ENGAGING EMPLOYEES
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MANAGING TIME EFFECTIVELY
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CORPORATE CONFERENCES (PDF)

Engaging Employees in Strategy and Change -
Tips for Leaders

A recent study in Europe and the UK provides some interesting tips for CEOs and others seeking to engage employees in strategy and change. According to the research, ‘what’ is communicated and ‘how’ it is communicated can lead to a range of employee reactions; from “personally committed reformers” to “hooligans or spectators”.

The study was led by John Smythe, founder of Smythe, Dorward, Lambert – a leading employee communication & change firm (based in UK and US) - and formerly an Organisational Fellow with McKinsey & Company.

According to John, leaders of change have four choices for engaging employees.

1. Tell the many what has been decided by the few.
   This approach is instructional with little sell. OUTCOME: Hooligans or spectators.
2. Sell to the many what has been decided by the few.
   This means telling with a sell and entertainment.
   OUTCOME: Compliant collaborators.
3. Drive accountability down by implicating people as individuals. Give people the time, space and process to apply the change/decision to their own work, regardless of the degree of delegation. OUTCOME: Willing collaborators.
4. Co-create: Judge who will add value if included in front
   end decision forming and change/strategy development. Not to be confused with a laissez faire culture which is poor at closure and ill disciplined. Co-creation takes robust governance and skill. OUTCOME: Personally committed reformers.