Academic Research Study: Improving Employee Engagement
The New Psychology of Employee Engagement – A Psychometric Research Study
Employee engagement promotes passion, commitment and productivity so it is not surprising that every leader wants more of it. The research has been clear: high levels of employee engagement create a competitive advantage for leaders at a rate of 2:1. That is, a business with engaged employees will outperform its competition at a rate that almost doubles sales, performance, and profitability. In a purely business context, higher levels of engagement will drive everything. Effort. Turnover. Satisfaction. Creativity. Wellbeing.
Throughout 2020, the leadership team here at HSD Metrics partnered with researchers Brad Shuck, EdD and Jason Immekus, PhD from the University of Louisville to uncover what the future of employee engagement will look like, including how to best measure the experience of engagement. Their study, which occurred over a 12-month period, took a deep dive into the psychology of engagement. Looking at thousands and thousands of participant experiences across a multitude of samples, the team at HSD Metrics broke down and distilled new, proprietary insights about what the experience of employee engagement looks like in today’s business environment. Through this innovative public/private partnership and using an international and culturally sensitive sample, HSD Metrics identified four critical indicators of employee engagement.
Indicator 1 - Belonging & Influence
How much each employee feels a part of the organization and the belief that they can meaningfully influence the overall culture and day-to-day decisions.
Indicator 2 - Line of Sight
How clear goals and expectations are communicated, how day to day work is aligned, and whether or not the objective is achievable.
Indicator 3 - Leadership Acumen
The belief employees have in their leader’s ability to actually lead and the specific behaviors that leaders display, every single day.
Indicator 4 - Organizational Integrity
How employees view the ethics, decision making, and safety of the organization.
Indicator #1: Belonging & Influence
Belonging and Influence are how much each employee feels a part of the organization and the belief that they can meaningfully influence the overall culture and day-to-day decisions. Here, leaders need employees to feel like they are a part of a community at work, where their voice has influence and that they are seen. The more an employee believes they belong and are connected to a community, the more likely they are to be engaged.
Indicator #2: Line of Sight
Line of Sight is how clear employee goals and expectations are communicated, how day to day work is aligned, and whether or not the objective is achievable. Employees need a clearly defined line of sight to their work, a defined connection of their work to the goals of the organization, and perhaps most important, a comfortable fit between their job responsibilities and their core strengths. The more an employee has a defined line of sight to the meaning and value of their work, the more likely they are to be engaged.
Indicator #3: Leadership Acumen
Leadership Acumen is influenced by two things: the belief employees have in their leader’s ability to actually lead and the specific behaviors that leaders display, every single day. If an employee does not believe that their leader cares, knows about their work, or they cannot discuss their career path, the more likely an employee is to be disengaged. Leaders must work every day to display the behaviors that drive engagement and employees have to believe that their leaders are authentic in their actions.
Indicator #4: Organizational Integrity
Organizational Integrity is how employees view the ethics, decision making, and safety of the organization. Can they speak up, and if they do, what are the consequences? Employees who work in cultures where there are high levels of organizational integrity are also more innovative, more productive, and less likely to have turnover challenges. In today’s business environment, creativity happens in fragile places and when employees believe that they are working in a place that is safe emotionally, physically, and ethically, they place their energies into doing their best work, every day. High levels of organizational integrity will equal high levels of employee engagement, every time.
Indicator #4: Organizational Integrity
Organizational Integrity is how employees view the ethics, decision making, and safety of the organization. Can they speak up, and if they do, what are the consequences? Employees who work in cultures where there are high levels of organizational integrity are also more innovative, more productive, and less likely to have turnover challenges. In today’s business environment, creativity happens in fragile places and when employees believe that they are working in a place that is safe emotionally, physically, and ethically, they place their energies into doing their best work, every day. High levels of organizational integrity will equal high levels of employee engagement, every time.
"Hsd Metrics is offering one of the most psychometrically robust measurement tools for digging into the psychology of engagement on the market today."
– Dr. Brad Shuck
Research Faculty
University of Louisville
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