Building Employee Engagement for Competitive Differentiation

1. Creating the Right Environment
for Promoting
Employee Engagement
Dr. Elijah Ezendu
FIMC, FCCM, FIIAN, FBDI, FAAFM, FSSM, MIMIS, MIAP, MITD, ACIArb, ACIPM,
PhD, DocM, MBA, CWM, CBDA, CMA, MPM, PME, CSOL, CCIP, CMC, CMgr

2. Exploratory Engagement
What is Employee Engagement?

3. In a world that is changing both in terms of the
global nature of work and the diversity of the
workforce, engaged employees may be a key to
competitive advantage. Companies that
understand the conditions that enhance
employee engagement will have accomplished
something that competitors will find very
difficult to imitate.
Source: William Macey & Benjamin Schneider, The Meaning of Employee Engagement

4. Framework of Employee Engagement
HR System
Organisation Design
Job Design
Staffing
Rewards
Training & Development
Performance Management
Leadership Development
Work-Life Benefits
Job Characteristics
Skill Variety
Task Identity
Task Significance
Task Autonomy
Job Feedback
Job Resources
Job Demands
Role
Role Clarity
Role Fit
Co-workers
Social Identity
Support
Trust
Management
Support
Clear Expectations
Feedback
Recognition
Trustworthiness
Consistency
Integrity
Fairness
Leadership
Transformational
Openness
Vision
Perception of Fairness
Distributive
Procedural
Interactional
Traits
Proactive Personality
Autotelic Personality
Positive Affectivity
Conscientiousness
Self Efficacy
Self Esteem
Locus of Control
Psychological Conditions of
Engagement
Meaningfulness
Psychological Safety
Psychological Availability
Perceived Organisational Support
Psychological Contract Fulfilment
Psychological State of
Engagement
Job Involvement
Empowerment
Affective Commitment
Positive Affectivity
Behavioural Engagement
Organisational Citizenship Behaviour
Performance: Proficiency,
Adaptability, Resiliency, Innovation
Strategic Outcomes
Productivity
Quality
Customer Satisfaction
Financial/Market Performance
Revenue
Profits
Market Value
Source: William Castellano, A New Framework of Employee Engagement

5. Employee Roles

6. HR as Facilitator & Enabler
 Aligning goals for congruency
 Promoting effective communication organisation-wide
 Tracking Employee’s Voice
 Entrenching formal and informal appreciation, reward and recognition
 Developing and championing engagement friendly policies and practices
 Conducting employee engagement survey on a regular basis
 Deploying and managing multi-facial platform for accelerating
engagement
 Architecting fitting models of engagement for various categories of
employees
 Catalysing manager-employee connection across every set of command
layers
 Reinforcing the glues of cohesion binding top management to all other
management streams and the blue collar workforce
 Functioning as Engagement Agent while carrying out other responsibilities

7. 10 C’s of Employee Engagement
1. Connect with employees
2. Provide opportunities for career advancement
3. Vision is communicated with clarity
4. Convey clear expectations and feedback
5. Congratulate strong performance
6. Link individuals’ Contribution to strategy
7. Create opportunities for people to exercise control
8. Foster trust and collaboration
9. Maintain organisational credibility through ethical leadership
behaviour
10. Create confidence in the organisation’s high standards &
leadership example
Adapted from Gerard Seijts and Dan Crim

8. 5-A Model for Engagement
1. ALIGNMENT: Fit of employee talents and capabilities
with role
2. ATTENTION: Ways a leader pays attention to
employee
3. ATTITUDE: Positive thinking and positive guidance
for positive outcomes
4. APPRECIATION: Cultivating and expressing gratitude
and recognition
5. AUTHENTICITY: Leading in a way that is true to one's
own unique strengths, personal style and professional
perspective
Source: Cheryl Rice, Five Keys to Maximising Genuine Employee Engagement

9. Exploratory Engagement
How can HR department of a firm take
advantage of employee roles in structuring a
feasible engagement model?

10. The Shift

11. “By moving focus from employee relations to
employee engagement, there is so much more
meaningful initiatives that we in HR can put in
place to help the company not only keep
employees happy but also to keep them
committed and engaged.”
- Edwin Ebreo, From Employee Relations to Employee Engagement

12. Employee Engagement Road Map by Elijah Ezendu

13. Components of Engagement Programme
• A session on corporate history and values of the organisation
• Delivery of an overview of the CEO's strategy and the financial goals and
objectives of the business
• A structured and managed process of 'two way dialogue' session with
senior level executives
• An early and detailed explanation and example of performance reviews
• The commencement of a tailored coaching and mentoring program to
achieve desired skills, personal development and training needs
• Periodic, regular, formal and informal two-way feedback to assess the
employee's progress and concerns (line managers/HR)
• The implementation of an agreed development plan in place that will add
value to the new employee's career growth
Source: Chris Selby, A Short Guide to Building a Business Case for Employee Engagement

14. Key Challenges of Employee Engagement
• Social Evolution
• Leveraging Technology
• Competitiveness
• Collaboration
• Teamwork
• Empowerment
• Financial Strength
• Organisation as One Big Team Orientation
• Layer Connectivity
• Shared Returns
• Extent of Goal Congruency
• Acceptance of Engagement Offer

15. Exploratory Engagement
Why are some employees engaged or disengaged?

16. According to Corporate Executive Board which
surveyed 50,000 employees in 59 organisations
worldwide, the results highlighted a clear
relationship between employee engagement
and retention. Employees with lower
engagement are four times more likely to leave
their jobs than those who are highly engaged.
The movement from low to high engagement
can give rise to averagely 21 percent increase in
performance.
Adapted from Corporate Executive Board, Driving performance and
retention through employee engagement.

17. Using Engagement Value Proposition
Build passion and focus in employees by means
of a workable Engagement Value Proposition.
Engagement Value Proposition shows a roadmap
of values in offering, total values available to
employees and how they shall influence returns
to the Organisation.

18. Model of Engagement Value Proposition
Work Environment
Aligned Effort and Strategy
Empowerment
Teamwork/Collaboration
Growth and Development
Support and Recognition
Engaged Employees
Greater Loyalty
Enhanced Effort
Organisational Success
Satisfied/Loyal Customers
Increased Retention
Higher Profits and Profitability
Revenue Growth
Engagement Drivers
Right Employees
Exceptional Leadership
Organisational Systems and Strategies
Adapted from Wellins, Bernthal and Phelps, Employee Engagement:
The Key to Realizing Competitive Advantage

19. Exploratory Engagement
State 7 ways to build passion and focus in
employees.

20. Dr Elijah Ezendu is Award-Winning Business Expert & Certified Management Consultant with expertise
in Interim Management, Strategy, Competitive Intelligence, Transformation, Restructuring, Turnaround
Management, Business Development, Marketing, Project & Cost Management, Leadership, HR, CSR, e-
Business & Software Architecture. He had functioned as Founder, Initiative for Sustainable Business
Equity; Chairman of Board, Charisma Broadcast Film Academy; Group Chief Operating Officer, Idova
Group; CEO, Rubiini (UAE); Special Advisor, RTEAN; Director, MMNA Investments; Chair, Int’l Board of
GCC Business Council (UAE); Senior Partner, Shevach Consulting; Chairman (Certification & Training),
Coordinator (Board of Fellows), Lead Assessor & Governing Council Member, Institute of Management
Consultants, Nigeria; Lead Resource, Centre for Competitive Intelligence Development; Lead
Consultant/ Partner, JK Michaels; Turnaround Project Director, Consolidated Business Holdings Limited;
Technical Director, Gestalt; Chief Operating Officer, Rohan Group; Executive Director (Various Roles),
Fortuna, Gambia & Malta; Chief Advisor/ Partner, D & E; Vice Chairman of Board, Refined Shipping;
Director of Programmes & Governing Council Member, Institute of Business Development, Nigeria;
Member of TDD Committee, International Association of Software Architects, USA; Member of Strategic
Planning and Implementation Committee, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria;
Country Manager (Nigeria) & Adjunct Faculty (MBA Programme), Regent Business School, South Africa;
Adjunct Faculty (MBA Programme), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology; Editor-in-Chief, Cost
Management Journal; Council Member, Institute of Internal Auditors of Nigeria; Member, Board of
Directors (Several Organizations). He holds Doctoral Degree in Management, Master of Business
Administration and Fellow of Professional Institutes in North America, UK & Nigeria. He is Innovator of
Corporate Investment Structure Based on Financials and Intangibles, for valuation highlighting
intangible contributions of host communities and ecological environment: A model celebrated globally
as remedy for unmitigated depreciation of ecological capital and developmental deprivation of host
communities. He had served as Examiner to Professional Institutes and Universities. He had been a
member of Guild of Soundtrack Producers of Nigeria. He's an author and extensively featured speaker.

21. Thank You