1.8 Exercises
Ethical Dilemma
Lack of Employee Engagement
Studies suggest that fostering engagement, a concept related to passion, in employees has a significant impact on the corporate bottom line. Gallup, for instance, has been on the forefront of measuring the impact of what is called employee engagement. Employee engagementThe degree to which employees are fully involved in and enthusiastic about their work. is a concept that is generally viewed as managing discretionary effort; that is, when employees have choices, they will act in a way that furthers their organization’s interests. An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in and enthusiastic about their work.
Engaged employees are those who are performing at the top of their abilities and happy about it. According to statistics that Gallup has gathered, 87 percent of employees worldwide are not engaged at work. In 2023, 33 percent of U.S. workers were engaged while 16 percent were actively disengaged. This is unfortunate on both a personal level for those employees and in terms of profitability as companies with highly engaged workforces outperform their peers. In their global study of engagement, Gallup analyzed findings from nearly 82,000 business units across 49 industries and 73 countries and found that overall, engagement was related to higher profitability, productivity, sales, safety, and customer metrics as well as fewer quality defects, lower turnover, and lower absenteeism.
What Do You Think?
What strategies can organizations implement to improve employee engagement based on the findings presented?
Discuss the potential ethical implications of organizations prioritizing profitability over employee engagement. How can companies balance the need for financial success with the well-being and satisfaction of their employees?
Explore the role of leadership in promoting employee engagement. How can leaders inspire and motivate their teams to perform at their best while also addressing individual needs and concerns?
Individual Exercises
Create an Action Plan for Developing Your OB Skills
Hopefully you have already completed reading this chapter. If not, wait until you’ve done so to complete this individual exercise.
In addition, please be sure you have reviewed the table of contents for this organizational behavior textbook.
What themes do you see? How do you think these topics affect your interactions with others? How might the information on learning and retention affect how you’ll approach this course? Studying in general?
Now, write down five action steps that you plan to take as you work through this book. Refer to these steps throughout the term and modify them as needed.
Group Exercises
Best Job–Worst Job
Think about the best and worst jobs you have ever had. If you have never had a job, think of a school project instead. What made the job or project great or horrible?
Next, gather into a small group of students and share your experience with them.
Listen to what others are saying and see if any themes emerge. For example, what are the most common features of the best jobs? What are the most common features of the worst jobs?