Context

Employee engagement is a key factor in building organizational effectiveness. The success of organizations has been linked to fostering a culture in which employees are connected to the mission and goals of the organization and its present and future success. Show More Employees must be viewed as human assets for the organization, bringing expertise and value to the products or services through an ongoing relationship with the structures and human resource management (HRM) programs that lead to an organization’s success. Employee engagement brings increased communication among employees and management staff. As a result, the culture and leadership climate of the organization revolve around employee satisfaction and involvement throughout the functions and processes in which employees are major stakeholders. As engaged stakeholders, they will provide valuable contributions and experience long-term commitment that serves as a powerful force for innovation and performance. Effective employee engagement only occurs when organizational leaders take proactive actions and execute specific programs designed to reach each employee and work to obtain their affiliation and dedication to the organization.Employee engagement is a complex process that requires specific plans, actions, and behaviors by the organization’s supervisors, managers, and executives. When employees think about an organization’s management, these three groups of leaders are prominent in their minds. Their leadership style, managerial skills, attitudes, interests, and relationships with individual employees and the organization at large define the atmosphere of engagement.

Questions to Consider

To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community.

• What are the characteristics and attributes of employee-centered organizations?
• Why are certain HRM programs more successful than others at enhancing employee morale and satisfaction?
• What are common attributes of HRM programs, and what are effective employee outreach efforts that lead to engagement and high employee performance?

Resources

Suggested Resources

The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.

Library Resources

The following articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course:

• Dalal, R. S., Brummel, B. J., Wee, S., & Thomas, L. L. (2008). Defining employee engagement for productive research and practice. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1(1), 52–55.
• Endres, G. M., & Mancheno-Smoak, L. (2008). The human resource craze: Human performance improvement and employee engagement. Organization Development Journal, 26(1), 69–78.
• Lockwood, N. R. (2007). Leveraging employee engagement for competitive advantage: HR’s strategic role. HRMagazine, 52(3), 1–11.
• Macey, W. H., & Schneider, B. (2008). The meaning of employee engagement. Industrial & Organizational Psychology, 1(1), 3–30.
• Raines, M. S. (2011). Engaging employees: Another step in improving safety. Professional Safety, 56(4), 36–43.
• Soyars, M., & Brusino, J. (2009). Essentials of engagement. T+D, 63(3), 62–65.

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Course Library Guide

A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the MBA-FP6242 – Building Organizational Effectiveness Library Guide to help direct your research.

Internet Resources

Access the following resource by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permission for the following link has been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.

• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (2011). Management competencies for enhancing employee engagement. Retrieved from http://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/management-competen…

Bookstore Resources

The resource listed below is relevant to the topics and assessments in this course and is not required. Unless noted otherwise, this resource is available for purchase from the Capella University Bookstore. When searching the bookstore, be sure to look for the Course ID with the specific –FP (FlexPath) course designation.

• Macey, W. H., Schneider, B., Barbera, K. M., & Young, S. A. (2009). Employee engagement: Tools for analysis, practice, and competitive advantage. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Chapter 1, “Engaging Engagement.”
  • Chapter 2, “The Feel and Look of Employee Engagement.”

Assessment Instructions

Use the Capella University Library to find profiles of companies with reputations for employee-centered work environments. Choose one specific company to focus on in this assessment.Consider what defines and creates an employee-centered environment. Then, analyze what has earned your selected organization its reputation for being employee centered. Include the following in your analysis:

• An introduction that includes your definition, based on your research and professional experience, of an employee-centered culture.
• An analysis of the ways that your selected organization is or is not, in fact, employee centered. Your explanation should include reference to specific employee programs, compensation systems, managerial practices, administrative procedures, and organizational structures that make it employee-centered. Cite the sources that support your explanation.
• An explanation of the established HRM best practices that are utilized in the organization.
• An evaluation of at least one way that an existing HRM program or practice could be expanded or modified to be even more successful in your selected organization, or of how a new HRM program or practice might be added to further enhance what is already in place. Note in your evaluation how the change you suggest could further enhance employee morale and satisfaction and, by extension, company success.

Be sure to cite all sources including scholarly references, trade publications, and news sources from different media. And remember when sharing personal and company-related information, share only what is appropriate. Respect confidential information, and when writing about personal experiences, do not identify actual companies or individuals.

Additional Requirements

• Written communication: Your writing should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: Your paper should be formatted according to APA (6th ed.) style.
• Length: 3–4 typed and double-spaced pages.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.
• Print
  

  Employee-Centered Environments Scoring Guide

  Employee-Centered Environments Scoring Guide Grading Rubric

  Criteria	Non-performance	Basic	Proficient	Distinguished
  Define employee-centered culture.	Does not define employee-centered culture.	Defines, incompletely, employee-centered culture.	Defines employee-centered culture.	Defines employee-centered culture; includes concrete examples from personal experience and scholarly literature.
  Analyze the specific programs, systems, practices, and structures of an employee-centered organization.	Does not analyze the specific programs, systems, practices, and structures of an employee-centered organization.	Identifies programs, systems, practices, and structures within an employee-centered organization, but does not analyze these elements.	Analyzes the specific programs, systems, practices, and structures of an employee-centered organization.	Analyzes the specific programs, systems, practices, and structures of an employee-centered organization; explains, clearly, how these elements contribute to culture of the organization.
  Explain the established HRM best practices that are utilized in an organization.	Does not explain the established HRM best practices that are utilized in an organization.	Lists some established HRM best practices that are utilized in an organization, but does not explain them.	Explains the established HRM best practices that are utilized in an organization.	Explains the established HRM best practices that are utilized in an organization; supports explanation with citations from scholarly literature.
  Evaluate at least one way that further development of specific HRM programs and structures could enhance employee engagement.	Does not evaluate at least one way that further development of specific HRM programs and structures could enhance employee engagement.	Identifies an area for further development of a specific HRM program or structure, but incompletely evaluates its connection to enhanced employee engagement.	Evaluates at least one way that further development of specific HRM programs and structures could enhance employee engagement.	Evaluates multiple ways that further development of specific HRM programs and structures could enhance employee engagement.
  Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for HR professionals and master’s level programs.	Does not communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for HR professionals and master’s level programs.	Communicates in a manner that is inconsistent with expectations for HR professionals and master’s level programs.	Communicates in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for HR professionals and master’s level programs.	Communicates in a manner that is professional, scholarly, and consistent with expectations for HR professionals and master’s level programs; adheres to APA guidelines and communicates appropriately for publication.