Leadership and employee engagement: passing fad or a new way of doing business?

In 2009, the authors were commissioned by the then UK government to conduct some research to review employee engagement and to answer three questions.1. What is it?2. Is there any evidence to show that it matters?3. What is present in organisations that appear to be good at it?Although this topic will never be a science, the authors found compelling evidence that there is a correlation between better organisational outcomes and higher levels of employee engagement, and more specifically between higher levels of profitability and higher levels of employee engagement.In the ensuing report of the research (MacLeod & Clarke, 2009), the authors outline the four enablers that tend to give rise to higher levels of employee engagement, which are also a useful prism through which to focus organisational effort designed to enhance levels of employee engagement. The four enablers are briefly outlined in this article. These enablers need to be underpinned with the attitude throughout the organisation that employee engagement is about how you do what you do; it is a belief in the importance of people and what they are capable of, when managed effectively.