In 2012 we commenced a research programme to investigate what really keeps people motivated and engaged when the going gets tough – when they personally have something significant at stake. Surveys and interviews conducted with hundreds of soldiers returning from active service in Afghanistan led to some interesting conclusions which were subsequently published in a peer reviewed paper on the Engage for Success website.
Based on that research, we then designed and built a diagnostic instrument to be used in organisations. We believed that although “big programme” engagement surveys can provide useful thematic insights at an organisational level, information is rarely provided down to a level where individual leaders can hold themselves and their team truly accountable for action. Our aim was therefore to provide meaningful insights into the factors contributing to, or inhibiting, engagement at the only organisational level that really counts – the team.
Engagement is after all, personal – it’s not something someone else does for you, or to you. Organisations can help by providing an environment that encourages engagement, but at the end of the day we each make a personal choice to actually engage (or not).
Over the last two or three years we’ve seen hundreds of teams use our model and the majority report significant and sustainable improvements in engagement as a result of the insights provided.
So, although we originally intended to make the tool available on a chargeable basis, we now make it available to team leaders completely free of charge, because we believe that the best way to build engagement is to empower those who really have the power to do it. It’s also a way for us to say “thank you” to the leaders and their teams, including those we met through the Engage for Success movement, for their help and contribution in developing the model.
You can view our original research paper below or download a copy.
You can also access a further research article published by Engage for Success.
If you’d like to use the team engagement diagnostic to improve engagement in your own team, completely free of charge, or for more information including fact sheets and sample reports please visit our website at www.designed4success.co.uk
Chris Burton, Designed4Success