By Raghu Kshitiz
Employee Engagement is a continuous journey towards
achieving the long-term organizational goal. “Employee Engagement is about creating
the conditions in which employees offer more of their capability and potential,”
according to co-chair of the Employee Engagement Task Force, David Macleod.
This essentially creates a solid link between the ability and skill sets of the
employees with the objectives and vision of the organization.
Various research suggests that highly engaged employees are
committed to their organization for its success. They are proactive in sharing
their ideas, and in promoting their organization inside and out. They also employ
discretionary effort above and beyond what is required just to earn their basic
salary and stay engaged.
There are various models developed to ascertain the outcome
of employee engagement by measuring the employee engagement index (EEI). The
calculation of the EEI is usually based on multiple parameters and specific weights
for each of the parameters.
Employee engagement is strongly correlated to individual, group, and corporate performance outcomes including recruiting, retention, turnover, individual performance, and productivity as well as service and customer loyalty to bottom-line results, according to various studies around the world on it.
Several studies indicate that high levels of employee
engagement enhance job performance, organizational citizenship behaviour,
productivity, discretionary effort, affective commitment, continuance
commitment, levels of psychological climate, and customer service.
There are five major employee engagement models: The Zinger
Model of Employee Engagement, the Aon Hewitt Engagement Model, the Gallup
Employee Engagement Model, the Schmidt Model of Employee Engagement, and the International
Survey Research Approach Model.
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The Zinger Model
A Canadian-based management consultant, David Zinger -- with
an experience more than 25 years in this field -- has defined ‘The Zinger Model
of Employee Engagement.’
He introduced a workable model that throws light on various
aspects of employee involvement, dedication, and engagement. The model provides
organizations with 12 points -- Achieve Results, Craft Strategies, Enliven
Roles, Fully Engage, Identity with the Organization, Excel at Work, Get
Connected, Be Authentic, Live Recognition, Serve Customers, Develop Personally,
and Attain Happiness -- that every manager must follow to achieve significant
results.
The Aon Hewitt Model
According to the extensive research done by the world’s
leading consultants on human capital management, Aon Hewitt, the process of
engaging people is influenced by six major engagement drivers: the work people
do, the people they work with, opportunities, total rewards, organization
practices, and quality of life.
Hewitt’s global engagement research from 2008 to 2010 represented
more than 2,900 organizations and included 6.7 million employees. The overall
global average employee engagement score was 56% in 2010, down from 60% in 2009
and the 4 percentage-point change was due to regional score changes in
Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America.
The Gallup Model
According to Gallup, the workplace
analytics giant, ‘Employee engagement helps organizations measure and manage
employees' perspectives on the crucial elements of workplace culture’ that
defines employee engagement as ‘the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in
their jobs and workplace.’
The Schmidt Model
The Schmidt model considers that if a business recruits the
right people with the right expertise and competencies, the work environment
becomes more positive. Developed in 2004, this model, places value on
attracting and retaining people who would fit the culture and its people.
The International Survey Research Approach Model
The international Survey Research Approach (ISRA) model approaches
measuring employee engagement on three major components: cognitive, affective,
and behavioural. This model was developed in 2003 by using survey data from more
than 41 organizations and 3,60,000 employees worldwide.
