Leveraging Employee Engagement for Sustainability Success

Pat DanielMarlboro College

MBA in Managing for Sustainability

Green Team Collaboration WorkshopBoston Net Impact

August 14, 2014

Erratum

MBA in Managing for Sustainability

• One of first Sustainability MBAs in the country• Still trailblazing sustainability in business• Blended learning for working adults• Marlboro.edu

Equipping business leaders with the tools, knowledge and courageous leadership to be

change agents for an alternative future

Leverage for employee engagement

Image used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Of all the things you can change, people are

the hardestBecoming a Change Agent, 101

Clarify your objectives

• Of course you want to involve more people, but:– How many?– For what purpose? – At what level of the organization?– To do what—e.g., join the Green Team, show up at

events, change their behavior?

Who to engage?

Individual OrganizationTeam

Engagement = equals =motivation

What engages or motivates you?

••••

Diversity of motivators

• Modes of interacting with the world• Needs• Intrinsic motivation

Modes of interacting*

*David Kolb’s learning model

Needs*

• Achievement• Power• Affiliation

*David McClelland’s need theory

Four intrinsic rewards*

Sense of choice

Sense of progress

Sense of meaning-

fulness

Sense of competence

From task activities

From task purpose

Opportunityrewards

Accomplishment rewards

*Kenneth Thomas, Intrinsic Motivation at Work

Who to engage?

Individual OrganizationTeam

Team

• Team culture and what to measure• The magic 5-1 ratio• Recognition

This is serious business!

Are we having fun

yet?

What is your Laughter Quotient?

Nambassa Trust and Peter Terry” http://www.nambassa.com

The magic 5-1 ratio

• Ratio of positive to negative statements predicts organizational performance*

Positive = appreciation, support, compliments, etc.Negative = criticism, disapproval, dissatisfaction, etc.

• Highest performing teams’ ratio = 5.6 to 1• Lowest performers = 0.36 to 1

*Losada & Heaphy, reported in Cameron (2012)

Catch someone doing something

well, then appreciate them

Levels of engagement

Individual OrganizationTeam

Organization

• Leadership• Management systems• Recognition

Leverage for engagement: Summary

• Clear objectives• Levels of engagement

– Individual (including you!)– Team– Organization

Questions and discussion

Thank you!