Employee engagement has long been an instrumental component of human capital strategies and continues to dominate the conversation about how high-performing organizations attract and retain their best talent. Engagement is a construct of component parts, however, and we believe there is still much to be learned about engagement by taking an in-depthEmployee engagement has long been an instrumental component of human capital strategies and continues to dominate the conversation about how high-performing organizations attract and retain their best talent. There are good reasons for the organizational focus on engagement. In rapidly changing business environments, roles and responsibilities are often hard to specify, and organizations must count on employees to act independently in ways consistent with organizational objectives, culture, and values. The extra effort given by these individuals is a vital asset in our knowledge-based economy, particularly for organizations needing to do more with less. Also, there's no shortage of research to support the business case for engagement. 128 mol ly l . de l a n ey a n d m a r k a . roya l success at all levels of the organization, from financial performance and customer satisfaction (e.g., Harter, Schmidt, & Hayes, 2002) to team productivity and innovation (e.g., Griffin, Parker, & Neal, 2008) and, finally, to employee performance and retention (e.g., Lockwood, 2007).Engagement is a construct of component parts. Many consulting organizations offer their own perspectives regarding how it is defined and measured, but all report it in its final, composite form. Despite all that we know about engagement, we believe there is still much to be learned by taking an in-depth look at the component parts and understanding them more fully. We need to break engagement apart in order to enhance it more quickly.Although measures of organizational commitment are also commonly included, at the core of any conceptualization of engagement is employee motivation. It drives behavior and orients energy based on anticipated outcomes, particularly those that promise the greatest return on investment (Vroom, 1964). Where this motivation comes from, however, and how it drives behavior, can lead to different outcomes. In this article, we take a closer look at employee motivation, including its antecedents and outcomes, the types of motivation and the dynamics between them, and the ways organizations can foster and harness motivation for improved engagement.
Motivation Is a Key Component of Engagement and PerformanceThe most fundamental consideration for human capital strategies is whether or not employees are positioned to act in ways that advance the organization toward its goals. Engagement is a primary means of aligning employee efforts, along with known drivers of engagement, such as knowledge management, change management, and capability building.According to our research, motivation is a key component of engagement. Of the five components of our engagement index, we found that the extent to ...
