27 years after William Kahn coined the term "employee engagement" in his groundbreaking academic article*, the importance of employee engagement has become a consensus. Today, basically all forward-thinking organizations view employee engagement as key to their business success.
But employee engagement can be an elusive term. Many organizations approach employee engagement differently and therefore measure it differently as well. Today, there is no "correct" model for employee engagement implementation. Rather, many models have mapped the central aspects of engagement as felt by employees, as a basis for implementation and measurement. Here are a few leading models:
Deloitte The Deloitte model for employee engagement is based on organizations becoming "irresistible" The model lists five key aspects that influence employee engagement: meaningful work, hands-on management, positive work environment, growth opportunity and trust in leadership.
AON Hewitt AON Hewitt's engagement model talks about employee engagement as a product of rational thinking (Say), feelings and intentions (Strive) and behaviors (Stay), which are all necessary for optimal performance and productivity. Sign up to download AON Hewitt's article discussing its employee engagement model.
BlessingWhite
BlessingWhite has developed an interesting model that defines engagement as a combination of the employee's maximum satisfaction levels and the organization's maximum contribution levels.
eNPS
When it comes to measuring employee engagement levels, many leading organizations rely on Bain & Company's eNPS model. eNPS asks employees one question: would they recommend their place of work to their friends?.
Here are a few more respected and influential employee engagement models:
The Zinger Model by David Zinger
Sirota's Three-Factor Model of Engagement
Scarlett Employee Survey's White Paper on Employee Engagement