Tomorrow's workforce is seeking more than a paycheck; they want their work to meet their needs for affiliation, meaning, and self‐development. Companies willing to meet these demands will capture the enormous profit potential of a workforce of fully engaged workers. This piece explores what engagement is, why it matters, and how human resource development (HRD) professionals can be strategic corporate partners in creating the changes necessary to engage the talent in their employees.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BeckJ. (2003). Independent workforce theory: Implications for hrd. Human Resource Development International, 6(1), 21–41.
2.
BrayfieldA. H.RotheH. F. (1951). An index of job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 35, 307–311.
3.
BuchananL. (2004). The things they do for love. Harvard Business Review, 82(12), 19–20.
4.
BuckinghamM.CoffmanC. (1999). First, break all the rules; What the world's greatest managers do differently. New York: Simon and Schuster.
5.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (2007). Total employment and the labor force (Household Survey data). Washington, DC: Author.
6.
CartwrightS.HolmesN. (2006). The meaning of work: The challenge of regaining employee engagement and reducing cynicism. Human Resource Management Review, 16, 199–208.
7.
Corporate Leadership Council (2004). Driving performance and retention through employee engagement. Washington, DC: Author.
8.
CoveyS. R. (2004). The 8th habit: From effectiveness to greatness. New York: Simon and Schuster.
9.
EmmottB. (2006, December 23). Economics discovers its feelings: Not quite as dismal as it was. The Economist, 381, 33–35.
10.
FlemingJ. H.AsplundJ. (2007). Human sigma. New York: Gallup Press.
11.
FredricksonB. L. (1998). What good are positive emotions?Review of General Psychology, 2, 300–319.
12.
GolemanD. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
13.
HarterJ. K.SchmidtF. L.HayesT. L. (2002). Business‐unit‐level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: A meta‐analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 268–279.
14.
HarterJ. K.SchmidtF. L.KeyesC. L. M. (2002). Wellbeing the workplace and its relationship to business outcomes: A review of the Gallup studies. In KeyesC.L.HaidtJ. (Eds.), Flourishing: The positive person and the good life (pp. 205–224. Washington, D.C: American Psychological Association.
15.
HuselidM. A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 635–672.
16.
JooB.McLeanG. N. (2006). Best employer studies: A conceptual model from a literature review and a case study. Human Resource Development Review, 5, 228–257.
17.
JudgeT. A.WatanabeS. (1993). Another look at the job satisfaction‐life satisfaction relationship. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 939–948.
18.
MaccobyM. (2007). The leaders we need. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
19.
MaslowA. (1970). Motivation and personality (2nd ed.). New York: Harper and Row.
20.
MeereM. (2005). The high cost of disengaged employees (Employee Engagement Industry Briefing). Hawthorne, Victoria: Swinburne University of Technology.
PayneK.CangemiJ. P.FuquaH.MuhleakampR. (1998). Leadership and employee empowerment: The foundation for organizational success and profit in the twenty‐first century. In CangemiJ. P.KowalskiC. J.KhanK. H. (Eds.), Leadership behavior (pp. 119–130. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
23.
RathT.CliftonD. O. (2004). The power of praise and recognition. The Gallup Management Journal. Retrieved November 27, 2007 from http:gmj.gallup.comcontent12157Power‐Praise‐Recognition.aspx.
24.
VanceR. J. (2006). Employee engagement and commitment: A guide to understanding, measuring, and increasing engagement in your organization. Alexandria, VA: The SHRM Foundation.
25.
WagnerR.HarterJ. K. (2006). 12: The great elements of managing. Washington, DC: The Gallup Organization.
