“How engaged are our employees?” may simply be the wrong question. However, if we ask, “Do our people have the willingness and capability to ________________?” we’re getting warmer. But we still need to fill in the blank with a desired outcome that, if achieved, is potent enough to move the organization forward along a critical strategic path. In other words, we need to establish the right target at which to aim employees’ innovation efforts. Engagement, purely for the sake of engagement, is directionless at best and counter-productive at worst.
How are you attempting to fill in the blank? Different organizations strive for different outcomes, and even within a single organization there will always be an assortment of desired results, depending on the specific team, department or division in question. But what is your desired outcome for your workforce generally? Here are three examples of blank-fillers, from least to most favorable. Which one best describes your current aspirations, and how might a tool like the Intrapreneur Index help?
“Do your people have the willingness and capability to…
1) …just show up?” This is a worthy goal and, for some organizations, the next step in their evolution. High turnover, workplace injuries, low morale, a sharp learning curve, low workforce education, and burnout all make it difficult to keep staffing and execution levels in the green. Most insidious are those workers who physically show up, but are at the same time emotionally AWOL. If these are your organization’s main obstacles, the Intrapreneur Index may not be the appropriate tool for you at this time. You’ve got other fish to fry.
2) …properly perform the work?” Having most of your employees consistently doing what you hired them to do is an enviable position—one from which much progress can be made. If this is your organization’s condition, insights from the Intrapreneur Index could help a number of your people get to the next level of value creation.
3) …produce over-the-top, unexpected value?” This is the pinnacle of engagement, but it can only be attained through individual acquisition of vital knowledge and skills, the reduction of systemic barriers, and the establishment of certain key drivers within the organization. If you want to promote this goal of Intrapreneurship, and your people already have the motivation they need to make the climb, you should equip them for the journey. That’s what the Intrapreneur Index was made for.
In the coming months I will occasionally write about organizations that use the Intrapreneur Index to increase Intrapreneurship and employee engagement. If you have a good experience with this tool and want to share your story as a business case that others can learn from, please submit your story for consideration to lmyler@bymonday.com.
For more information, go to www.IntrapreneurIndex.com.
