Although researchers have made great strides in clarifying the meaning of employee engagement, scholars are ambivalent as to whether employee engagement is distinct from other constructs related to the employee-organization relationship, and it is argued that there is a need for further scholarly examination and exploration, particularly within the context of  the rapidly changing work environment where twenty-first-century technology and behaviour meet twentieth-century organization, demanding innovative responses to the challenges of employee engagement.

Addressing this issue, this book reviews, analyses and presents evidence from academic researchers and supplements this with practice-based case studies from a range of international organizations. The author seeks to provide a coherent, consistent definition of employee engagement; clarity about  its benefits; identification of its key features and attributes, and an understanding of how these are translated into practice; and insight into the most effective ways of measuring employee engagement in a meaningful way.

1;Preface;6 2;Acknowledgements;8 3;Contents;9 4;List of Figures;11 5;List of Tables;12 6;List of Case Studies;13 7;1 Employee Engagement and the Employee Experience;14 7.1;Employee Engagement Is a Source of Strategic Advantage;14 7.2;Employee Engagement at a Time of Disruptive Innovation and Continuous Change;16 7.3;Employee Engagement and the Future of Work;18 7.4;Employee Engagement; an Unparalleled Challenge; an Unparalleled Opportunity;20 7.5;Sense Making of and Adapting to Complex Environmental Forces;21 7.6;Case Study: Employee Engagement in Practice;23 7.6.1;Wojciech Zytkowiak-Wenzel, PhD;23 7.7;Revolution in Work; Reevaluation of Employee Engagement;25 7.8;Employee Engagement-Waves of Evolution;28 7.9;Employee Engagement-Content and Context;29 7.10;The Structure of the Book;31 7.11;References;34 8;2 What Is Employee Engagement?;40 8.1;The Practice and Theory of Employee Engagement;40 8.2;Definitions of Employee Engagement;43 8.3;Factors Influencing the Definition of Employee Engagement Over Time;46 8.4;Case Study: Employee Engagement in North America;50 8.5;Employee Engagement Is a Multi-faceted Construct;53 8.6;Employee Engagement Has Multiple Drivers or Antecedents;55 8.7;Conclusion;60 8.8;References;62 9;3 Why Is Employee Engagement Important?;70 9.1;Advocacy, Efficiency, Performance-The Case for Employee Engagement;70 9.2;Employee Engagement Is a Predictor of Organisational Performance;71 9.3;The Strategic Business Benefits of Employee Engagement;74 9.4;Strategic Service Benefits of Employee Engagement;78 9.5;Operational and Managerial Benefits of Employee Engagement;80 9.6;Case Study: Employee Engagement in the Asia Region;81 9.6.1;Sultan Mahmud, General Manager-Human Resources, Eon Group of Industries;82 9.7;People Management Benefits of Employee Engagement;85 9.8;Evidence of Outcomes of Employee Engagement Across Business Sectors;87 9.9;Conclusion-The Case for Employee Engagement;89 9.10;References;91 10;4 A Model for Employee Engagement;98 10.1;Employee Engagement-An Individual Construct in an Organisational Context;98 10.2;Synthesising Perspectives-A Model for Employee Engagement;101 10.3;The Psychology of Work;104 10.4;Case Study: Employee Engagement and Social Media;106 10.5;The Sociology of Work;108 10.6;The Organisation of Work;112 10.7;Engagement Driven Strategic HRM and HRD;114 10.8;Conclusion;116 10.9;Selected References;118 11;5 The Psychology of Work and Employee Engagement;125 11.1;Employee Engagement-When Supply Push Outweighs Demand Pull;125 11.2;Engagement Is a Psychological State;126 11.3;The Key Elements of the Psychology of Work;128 11.3.1;Meaning at Work;130 11.3.2;Emotional Presence;133 11.3.3;No Fear or Blame;134 11.3.4;Positive Mutual Regard;135 11.4;Case Study: Employee Engagement in China;137 11.4.1;Dr Xiaoxian Zhu, Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management, Teesside University;138 11.5;The Antecedents of the Psychology of Work;140 11.5.1;At the Level of the Organisation;140 11.5.2;At the Level of Leaders and Managers;142 11.5.3;At the Level of the Team or Network;143 11.5.4;At the Level of the Job or Role;144 11.5.5;At the Level of the Individual;145 11.6;Conclusion;146 11.7;References;147 12;6 The Sociology of Work and Employee Engagement;153 12.1;Organisational Climate and Culture; Policy and Practice;153 12.2;There Is More to Work Than Work;154 12.3;Case Study: Employee Engagement and Leadership;156 12.3.1;Jon Davidge, Leadership Coach, Ascent Coaching;156 12.4;The Key Elements of the Sociology of Work;158 12.4.1;Organisational Climate and Culture;159 12.4.2;Work Demand and Resource Supply;162 12.4.3;Health and Wellbeing;164 12.4.4;Engagement with the Physical Working Environment;168 12.5;Conclusion;170 12.6;References;172 13;7 The Organisation of Work and Employee Engagement;178 13.1;People, Structure, Policies and Procedures;178 13.1.1;Organisational Structure-The Allocation of Formal Responsibilities;180 13.1.2;Organisational Leadership and Management;184 13.1.3;Organisational P