Board in the United States (2006) defines engagement as ‘a heightened
connection that an employee feels for his or her organization’.
They are indeed closely linked – high organizational commitment can
increase engagement and high engagement can increase commitment. But
people can be engaged with their work even when they are not committed to
the organization except in so far as it gives them the opportunity to use and
develop their skills. This may be the case with some knowledge workers. For
example, researchers may be mainly interested in the facilities for research
they are given and the opportunity to make a name for themselves. They
therefore join and stay with an organization only if it gives them the oppor-
tunities they seek. Combinations of engagement and organizational
commitment are illustrated in Figure 12.1.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ENGAGEMENT
The significance of engagement is that it is at the heart of the employment
relationship. It is about what people do and how they behave in their roles
and what makes them act in ways that further the achievement of the objec-
tives of both the organization and themselves. Research reported by Watkin
(2002) found that there were significant differences in value-added discre-
tionary performance between ‘superior’ and ‘standard’ performers. The
difference in low-complexity jobs was 19 per cent, in moderate-complexity
jobs 32 per cent and in high-complexity jobs 48 per cent.
Employee engagement strategy l 141
engagementorganizational commitmentExcited about the job and
puts best efforts into doing
it but not particularly
interested in the
organization except as the
provider of the opportunity
to carry out the workNot inclined to put a lot of
effort into the work and has
no interest in the
organization or desire to
stay thereExcited about the job and
puts best efforts into doing
it. Fully identified with the
organization and proud to
go on working thereFully identified with the
organization and proud to
go on working there but not
prepared to go the extra
mile in the jobFigure 12.1 Combinations of the impact of engagement and organizational
commitment