Our take: building engagement cultures
Authors: Romans Jay , Tobaben Jeff 
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Leadership is about mobilizing self and others to attain a common purpose. The actions chosen to accomplish this are guided by a set of core values. Yet many companies lack the investment in establishing a common purpose and set of core values. Effective leaders use the principle of purpose to establish a direction that will motivate and capture the energy of those needed for success. In other words, they build engagement. The key to having an engagement culture is the top team. Organizations that have strong engagement cultures are populated with senior leaders that make everyday – and everyone – count daily. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the four key principles that must be deployed to build an engagement culture.

Design/methodology/approach

There are a wide variety of engagement/culture surveys on the market today, but the real key to having an engagement culture is the top team. Effective leaders constantly seek out new ways to improve. They use the principle of purpose to establish a direction that will motivate and capture the energy of those needed for success. They demonstrate stewardship, provide feedback and consistently inquire into the quality of their plans, as well as the effectiveness of their organizations and their own leadership. The approach of this paper requires four key principles to be deployed to build an engagement culture: align the top team through the development of a core purpose; senior leaders embrace stewardship; senior leaders practice feedback; and senior leaders model caring and listening.

Findings

To build a culture of engagement, leaders must require that developing engaged work teams be a part of the business strategy. This means engagement becomes the way the company operates, not something done in addition to the company’s work. In other words, it is a fundamental tenet of the company that business performance is achieved by leveraging the organization’s human capital. High-performing leaders make employee engagement non-negotiable, by establishing two things: importance and accountability. Organizations that have strong engagement cultures are populated with senior leaders that make everyday – and everyone – count daily. If an organization is to build a culture of engagement, then it must first be modeled by leaders. These leaders are not afraid of tough questions, comments or challenges. They seek out those who will engage in the tough conversations to build their capability and that of the organization.

Originality/value

High-performing leaders make employee engagement non-negotiable, by establishing two things: importance and accountability. The approach of this paper involves leveraging the talents of the organization’s employees and engaging them to produce stronger business performance. The world’s best-in-class organizations understand that human capital yields organic growth and creates brand loyalty. When senior leaders align their top team through the development of an engaged workforce, we then see an engagement culture emerge that drives business performance and creates a true competitive advantage for the organization.