A Measurement of Employee Engagement in Teagasc

Bailey, Vanessa (2010) A Measurement of Employee Engagement in Teagasc. Undergraduate thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

Preview

PDF - Submitted Version Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract

What do you think of when you hear the word engagement? Do you picture a sparkling
ring and a happy couple with smiling faces? This is the image that comes to many
peoples' minds. In becoming engaged the couple is showing their willingness to commit
to each other. They care a great deal about each other and they are likely to share many
of the same views, beliefs and values. It could be argued that employee engagement is
not too dissimilar than marital engagement. In the same way that the couple is willing to
commit to each other an engaged employee is one who is committed to their organisation.
In the employee engagement relationship the employee cares about the organisation and
the organisation cares about the employee. They too are likely to share the same views,
beliefs and values.
Nowadays there is an increased focus on the realisation that people are the key to
achieving sustained competitive advantage. Organisations are increasingly having to do
more with less and so are continually looking for ways to achieve efficiencies. Having an
engaged workforce that is willing to go the extra mile is an important step in achieving
this. Employee engagement is a mutual concept which is beneficial to both the employee
and the organisation. It is a 'win-win' approach which produces enhanced organisational
performance with increased employee well-being. It is especially important in times of
organisational change where buy-in and involvement of employees is essential to ensuring
the success of the change programme.
The CIPD suggest that engagement is 'about creating opportunities for employees to
connect with their colleagues, managers and the wider organisation. It is also about
creating an environment where employees are motivated to want to connect with their
work and really care about doing a good job. It is a concept that places flexibility, change
and continuous improvement at the heart of what is means to be an employee and an
employer in the 2 1" century workplace' (CIPD, 2009).
Following their 2006 study on the topic the CIPD concluded that the main drivers for
employee engagement are having opportunities to feed views upwards, feeling well
informed about what is happening in the organisation and thinking that your manager is
committed to the organisation.
The concept of employee engagement forms the basis for my study. I have chosen to
undertaken this study on employee engagement as I believe it to be an important and
interesting topic. The importance of employee engagement in times of uncertainty and
change is referred to in the work of many authors (for example Graen (2008), Vosburgh
(2008) and Frese (2008)). There is no denying that we are currently experiencing a
significant period of uncertainty and change and so feel that it is important to gain a better
understanding and appreciation of the subject.
In undertaking this study I have reviewed the current literature (Chapter 2) and have
critically analysed what the authors have to say about employee engagement. I have
formed my research question and set out the objectives which I hope to achieve by
undertaking this study (Chapter 3). In Chapter 4 I outline what methods 1 undertook in
order to achieve my research aims and objectives and have detailed my analysis and
findings in Chapter 5. Following on from these I have discussed the findings in the
context of the theories on the subject in Chapter 6 and leach my conclusion in Chapter 7.

Item Type:	Thesis (Undergraduate)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management > Performance Management > Employee Engagement
Divisions:	School of Business > BA (Honours) in Human Resource Management
Depositing User:	Timothy Lawless
Date Deposited:	04 Aug 2011 12:23
Last Modified:	26 Apr 2012 12:37
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/562

Actions (login required)

View Item