Top Ways To Engage Your Employees Better

How executives can manipulate organizational factors to improve employee engagement

 

Employee engagement is a necessary precursor to improve business success. The question arises whether organizational factors themselves can be a source of effectiveness for employee engagement. I pose that an ineffective vision and strategic plan may expose organizations to missed opportunities and lack of using management opportunities to their benefit given the existing opportunities in international and domestic markets, and how this lack of judgment may concern stakeholders.

This fact can be further explained by Barney, who argues that an organization’s internal characteristics can be seen as essential sources of achievement. HR consultants, to date, have failed to provide a comprehensive framework which incorporates all of the contextual factors that may impact employee engagement within companies. Exploring these factors and how they may impact practical implications for top managers to improve employee engagement and meet their business objectives.
 
There is a gap toward identifying the catalysts of employee engagement. The absence of a systematic approach toward this challenge inhibits the development of employee engagement as a vital driver of corporate performance. It is apparent that a systematic approach toward employee engagement can provide practical guidelines for top management executives.

First, executives should inspire employees to engage in learning and generate new solutions A centralized structure has a negative impact on employee engagement, while decentralization positively contributes to employee engagement, through developing a more innovative climate.
 
This can be enhanced by the crucial role of decentralized structures in facilitating the exchange of ideas and the implementation of more innovative solutions based on stipulating the power of decision-making at all levels of the organization. Formalized structures are more bureaucratic, and this negatively contributes to the effectiveness of executives in changing the existing situations and creating a better environment for employee engagement. Thus, employee engagement is more effective in more informal structures when compared to bureaucratic structures. Hence, a formalized and centralized structure is negatively related to the effectiveness of employee engagement.
 
Thus, executives can develop more decentralized and organic structures to develop relationships and improve employee engagement within organizations. Furthermore, collaboration and trust are important component of a collaborative culture which could positively contribute to develop and maintain organizational communications. Both cultural aspects of collaboration and trust can be critical for the effectiveness of employee engagement, which is strongly based on developing relationships with subordinates.
 
An executive’s ability to better engage employees is also highly dependent on the extent to which their subordinates trust them. Therefore, a culture that instills trust in subordinates enables executives through mobilizing their support toward the management vision for changing current situations, whereas, distrust will impair the effectiveness of employee engagement within companies. Therefore, both cultural aspects of collaboration and trust can positively contribute to employee engagement. Executives can, therefore, manipulate a firm’s culture to better engage employees in order to conform to the needs and expectations of strategic goals and objectives.
 
In addition, inter-companies networks help executives develop employee engagement. Inter-companies networks can motivate executives to expand relationships with their subordinates. Inter-companies networks can also help executives develop relationships with subordinates. In addition, inter-companies networks can positively contribute to top management executives to effectively empower and develop better collaborations among subordinates and managers. Ergo, top executives can improve employee engagement, through building more effective inter-companies networks to encourage employee engagement within companies.
 
In conclusion, this article not only introduces various organizational factors that have a direct and indirect impact on employee engagement, but also provide an impetus of effective management in supporting ultimate performance. This article clearly uncovers how employee engagement can be affected by substantial internal characteristics of organizations such as the organizational structure, culture, and most importantly, inter-companies networks.
 
References
Barney, J.B. 1991. Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120.

Author Bio

Mostafa Sayyadi Ghasabeh, CAHRI, AFAIM, CPMgr is a senior corporate trainer at NIGC. In recognition of his work with Australian Institute of Management and Australian Human Resources Institute, he has been awarded the titles, “Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management” (AFAIM), “Certified Professional Manager” (CPMgr) and “Certified Professional in Human Resources” (CAHRI). Connect Mostafa Sayyadi Ghasabeh Follow @mo_sayyadi