Manager levers for employee engagement
In my last blog post I wrote about organisational culture levers for employee engagement, the second of the Corporate Leadership Council’s (2004) levers for engagement. The third and final set and the largest relates to manager characteristics and the levers managers have to promote a culture of high engagement.
According to Corporate Leadership Council research (2004), manager characteristics levers include:
- demonstrated strong commitment to diversity
- demonstrates honesty and integrity
- adapts to changing circumstances
- clearly articulates organisational goals
- possesses job skills
- sets realistic performance expectations
- puts the right people in the right roles at the right time
- helps find solutions to problems
- breaks down projects into manageable components
- accepts responsibilities for successes and failures
- encourages and manages innovation
- accurately evaluates employee potential
- respects employees as individuals
- demonstrated passion to succeed
- cares about employees
- has a good reputation within the organisation
- is open to new ideas
- defends direct reports
- analytical thinking
A great list that managers have at their disposal to promote employee engagement. Which ones do you use on a regular basis?
Building a high engagement culture takes conscious focus by an organisation and a strategy with a range of activities contributing to it. Best practice organisations I have been involved with often have a defined workforce and engagement strategy. This strategy lists activities that a central Organisational Development or Organisational Change unit could arrange to support this area.
Interventions include activities such as coaching, mentoring, online training, leadership development, pulse surveys, values and behaviour workshops, internal process improvement teams and spaces, innovation workshops and space to innovate to name a few.
