all staff – this is a relatively new focus in Higher Education with some employees still questioning the need for measures such as KPI’s.
Institutional values are respected – the notion of the university as the place for scholarship & critical thought. However with the trend towards a more corporate model of operating given the competitive nature within the sector, these core values may be challenged.

17. Academic freedom? Impact on Engagement
‘Academic freedom is the discovery and dissemination of knowledge – what university researchers and teachers are employed to do’
‘duty to engage in the process of uncovering and transmitting knowledge’
= clear purpose of role
Draft Senate Statement on Academic Freedom, Macquarie University July 2006
As a threat to academic freedom, the changes in the sector to become more commercial will challenge the notion of academic freedom. At MQ we have been debating this and a draft statement has been presented to Senate. If Higher Ed institutions are required to measure their outputs in a more overt way – for example the LTPF & possibly RQF, then there will be more challenge to the freedom associated with discovering new knowledge and the process of dissemination.
Impact on employee engagement? Well for the commitment to the organisation and the intention to stay within the sector to remain high, as we will see soon in the data, universities will need to ensure there are clear role descriptions with measures built into the role and rewards linked to individuals as well as teams. Employee engagement will be impacted if the employees feel that they are only working towards achieving an institutional measure and not the freedom of creating the new knowledge. For example, it will be difficult to put a time measure on the discovery of new knowledge – how can you insist on a number of outputs from a research environment? Its not like producing widgets in a production line. Quality and diversity may be impacted.

18. Data source Voice Project
Data from over 10,000 employees across more than 700 organisations.
Employee surveys
Voice Project - - a research and consulting team using organisational surveys to diagnose leadership, culture and human resource management.
Employees completed a 102-question survey asking about their level of engagement in the workplace and their assessment of 28 characteristics of their work environment

19. Employee Engagement in Higher Education
Using the data from Voice Project:
7 Higher Education institutions
8419 staff (2500 academic & 4500 general – some did not nominate)
Surveys over last 3 years
Database of organisations - sample representative of the Australian economy
Unis involved =

20. Response  Employee Surveys
“Your Voice!” Staff Survey
Griffith Voice
Unis completed to date:
The University of Newcastle
University of Canberra
Griffith University
Charles Sturt University
Victoria University
University of Adelaide
Macquarie Univeristy

21. Voice Project Outcome measures
Passion
Purpose
Participation
Progress
Property
People
Peace
7 P’s
7 P’s
Passion
Purpose
Participation
Progress
Property
People
Peace

22. Voice Project measure: Passion
Job Satisfaction
My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment
I like the kind of work I do
Overall I am satisfied with my job
76% of all university staff surveyed are favourable/satisfied about their job
(better than 71% of all organisations surveyed n=1003)
No significant difference between Academic (78%) and General Staff (76%)
Job Satisfaction
My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment
I like the kind of work I do
Overall I am satisfied with my job
76% of all university staff surveyed are favourable/satisfied about their job
(better than 71% of all organisations surveyed n=1003)
No significant difference between Academic (78%) and General Staff (76%)

23. Organisational commitment:
I feel a sense of loyalty and commitment to this org/uni
I am proud to tell people that I work for this uni
I feel emotionally attached to this uni
I am willing to put in extra effort for this uni
71% of all university staff surveyed are favourable about their organisation – not their discipline
(better than 59% of all organisations surveyed n=1003)
Organisational commitment:
I feel a sense of loyalty and commitment to this org/uni
I am proud to tell people that I work for this uni
I feel emotionally attached to this uni
I am willing to put in extra effort for this uni
71% of all university staff surveyed are favourable about their organisation – not their discipline
(better than 59% of all organisations surveyed n=1003

24. I am likely to still be working here in 2 years time
Intention to stay:
I am likely to still be working here in 2 years time
I would like to be still working here in 5 years
I can see a future for me at this uni.
63% of all university staff surveyed are favourable about staying with their organisation
(better than 77% or ¾ of all organisations surveyed n=1003)
Staff want to stay but indicated a need to improve participation – only 49% favourable
Intention to stay:
I am likely to still be working here in 2 years time
I would like to be still working here in 5 years
I can see a future for me at this uni
63% of all university staff surveyed are favourable about staying with their organisation
(better than 77% or ¾ of all organisations surveyed n=1003)
Staff want to stay but indicated a need to improve participation – only 49% favourable

25. Universities – All Staff
So if Passion is high in Higher Ed, why do we need to do anything?
As mentioned before, employee engagement is a journey not just a destination. With the sectoral changes mentioned earlier, Higher Ed institutions are entering a more competitive space for both students but also for staff. An organisation that maintains practices & policies to support employee engagement will attract & retain the scarce resources.
From this slide you can see the red measures as the ones that need to be improved – the majority of these fall in the Participation group.

26. Strategies to improve Improve Participation: Performance appraisal
Learning & development
Participation & involvement
Rewards & recognition
Supervision
Leadership
Communication & cooperation
Recruitment & selection
The Voice Project data suggests that to maintain the high levels of employee engagement in Higher Educatin institutions, leaders need to focus on improving the Participation measures of:
Performance appraisal
Learning & Development
Participation & involvement
Rewards & recognition
Supervision
Leadership
Communication & cooperation
Recruitment & selection
Let me show you how MQ has responded to date….

27. Macquarie University actions
Your Say
Response rate 74%
MQ’s response in a complex and ever changing environment has been to :
– when MQ turns 50 – strategic directions have been communicated to all staff to align work practices and outputs in the same direction, thus achieving the strategies. This has been supplemented with defining expected organisational outcomes & KPI’s = clarity in roles & responsibilities
Your Say - MQ undertook the Voice Project employee survey in march this year. Called ‘Your Say’, it allowed for clarity in communication, ability for two-way feedback and specific organisation action plans to be developed. These are moving forward in some areas faster than others – a message about the engagement of the leaders?
With a Response rate of 74%, MQ is the highest in the sector to date. This could indicate many things such as employees had been waiting for a vehicle to have a say about how they feel and this was their vehicle. For the data to be if use, it needs to be converted into action plans at the work unit, department or division and organisational levels. From the organisational level, the VC presented the data at a Town Hall meeting in June and supported the findings with a set of action items that are reported on to council each month. This is all made public to employees on the VC’s website.

28. What is Macquarie University doing?
Improve ‘Participation’ outcomes:
Performance Development System & individual KPI’s
Participation & involvement
Reward & recognition system
Performance Development System & individual KPI’s
Participation & involvement – ‘Your Say’, Staff Consultation Group - New Staff Consultation Group (SCG)
– elected reps from each division and proportional representation from departments; academic and general staff
– review existing and proposed staffing related policies of the University & EBA
Reward & recognition system – existing schemes (at the managers discretion) & new for staff who ‘go the extra mile’ – or decide to apply their discretional effort

29. What else is MQ doing? Supervision & leadership development programs
Increased institutional communication & cooperation
Recruitment & selection procedure changes
New staff advertised
Supervision & leadership = eg. ‘MQ Leadership & Management Development Program’ ‘Research Supervision Development’
Communication & cooperation = VC website, Staff News, Town Hall meetings, council reports
Recruitment & selection = online recruitment, new Senior positions (DVC’s), new research staff

30. Organisational framing
Bolman & Deal (1997) developed a tool to view issues or challenges in an organisation
Look across all four frames for ways to improve & maintain employee engagement
Variety of frames
As described in their book ‘Reframing Organisations’ Bolman & Deal offer a tool to assist managers view organisational issues through a variety of frames and not just from our preference or expertise lies. For example, in my role in PD my preference and expertise is in the Human Resource frame. I am constantly reminded how important it is to ensure the political frame is viewed when making decisions. By viewing an issue through a variety of frames, I am able to develop a solution that will meet the needs of a wide range of stakeholders.
Given the data showing us that employee engagement is currently high in Higher Education, we still need to maintain a focus on it as an aspect of our leadership role. When we do not view it as an ongoing challenge, we find ourselves having to develop strategies to raise it, minimising our time to deal other issues.
Offers managers the opportunity to view a situation or issue through the variety of frames to ensure all the needs will be met and solutions are developed that address a more consistent and even view. The ability to reframe experiences or issues enriches and broadens the leaders repertoire. Expanded options helps leaders generate creative responses to the broad range of issues that they encounter every day. For leaders to realise there is always more than one response to a situation or dilemma is very powerful. When leaders are faced with a dilemma and they don’t know what to do they tend to do more of the same, more of what they know. This rarely solves the issue, just provides a bandaid. Framing can help increase the number of options a leader might be able to implement.

31. Frames through which we can understand organisations
STRUCTURAL HUMAN RESOURCE
(reporting lines, accountabilities) (needs, skills, issues)
POLITICAL
(power bases, decision making protocols)
CULTURAL
(values, beliefs, norms)
Structure:
Organisational structure
Roles & responsibilities
Accountabilities
Processes and procedures
Policy frameworks & systems
Human Resources
Job/person mix
Staff with necessary skills
Team development
Interpersonal communication
Political
Sources of power
Decision-making forums
Informal lines of influence
Cultural/Symbolic
Attitudes and behaviours
Values
Symbols & rituals

32. STRUCTURAL HUMAN CULTURAL POLITICAL
Pay & benefits
Communication processes
Roles aligned to talent
Clarity of reporting lines
Renew organisational systems
HUMAN
Professional development
Individual motivators – reward & recognition schemes
Defined outcomes - KPIs
Autonomy & Innovation
CULTURAL
Attitudes and behaviours
Values – respect differences
Symbols – Town Hall meetings, VC website
Rituals – committees
POLITICAL
Sources of power – expert, positional, personal networks
Decision-making forums - EBA
Informal lines of influence - networks
As an example, some of the aspects of the issue of improving employee engagement are described within the frames. The use of the framing allows leaders to view the aspect of organisational development, describe the current actions that are taken and see if there is a skew to one area in particular.
We all have a perceived preference in our viewing of issues within the organisation. It may be from the HR perspective where your focus is on getting the HR practices of Recruitment & Selection, performance feedback, professional development, etc right. You may however, not spend as much time or energy in viewing the issue from the political frame and in doing so, not align the decision making practices to the needs of the university. For example, when designing a professional development workshop, you may look at role requirements of the target audience, their current level of skill as determined in a needs analysis but you may not look at the perceived sources of power when asking for volunteers to be on a reference group for the program development. The implications could be that a Dean who is particularly passionate about this aspect of PD, has not been consulted and may decide to not send any of their staff to the offering.

33. Conclusion Higher Education has some clear challenges
Organisations value employee commitment
Effective and ongoing organisational communication
Recognition of the ‘whole person’
Engagement is not a short-term initiative. It is an aspect of working life that is never achieved or finished 0 only improved. It might take years to build high levels of engagement and without constant attention, these levels can fall very quickly.
In a sector that is constantly changing, Higher Ed institutions are feeling the impact on staffing levels, funding, competition for talent and retention of key resources. Engagement must be driven from the top as a business imperative, not just an HR strategy.
DDI found that people are more likely to be engaged if their jobs and the culture of the organisation match both their abilities and skills and the motivation and values. In an academic environment where you find a very diverse range of values, there is a strong likelihood that engagement will be a ‘moving feast’ depending on the allocation of the scarce resources (people, time, money, etc) and the opportunities for the core academic activities to be achieved. No one impacts the state of engagement than the employee’s immediate leader. Where you find a highly engaged team ,you generally also find a leader who is coaching for success, setting clear goals, providing open & honest feedback and valuing the contributions of their team.
Engagement means reaching the heart. Highly engaged employees give the extra effort because they care – from the inside , from their heart. Engaging the human spirit is a two way process – the employee must have the desire to want to apply their discretional effort but he they also need to know that someone cares about them. Provides them with the feedback on their work, their behaviours & appreciates them for what they bring to work but also what they value outside work.

34. Presentation outline
Compare & contrast definitions of employee engagement
Employee engagement in Higher Education
Higher Education employee surveys data
Discuss the implications for Leaders in Higher Education – using a reframing model
In conclusion, I have presented to you some of the definitions of employee engagement that suggest the idea that if employees are clear about their role and responsibilities, are given ongoing performance feedback and are supported in their ongoing career goals, then they will feel motivated to add their discretional effort.
A key challenge for leaders in Higher Education would be to communicate clear and concise organisational information. This would be information that is relevant to all members of their team as well as broader information about the strategic direction of the work unit, department, discipline or university.
From the Voice Project data, we might ask the question if employee engagement is high at present (73% favourable) in Higher Education institutions, why do we need to do anything? Remember employee engagement is a journey not an destination. It is an area of leadership responsibility that requires constant ongoing attention because the minute that we don’t focus on it, it will decline and take an ever longer time to raise.
The framing model offers leaders a tool through which to view employee engagement and assist with aligning structures, human resources practices, decision making processes and symbolic actions.

35. QUESTIONS?