Employee Engagement: The Framework for the Future

     In an economy where the competition turns on a dime and customers are loyal to the most recent piece of technology, engaged employees are the competitive advantage. The ability to engage employees in the success of the business is fast becoming a critical skill...and a professional requirement.
 
     Employee Engagement is a breakthrough in human resource thinking. Unlike the piecemeal or singular focus approaches that are scattered throughout the management literature, this book takes a systems approach to the concept of engagement. In doing so, it provides a blueprint for developing and implementing employee engagement from start to finish.
 
     The result of over 18 years of research and client application, this book reveals a proven approach for developing engaged employees. It includes:

1. The Partnership Model that represents the win/win relationship between the company, the employees and the customer.
2. The engagement survey that identifies the level of engagement at your company...and how to improve it. Actionable information and a critical tool for you.
3. The Pyramid of Components; an abundant set of tools, techniques and processes that help you do what needs to be done.
4. The role that incentives and ScoreCards play in a successful engagement strategy.
5. A customizable implementation map that helps you develop a budget and manage the process from start to ...sustainability.
6. A reason for employees to become engaged.

The knowledge in this book is the result of work performed with more than 35 companies, examples of which are listed below.
 
Growing in the Great Recession: Change to a different business model
     A 65 person company in the service sector that needed to transition to a new business model as their traditional business began to disappear. To succeed with the transition they needed flexible, responsive and innovative employees that would embrace the change.
     Over 18 months the employees used the engagement tools to establish new work processes, increase efficiencies and reduce cost. More than one employee commented that "What made the engagement real for us was the incentive plan linked to our department ScoreCard."
     As a result the company went from negative profitability to a profit of over 3.5%...the highest profit in 8 years. They reduced their line of credit usage to zero thus eliminating substantial interest cost.
     During the same time they improved their employee engagement survey score by 8.2 points, moving from 61.4 to 69.6.
 
Ease of Operation: Working on the business vs. working in the business.
     A privately held company in the manufacturing sector was losing market share to imports. They were not competitive due inefficient processes, low morale and poor attendance. The owner and leadership team were under stress and worked excessive hours "fighting fires."
     The leadership team selected The Framework For The Future™ because of its flexible design. Instead of implementing the entire system as a strategy, they selected specific components which they thought would provide the best and most rapid results: ScoreCards, incentive pay, and problem solving teams.
     After three years, the company is under no threat from imports. Profit margin increased from 1.6% to 4.1%. Direct labor costs decreased from 18.6% to 12.9%. Inventory turns increased from 7.6 to 20.9 and Sales per employee, a measure of productivity, increased from $93,000 to $138,000.
     The owner is quoted as saying: "We now have more control over our business and I have more time to spend with my family."

     Employee Engagement is a blueprint for creating and implementing an engagement system from start to finish. It is of great value to any business owner, senior executive or professional in the area of HR, OD, TQM or LEAN who wants to maximize the involvement of the company's most valuable asset.