Engagement and Ownership

An Engaged Employee and an Employee who takes Ownership, are these two things related? Or does one result in the other or follow the other? Is one sufficient to achieve and the other can be ignored or is less important?

What are these two subjects and how it holds importance in today’s corporate world?

Starting from Job Descriptions to Company Policies, Company’s Vision or even Mission Statements, HR Meetings everywhere you see people talking and discussing about Employee Engagement.

Most Companies are worried about achieving Employee Engagement. I am sure all of us know a bit or more than a bit about Employee Engagement.

I recently read a very good definition to Employee Engagement which almost sums up everything about it.

“Employee Engagement is Creating an intentional CULTURE, encouraging open & honest COMMUNICATION, strengthening CONNECT with employees and community, supporting CAREER development and showing CARE.”

But is that all a Company needs in order to be successful? Does that alone suffice for the whole need of retaining Employee or attracting Talent?

Is it just enough to have an Employee motivated enough to reach office and complete the roles and responsibilities he is been given? Or do Companies intend to get more out of this whole process?

Isn’t it important that an Employee is not only engaged everyday with the Company to reach office and full fill his responsibilities towards the company and payback for the money and reputation he is earning from the company. And one fine day when the things he has been successful in fulfilling his duties towards the Company and he feels it is right time for him to move forward to the next step or assignment that will give him further challenge or engagement to work and grow.

I think rather just being engaged it is more important to feel the sense of Ownership for the Company.

Ownership in very simple words means “My own thing, my own little baby”.

In this Competitive world when every Company is working on excelling on the Employee Engagement Strategies there is more that is required by the Companies to do than just engaging its employees.

There is a very fine line when an employee is engaged and does value additions in his role in order to succeed and move up the ladder in his career and when he does that because he feels the sense of Ownership for the Company.

Ownership is the feeling that it is ‘theirs’.  Researchers have shown that the feeling of ownership is more important than the actual ownership.

Like a driver no matter if he is driving a rented car is conscious about his driving and is very careful because he is responsible for his own safety and the safety of the vehicle he temporarily owns. Similarly unless Employees don’t care much about the Company considering it as his own Safety he is not engaged enough to contribute significantly to Company’s growth or do Value addition.

How do we achieve this sense or feeling of Ownership? Is it too difficult to achieve?

How things are done differently when an Employee is Engaged and when we are trying to give him sense of ownership?

Read my upcoming segment to cover these questions.

Good Luck for HRgiri!!