Paul Smedley, Chairman & Founder, Professional Planning Forum
People do amazing things when given the space, freedom and tools to do so. This article from the Professional Planning Forum builds on previous research by MacLeod, who identified four primary enablers of employee engagement. The Forum article relates these to life in the customer contact centre, cross-referencing them to over 30 case studies and providing demonstrable evidence that links employee engagement to the massive benefits that result.
“To release the potential of our people, we need to remove the blockages, tap into the individual need to develop and create a shared sense of purpose. Above all, we need to raise expectations and gain emotional commitment to whatever the team exists for,” explain Paul Smedley and Steve Woosey of the Planning Forum who co-authored this article. They provide case studies and summarise evidence that shows that the power of a team or an operation is only fully released when we pull together in the same direction and we work collaboratively in pursuit of a common goal. We also need a realistic understanding of our starting point; we have to get clear about what is getting in the way or slowing us down.
The four enablers, Leadership, Engaging Managers, Employee Voice and Organisational integrity, were identified by David MacLeod and Nita Clarke in their 2009 review for the UK Government and in subsequent reports and working groups hosted by Engage for Success. What’s more, further work from Engage for Success has ‘nailed the evidence’ for the links between engagement, innovation and an organisation’s performance. The PPF article provides a concise summary of this demonstrable evidence that links employee engagement to the massive benefits that result.
Download the PPF article now (PDF)
References
The Macleod Report (David MacLeod and Nita Clarke, 2009) for UK Government http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file52215.pdf
Nailing the Evidence (Bruce Rayton, 2012) http://www.engageforsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/The-Evidence.pdf
The PPF (www.planningforum.co.uk) is an independent industry body established in 2000 to promote best practice and effective planning in customer contact operations. Working in all sectors to provide strategic advice and best practice support for managers and to offer specialist training and accreditation for planning and analysis, customer experience and quality operations, we facilitate nine dedicated communities of best practice. The Planning Forum runs the Customer Strategy & Planning conference, which is held in April each year.