Written by a pair of business consultants, the principal message of "Re-Engage" is both simple and entirely consistent with the human relations school of managerial thought: treat adults like adults, and they will work like responsible, motivated employees. The authors' views were informed by a great deal of quantitative and qualitative data. Collected by Quantum Workplace on an annual basis since 2004, the research portion of this project consisted of some 2.1 million surveys with more than one million qualitative responses. Employee engagement seems to be defined as a heightened sense of commitment felt by an employee for a particular company, job, or manager and that produces desirable outcomes such as greater levels of effort or longer employment tenures.
Statistical analyses pinpointed several actions taken by leading companies in order to inspire higher levels of engagement. These include nurturing trust, aligning employee efforts with organizational objectives, encouraging professional and personal growth, and recognizing/rewarding positive performance, among others. Throughout the book, the authors refer to what they dubbed three "crosswind factors." These are variables, including generational diversity, diseconomies of scale, and difficult economic conditions, that greatly influence the enactment of various engagement principles. In other words, context matters!
There is plenty to like about this book. For one, it is teeming with rich, qualitative data. This allows the reader to see, in telling fashion, what the "good companies" do well and what the "bad companies" do poorly. The authors' grasp of reality is another noteworthy strength of Re-Engage. So often, human relations literature becomes somewhat aloof, almost acting as if "being nice," by itself, will drive employees to higher levels of productivity. One can sense that the authors of this book have a firmer understanding of what is and is not realistic.
Of course, Re-Engage also contains notable shortfalls. Consider the following:
~ Are these truly America's best places to work? Were all U.S.-based, Fortune 500 companies included in this research? Certainly it is not possible to involve every major American company, but neither should the authors/publisher use the title "America's best places to work" if several Fortune 500 companies did not participate. Also, the survey itself leaves something to be desired. A copy is not included in the book, but the reader can access it online at [...]
. One might reasonably question subjective survey items such as "My employer is family friendly" and "We have enough staff to get the work done right." Questions of validity and reliability are not answered. The book references several appendices that are supposed to be available at the book's website. If they exist, I could not locate them.
~ Re-Engage is no masterpiece in literary terms. While books such as Good to Great offer considerable insight through extensive commentary, this particular book relies most heavily on employee responses that are simply transcribed into book form. There is little weighty discussion. Indeed, some portions of Re-Engage look and feel more like a workbook than, say, something written by Drucker, Senge, or Collins. Do not be fooled by the page count. The book can be read rather quickly--comparatively speaking.
~ Probably due to confidentiality, the authors mention company names very sparingly. Indeed, most companies specifically mentioned by the authors are not Fortune 500 caliber. One fault that might be laid at the feet of the authors is an overreliance on certain companies. For instance, they use an interview with the management of Gaylord Palms Hotel and Resort in a few different chapters.
~ Thorough analysis is withheld at times. For instance, the authors, in the opinion of this reader, fail to sufficiently consider questions such as those that follow: Could these attempts to enhance employee engagement generate a higher sense of employee entitlement? Could it be that the best places to work are simply better hirers? Is it possible that the "best places to work" are better only in comparative terms, i.e., if the neighboring ship is skippered by the devil himself, then my ship, though it be commanded by Captain Bligh, appears to be the "best place to work." Furthermore, there is little acknowledgement of the fact that many employees surveyed probably had an "ax to grind."
If nothing else, Re-Engage is not boring. Indeed, the reader's mind should be stimulated by this book, and her preconceived notions should be challenged. Where it lacks scientific rigor, thorough analysis, and rich commentary, it compensates with penetrating questions, often implied, that test the reader's assumptions about employees and their engagement with the company. Re-Engage deserves a good rating, yet it falls well short of a business masterpiece.
