How to increase employee engagement

coporate story medewerkersbetrokkenheid storytelling

Gallups' Global Engagement Research report on employee engagement shows that only 8% of Dutch employees really feel involved in their work. The other 92% ask you? Hold on.

Employee engagement in figures

No less than 80% of the employees are hardly or not involved. The remaining 12% will be a sausage what you find, do or want. But is that really such a shocking outcome when you also know that recent research at Vrije Universiteit shows that managers usually focus too much on formulating the strategy and too little on implementing it? That is why this blog contains 6 tips on how to be more manly as a manager with storytelling as an implementation tool.

Results employee engagement plans

Come on, two more results from the VU study. The first is that at least a quarter of the strategic plans end up in a drawer(!). Furthermore, management often lacks a common vision. As a result, there is a great lack of clarity, division and even total disinterest lower down in the organisation. If all this is the case, storytelling may be a solution. Or at least storytelling is a very firm step in the right direction. Because with a powerful and well-constructed strategic story, you can start by creating clarity within your organisation. You can sketch that dot on the horizon. And if you take the time and effort to consistently deepen and enrich your strategic story in the following period, there is a good chance that even the biggest pessimist will show cautious interest and thus involvement. And indeed, we call the latter implementation!

medewerkersbetrokkenheid vanuit storytelling en interesse

Employees feel more connected to the company with a powerful and well-constructed strategic story. We all feel the need to be part of a larger whole and to contribute to a common goal.

A word in advance

‘What a speaker that man is'. Or, 'That's a born speaker'. No doubt you have used those qualifications when listening to a speech. And would you like to be able to do that as well. Well, then know that a 'business' or strategic story is never just shaken out of the sleeve. A good story is often thought through from the first to the last letter. Furthermore, they have a connecting theme and a fixed structure, by which we mean that every turn in the story and every plot has a function. So yes, being able to tell a story does have to do with talent. But much more than that, it involves good and thorough preparation. So you too can captivate and bind listeners or readers! That said, now let's quickly get to the first tip for you!

Tip 1. Sketch the context

Be the first to explain why you are climbing on the soapbox. Whether that's an interview. You can, for example, useDan Harmon's Story Circle. In the upper half of the circle you sketch the current situation. The lower half of the circle describes the situation you would like to go to.

Tip 2. Define the starting point

Where and when exactly does your story start? In order to be able to connect with your story, the listener or reader will need this information. You can choose a time, place or even a situation. Consider using a personal story at this stage of the story - why is the story meaningful to you, what personal experience gives the story 'emotion'.

Tip 3. Describe your moment of reflection

What was the moment you realised that things had to be different or better? It could have been during a holiday, for example. Or during a walk in the woods. Speaking of experience, don't forget to describe in a few lines the environment in which you were then. And what was the direct or indirect reason for that moment of reflection? Was that a conversation with a client? And was that an uncomfortable discussion or a very inspiring one?

Tip 4. Identify the challenges and obstacles

Nothing goes by itself and friction gives shine. In order to move from a current situation to a desired situation, thresholds must be removed. If people, including yourself, have to leave their safe (working) environment, processes have to be organised differently and who knows what else. Becoming different, it is going to be exciting. So name those challenges and obstacles. And above all, don't be too proud to admit that you cannot yet oversee all these consequences.

Tip 5. Present the perspective

No matter how exciting and uncomfortable it may be for everyone, on the horizon is that dot that gives peace and inspiration. Describe that dot as well as you can and make it your common destination.

Tip 6. Invite you to share from the lessons learned

It is generally more instructive to travel than to arrive at something. On the way to that common goal, that dot on the horizon, you and your employees will gain new knowledge and experiences. That makes them better professionals, especially when that knowledge and experience is shared with each other. Invite employees to come up with suggestions, ideas and... sharing stories right now. And importantly, value them for it right now. In this way, implementing a new strategy becomes a joint challenge and a connecting we-story!

Getting Started

Do you want to start storytelling right now? You can start by taking a look at our websites storytellingpeople.nl, storytellingpeople.com or corporatehistory.com.