Leadership and Employee Engagement: Optimizing Employee

Productivity
Ashok Karri

Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management, GITAM University

29 April 2013

Leadership & Employee Engagement

1.

2.
3. 4. 5.

Employee Engagement Leadership is the key The Role of Leaders in Engaging Employees Instruments to measure Employee Engagement Conclusion

Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management, GITAM University

29 April 2013

1. Employee Engagement
An engaged employee is one who is motivated, finds personal worth in his work, and is committed to the accomplishment of goals. He considers his contribution to the organization as essential to achieving organizational goals

Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management, GITAM University

29 April 2013

Employee Engagement
The concept of engagement has evolved from

studies on involvement, motivation, organizational commitment and trust Engaged is now defined as being involved or being committed to something Employees feel engaged when they find personal meaning and motivation in their work, receive positive interpersonal support, and function in an efficient work environment
4 Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management, GITAM University 29 April 2013

The Challenge
A motivated and inspired employee is an

engaged employee That is the challenge! It requires effective leadership and other organizational factors to help employees realize their full potential and value Optimal productivity can only be realized by an organization thru optimal engagement of its employees knowledge, skills, abilities and motivation
5 Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management, GITAM University 29 April 2013

2. Leadership is the Key!

Effective leadership is the key to developing and maintaining employee engagement. Coaching can be a valuable tool to help employees feel involved and committed by providing support and guidance and by helping employees think on their own on how to accomplish goals

Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management, GITAM University

29 April 2013

Link to Leadership
The link of leadership to productivity and

engagement is very evident in many research studies. One significant finding from research is that employees with strong leaders are more engaged, satisfied and loyal than those with weak leaders. HBR (Jan.2003) highlighted substantial researches conducted on workforce motivation throughout the years and revealed consistent findings that emphasized the need to let employees become fully engaged in their Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management, 29 April 2013 GITAM University work in order to gain employee commitment

3. The Role of Leaders in Engaging Employees

To ensure and maintain employee engagement, leaders must know what factors influence an employees sense of commitment to their job as well as to the organization.

Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management, GITAM University

29 April 2013

The Leaders Role

Goal clarity and direction are identified as factors

that can influence an employees level of engagement; Employees perform well when they are clear with their goals and objectives and know how to go about achieving them. This is why, communication of clear goals and direction from the leader becomes crucial Leaders must also help employees develop personal accountability for their goals and help achieve them Setting performance expectations and instilling personal accountability among employees are critical for getting results Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management,
GITAM University

29 April 2013

4. Instruments to Measure Employee Engagement

Standardized survey instruments are available that can help leaders identify and understand organizational and individual factors that influence an employees level of engagement. Information obtained from employee engagement measures can guide leaders on to manage an employees performance ensuring his growth, commitment, and productivity in the organization.
Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management, GITAM University

10

29 April 2013

An Effective PMS increases EE

Leaders should highlight the need for

accountability and to drive performance. However driving performance is not all about pushing employees to be productive, but for them to know how to meet their targets. Many leaders concentrate on what needs to be done instead of how to get there. Refocusing on how the goals are achieved becomes more essential because it facilitates learning and promotes employees initiative
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An Effective PMS increases EE

To increase employee engagement, an effective

PMS is necessary. Research indicates that a good PMS enables employees to attain all their performance goals, which leads to successful business outcomes. However, the biggest challenge the leader faces is how to effectively motivate, initiate change, and sustain improved performance among employees.

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Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management, GITAM University

29 April 2013

EE Measures
A common question posed by leaders is: what

engagement factors must we focus on to ensure that employees will maximize their potential? Several standardized instruments are available: Each is designed to measure EE and offer feedback for making changes. Most instruments (ex. Employee Engagement Survey E3sm) help in determining its levels of engagement and provides results that are actionable, provide indicators of performance drivers, user-friendly, and content-valid.
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EE Measures
The instrument consists of three factors

personal impact, focused work, interpersonal support and satisfaction - each with several subfactors that further characterize employee engagement. It also includes an employee satisfaction measure that can be predicted by the other three engagement factors.

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Ashok Karri, GITAM Institute of Management, GITAM University

29 April 2013

5. Conclusion
In conclusion, leadership skills do not happen by chance. These require systematic development What are the rewards in developing leadership? Exceptional development helps create exceptional leaders; and exceptional leaders generate more engaged employees
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