Emotional bond key to success

Employees who feel a strong emotional bond to the organisation they work for are most likely to be willing to recommend the organisation to others, and commit time and effort to help the operation succeed.

These are the findings of research into employee engagement and high performance by occupational psychologist Mr David Sharpley, presented at the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology Annual Conference on Friday 13 January 2006, at the Crowne Plaza Glasgow (formerly Glasgow Moat House Hotel).

The research is based on a survey of over 1000 people working in a local government setting who were asked a range of questions about what they liked best about their organisation, what they liked least and what they would like to see changed or improved.

Key aspects of management behaviour, coupled with the perception that the organisation supported people’s development, were found to be critical in building a strong emotional bond and sense of engagement. Employees who felt they were doing meaningful work, and were clear about the role they were fulfilling, were most likely to be highly motivated. Low effort and disaffection were linked to a lack of role clarity and a feeling that work was not meaningful. In contrast, money was not found to be as important.

Mr Sharpley said, "Employee engagement has a direct effect on productivity, so it’s important for managers to understand the factors that help build engagement and the barriers that stifle it. This study reinforces how important it is that people know what they are doing, why they are doing it and feel that their personal development is supported by management".

The research creates the opportunity for organisations to run regular "mini-surveys" that highlight how people perceive their role and the work environment. Organisations can also use these findings to improve management performance through 360-degree feedback, which builds on the comments of a number of people. This helps managers become far more aware of how to improve employee engagement, which in turn contributes to high productivity.

Ref: PR927