Enemy of Engagement Book Synopsis

Book synopsis

Put an end to workplace frustration -
and get the most from your employees
There are a lot of frustrated people in most workplaces
today. We’re not talking about the incorrigible office
grump or the permanently unmotivated slacker. Instead,
we’re referring to dedicated and valued workers who
are being prevented from achieving their peak potential
by organizational obstacles. Better enabling these
employees to succeed represents an untapped avenue for
radically improving productivity.

Packed with the latest research findings from Hay Group, The Enemy of Engagement
uncovers the hidden impediments to performance—excessive procedures, lack
of resources, overly narrow roles, and more—and outlines best-practice solutions
for eliminating them. This is not an insignificant issue facing businesses today.
According to Hay Group’s study, depending on the industry, between one-third
and one-half of employees report work conditions that keep them from being as
productive as they could be. The Enemy of Engagement gives managers powerful
new insights and research-based tools for ensuring their teams are both willing and
able to make maximum contributions.

©2011 Hay Group. All rights reserved 1

The Enemy of Engagement: put an end to workplace frustration - and get the most from your employees

Unique aspects Recent Hay Group research indicates that in
Organizations need There is currently a great deal of emphasis in organizations today, frustrated employees
to ensure that work organizations and in the management literature may represent 20 per cent or more of the total
on enhancing levels of employee engagement workforce. In this book, we explore in detail
environments provide the sources of frustration in the workplace and
– with good reason. In today’s global economic
enabling conditions to environment, many organizations need to do the importance of both engaging and enabling
employees to facilitate optimal performance.
harness the reservoir more with less, making the discretionary effort
of employees willing to ‘go the extra mile’ all the We consider the multiple ways low levels of
of superior motivation enablement can negatively impact engaged
more important. However, engaging employees,
offered by an engaged while clearly important, is not alone sufficient employees and, ultimately, their organizations.
to sustain maximum levels of individual and And we examine and specify the leadership and
workforce managerial behaviors—and organizational tools
team effectiveness over time. Hay Group has
found that there are significant numbers of and processes—by which employee enablement
organizations that enjoy high levels of employee can be enhanced and frustration most effectively
engagement yet nonetheless struggle with reduced.
performance issues. In these environments,
employees are energized by goals and objectives There is no shortage of books available on how
and are eager to help their organizations to manage employees. As such, it is important
succeed. But they themselves often indicate that that this book not only delivers a unique, and
they do not feel optimally productive. critical, message regarding the importance of
both engaging and enabling employees but also
What’s the missing piece? Engaged employees does so in a way that resonates strongly with
who are frustrated by current work conditions readers. The authors weave into the presentation
often seem to be saying to organizational of theory and research findings a fictional
leaders, “Help me help you. Put me in a role that narrative that follows a group of managers
leverages my skills and abilities and allows me to and employees as they experience frustration
do what I do best. Give me the tools, technology, at work, come to understand it and its impact,
information, support, and other resources I need and finally work to change both managerial
to be effective. And, finally, get out of my way. behaviors and organizational systems to
Don’t dilute my focus and consume my energy address it. This approach helps ‘bring to life’ the
with tasks that don’t add value. And don’t challenges faced by frustrated employees and
introduce procedural barriers that will interfere engage readers as they learn how to address the
with my ability to get things done.” underlying issues.

Organizations need to ensure that work
environments provide enabling conditions to
harness the reservoir of superior motivation
offered by an engaged workforce. Frustrated
employees represent a lost opportunity for
organizations. From a motivational perspective,
organizational leaders have these employees
where they want them. But when it comes to
ensuring that they are as productive as possible,
organizations and managers are missing out.



Target audience Structure and content
This book is targeted at anyone charged with
directly managing the day-to-day activities of a Introduction
group of employees. Managers are bombarded Chapter 1 There’s something happening here
with messages about how important it is
to motivate and inspire their people. Very Chapter 2 Frustration: the silent killer
little attention, however, has been given to Chapter 3 Workplace frustration spreads
how managers can most effectively translate at Bernette
employee motivation into optimal levels of
Chapter 4 Enabling high levels of performance
performance. Unfortunately, the commitment
from engaged employees
and discretionary effort offered by engaged
employees can be squandered if managers are Chapter 5 Doing more with less
not careful to position employees in roles that Chapter 6 Engagement walks in the door and
fully leverage their potential and to provide them trips over enablement
with the workplace supports they need to carry
out their responsibilities. Chapter 7 Charting the way back on track
Chapter 8 Understanding enablement
If the essence of management is getting things
Chapter 9 Tackling Bernette’s enablement issues
done through people, then good managers
clearly need to create work climates where people Chapter 10 Diagnosis and prescription
can be maximally effective. This book focuses on Chapter 11 Starting to get results
helping managers understand the conditions that
foster employee frustration, and how they can Chapter 12 Managers as agents of
more effectively manage their teams to ensure organizational change
that employees are not only willing but also able Epilogue
to make maximum contributions.

“ This book focuses on helping managers
understand the conditions that foster
employee frustration, and how they can

”
more effectively manage their teams



In chapters one and two, we introduce enablement. As employees grow in experience
the concept of workplace frustration. We in their roles, they begin to focus less on learning
both explain what it is (a highly engaged the ropes and more on achieving desired results.
employee’s inability to succeed in a role due to In the process, they are increasingly confronted
organizational barriers or the inability to bring with enablement constraints that limit their ability
the bulk of his or her talents, skills, and abilities to get their jobs done effectively. Organizations
to the job) and what it is not (demotivation, need to understand that the key to keeping
dissatisfaction). We highlight common responses employees engaged over time is ensuring that
to frustration exhibited by employees and the they are well enabled.
negative consequences these reactions often
have for individuals and organizations. Finally, With an understanding of frustration, its
we explore why leaders in today’s organizations manifestations, and its implications, we focus in
are frequently poorly positioned to identify and chapters seven and eight on a systematic review
respond to workplace frustration. of root causes. We explore in detail the primary
determinants of employee enablement. And we
In chapters three and four, we differentiate drill down within these determinants to identify
We explore why leaders employee engagement (motivating employees key aspects of the work environment that should
in today’s organizations to succeed) from employee enablement (giving be focus areas for managers in understanding
them the ability to perform effectively). current enablement levels within their teams.
are frequently poorly
We discuss engagement and enablement as
positioned to identify distinct concepts that are influenced by different After calling attention to work environment
and respond to organizational factors and managerial behaviors. considerations enablement-focused managers
And we review research confirming that both need to monitor and address, in chapters nine
workplace frustration are necessary for optimum performance; that is, and ten we turn our attention to strategies for
high levels of engagement are not sustainable minimizing workplace frustration. We provide
without enabling work conditions. a self-assessment that features a series of
questions managers can consider, individually or
In chapters five and six, we call attention with their teams, in relation to each enablement
to the “tenure effect” commonly observed determinant. We also offer best-practice
in organizations. Employee opinion trends recommendations for addressing opportunities
consistently show that people are never as for improvement that are identified.
engaged as they are in their first year on the job--
and that engagement levels tend to drop steadily While there is much managers can do on
with longer tenures. The common explanation their own to position motivated employees
is that expectations for jobs are not properly set to succeed, they clearly need support from
in advance and, therefore, individuals become senior leaders in creating a focus on, and
disillusioned as they begin to understand accountability for, employee enablement
what their jobs actually entail. Organizations throughout an organization. In chapters eleven
commonly respond by attempting to establish and twelve, we discuss the role of managers as
more appropriate expectations or to integrate organizational change agents, giving a voice to
employees into the organization and their frustrated employees and elevating awareness
roles more effectively (e.g., through realistic job of enablement issues as essential to sustaining
previews or onboarding programs). However, high levels of individual and team performance
in our view the true solution lies with employee over time.

About Hay Group
Hay Group is a global management consulting firm that works with leaders to
transform strategy into reality. We develop talent, organize people to be more
effective and motivate them to perform at their best. Our focus is on making change
happen and helping people and organizations realize their potential.

www.haygroup.com/ww/enemyofengagement


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