The Importance of Employee Engagement in Human Resource Management

This report examines the critical role of employee engagement in Human Resource Management, highlighting its impact on organizational performance. It explores the key competencies required by line managers to foster and sustain high levels of employee engagement, emphasizing consistency, conflict resolution, and clear communication. The report also analyzes the strengths and challenges of a potential line manager, focusing on delegation, time management, and recruitment. Furthermore, it provides a succinct overview of the benefits and limitations of multicultural teams within a global business environment, including cultural perspectives, market familiarity, and challenges related to communication and visa requirements. Finally, the report critically evaluates the structuring of a global software team, using the appreciative inquiry technique to assess how it generates employee engagement and operational performance, addressing factors like communication, leadership, and goal definition.

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The extent to which employee engagement is essential for high levels of organizational
performance
Employee engagement is the commitment and willingness of employees to offer their
best to their customers. To their best of ability, the employees serve the organization they work
for and help the company experience success. For an employee to deliver outstandingly the
employee must be willing to engage psychologically and physically in order to see that the
organization succeeds (Kompaso, 2010). Employee management has become very vital for the
high kind of organizations as it creates a bond within the organization. Employee engagement
builds up on issues like employee commitment, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship
behavior.
When the employee engagement is strong then the organizational performance definitely
becomes stronger. When managers engage their employees in every aspect of the organization,
subsequently, the employees passionately will work in the organization. Regardless of what task
an employee will go an extra mile to satisfy the need of the customer and also the work towards
the goal of an organization enthusiastically. Also, employees are happy when engaged in the
organization's activities which make them want to commit themselves fully to the organization
and they would want to be tied down with long term contracts since they are happy working for
an organization which involves and engages them in every way (Gruman, 2011). The happiness
brings about employee satisfaction that makes the employees want to be associated with the
organization which means that the employees will spread the good news of the company leading
to the company performance index going up making the company a world class organization.
The key competencies (knowledge, skills & behaviors) required by line managers to create
and sustain high levels of employee engagement and organizational performance?
For line managers to create high levels of organizational performance and employee
engagement they should possess key competencies. The line managers should be consistent, fair
and open. Managing with consistency and integrity should be the manager's approach to
activities if the organization is to experience prosperity (Çalişkan, 2010). The managers should

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also have the know how to handle problems and conflicts. How employee problems are solved
determine heavily how the coordination is going to be in the organization. Additionally, to see
how the resources in the company are correctly used and not misused should be the
responsibility falling under conflict management and problems. The manager should possess
clarity, knowledge, and guidance. Clear correspondence stream lines the understanding of every
employee responsibility making it easier for employees to perform their roles and duties.
Managers also should be able to build and sustain relationships (Armstrong, 1999). Good
managers interact personally with the employees thus the involvement of consideration and
apathy is inevitable.
Your key strengths and challenges as a potential line manager for fulfilling the ‘people
management’ aspect of your role?
As a potential manager, one would have certain outstanding qualities that should enable
him to fulfill the ‘people management’ aspect of their role. An outstanding strength is the ability
to delegate work to different people. How one properly divides duties and roles proves how work
would be efficiently done. Time management; how well one schedules the activities in an
organization certainly determines how far the goals of an organization are in the long term.
Making deadlines as a manager is very important so as to keep the employees aware of the time.
A manager wouldn't work without challenges and the most challenge would be how to employ
people. People with the same academic qualifications would prove a task, especially where both
potential employees do not have experience of any kind at all. The procedure tends to be
confusing (Kazlauskaitė, 2008).
Our way of life impacts the route in which we see the world. An assortment of
perspectives alongside the colossal individual and professional understanding of a global group
can present fresh points of perception that motivate associates to perceive the working
environment—and the globe—in an unexpected way.
A succinct overview of the benefits and limitations of multi-cultural teams within a global
business environment

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Benefits
Different cultural perspectives encourage inventiveness and oblige modernization: The
assorted variety of contemplation has over the years been perceived to raise mind and drive
advancement, issues being taken care of and address customer issues in new and energizing
conduct. Numerous voices and viewpoints ricocheting off each other can offer ascent to out-of-
the-container considering. This is done by presenting a platform for the organizations, thoughts
of open trade that obtain rewards which are great and of decent variety in the work area ( Grosse,
2002).
Home market familiarity and approaching makes an industry more aggressive and
lucrative: multicultural labor force gives an association a vital edge while venturing into fresh
markets. Regularly, service or an item should be adjusted to succeed abroad. Considering nearby
laws, controls, and traditions, and in addition, the aggressive scene can help a business to
flourish. In addition, nearby associations, local dialect abilities, and social comprehension can
help worldwide business improvement exponentially and be more focused at last means being
more productive (TONVONGVAL, 2013). Diversity Inc every year perceives the best 30 most
assorted organizations and measures their prosperity against the more extensive market. Late
research from researchers likewise underscores the way that decent variety is useful for a
business' main concern. Actually, ethnically differing organizations were appeared to be 36%
more prone to have money related returns over the national business middle.
Cultural understanding, approaching, and confined awareness means advanced eminence,
targeted promotion: The understanding of cross cultures, together with home market
understanding brings about the production of an elevated strategy in marketing and materials.
For instance, elevated quality and cultural understanding translations of brochures, websites and
additional assets are important. Brand lines with poor translations result to a low quality of
marketing strategy meaning the targeted market will not be satisfied.
Working with an ethnically assorted talent team allows an association to draw and hold
on to the finest workers: More than 60% percent job seekers said that they better work in a multi
cultural company after a research was done. In a job market that is competitive, a business

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demonstrating that it has invested a lot when it comes to fostering an inclusive and multicultural
environment makes the organization stand out especially to the right candidates. To broaden the
company's talent pool then a company must make diversity a vital part of its own. When an
organization hires employees from diverse cultures the employee's loyalty lies with the
organization since they feel appreciated and respected. Diversity makes an organization viewed
as ambitious and globally set. Diversity also brings about maturity in the business as it makes an
organization mend bridges no matter what diversity. Finest workers arise from the long term
experience. In a company where diversity has fostered the respect which the employees are
shown is because each employee feels valued from the different talent they bring on board and
with the employee perceive themselves as talent and irreplaceable for the uniqueness in each one
of them.
Challenges
Not every colleague will let their voice or ideas be heard: Having employees from diverse
cultures doesn't necessarily mean that there is increased cognitive power. It is very crucial for a
workplace to have an open environment where by it accommodates all employees empowering
them to ensure the contribution of every individual is at its best. People from some cultures may
find it hard to speak up because of the language barrier i.e. they cannot communicate articulately
in comparison to the other employees or may to religion in differences. Another reason why they
are not ready to share their ideas is that of the work mates teasing every time and not
appreciating their contribution which results to them shying away and this makes them feel
uncomfortable any time they are told to speak (Sprangel, 2013). The employees might be in a
junior role compared to the other and even though they might be from a diverse culture the
employee might feel inadequate for lack of power.
Requirements for Visa, Laws of employment and the accommodation costs necessities
can be hard to come across and difficult: In spite of all the benefits that come with diversified
employees, it tends to be quite a challenge to get workers from overseas. The rules and
regulations from different countries prove to be a stumbling block for recruitment. The process
of visa application is tedious in the embassies and the protocol to get them gets to be even
harder. Sometimes getting employees from outside the business locality also can be cost incurred

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in case the employee tends to have holidays such as religious holidays which means the
organization will have to compensate.
A critical evaluation of the way in which Jim Notrika has structured the global software
team in terms of generating high levels of employee engagement and operational
performance (using the appreciative inquiry technique)
Appreciative inquiry technique is a theory that asserts that an organization's affirmative
aspect rather than its troubles are a superior and effective method to formulate improvements in
an organization. The global software company has been structured in a way that it generates high
levels of employee engagement and also operational performance. The following are some of the
factors that boost both the operational performance and employee engagement.
An imperative strategy: Notrika as a leader made sure that employee engagement is
crucial. He made sure that the sales team in Boston would communicate with the Mumbai team.
This meant that each time they would communicate with the other, increased engagement
happened (Fulmer, 2004). The sales would rely on the software development which was from a
different location. Sales would not be made without knowing if the software were designed and
developed. The constant inquiry from both parties made sure the employee engaged and
operational performance was at its best.
Definition of goals of the company: On realizing the group was talented he designed in
that the global software team was to specifically work on the technical aspects of projects. By
doing so it meant that operational performance was going to be at its best since one would do
what one found to be interesting and had knowledge of. This meant that the whole team would
be divided into smaller groups which meant employees would fall under the familiar field one is
good at thus promotion engagement of employees.
Leadership: Notrika used his powers to delegate work to his employees. It takes a good
leader to delegate work to the juniors. A good leader understands that the success of a company
relies on the employees and so giving the best of roles to the best of talents in the company
which takes courage. To enhance operational performance and employee engagement a good

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leader knows how to handle the situations that come with employee hitches and how to solve
them (McDonald, 1997). However, some factors also undermine operational performance and
employee engagement.
Poor communication: The team was facing some communication problem and that was
the reason why the team did not get along. There was no good communication between the
leader and the junior as the same happened between the juniors themselves. A good example is
where Notrika walks into Boston hallway and hears a junior complaining. Another one is where
an employee drops a letter in the suggestion box complaining of how the Boston people referred
to the people using their real names instead of addressing senior business titles using titles such
as Sir. That shows there is some miscommunication problem between employees themselves.
The miscommunication undermined the understanding of each other leading to decreased
operational performance and employee engagement.
Conviction in higher-ranking leadership: In the suggestion box an employee who had
stated that Notrika needed to take charge of the team. This means that the employee had put
much trust in the senior leader who would undermine any other person in charge of him (Kreitz,
2008). The conviction in higher leads to reduced employee engagement and operational
performance. It also shows that the employee would not really work without supervision which
makes the organizational goals would not be met.
Bad management: Bad or poor management is associated with the employees leaving
their job. Good management engages their employees and retains them for the longest time.
Excellent managers are knowledgeable when it comes to informing their employees of what is
expected and required of them; giving them a performance feedback, laying a platform for their
development and putting into place the priorities. Proficient managers have a good ear, fair,
approachable and can establish and sustain good working relationships with the employees.
Unachieved goals: In the case study, the Mumbai group was running behind schedule and
it affected their performance greatly. This meant they would not meet their target on time. This
leads to a breakdown of communication of employees reducing the employee engagement. One
member in Boston complaints of the delayed feedback which is associated with unattended to

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work and it means the relationship will disconnect (Moodian, 2008). Such barrier makes
employees disengage with the other resulting in operational performance and employee
engagement.
Recommendations as to how Jim Notrika can address the dysfunctional team dynamics
that are having a negative impact on the team’s performance
Nortika having experienced problems in the team performance he should think of a
solution as a leader. To make sure that the team performance and employee performance is
maintained he should be ready to take up the recommendations that should be in place for the
team to be successful. Teams should be sizeable in a way that they are manageable. Small teams
are always manageable compared with the larger teams since they are easy to manage and
cohesiveness is high. Work delegation should be also applied in order to bring about
accountability and thus increased efficiency in performance (Banks, 2015). Credibility also falls
where due where work division falls. For the team to succeed communication should be open. To
get the feedback, sharing of ideas or brainstorming of the team communication is vital. Some of
the important styles of communication consist of Transparency, openness and active
participation. The contributions should be maintaining brevity so as not to lose the attention of
the listener. In communication, eye contact should be prime, in order to show interest which
promotes employee engagement.
For a team to be considered effective, the deliverability of the team should be top notch.
The delivery ability enhances team's performance in a great way proving that some goals are
getting worked and that the effectiveness is maintained. In a case of any conflict or uproar, the
reaction is important. Resolution in any conflict should be prompt as it helps the teams not be
stagnant. Disputes in any group are bound to happen and can never stop. The ability and to move
on past the conflicts in a healthy way is what matters most. Conflict is not all negative. Positive
conflict helps a team improve on some of its decisions and trends which bring the team together
steadily. In conclusion for a team to succeed strong leadership is required (Ensley, 2002). A
leader is someone who can take decisions even when they seem impossible to make and will
stand by his decisions and actions. Without this then the team is bound to go anywhere since it
will not have a sense of direction as it lacks someone to show them the right direction. The

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leadership is supposed to be balanced hence the usage of force will be minimal and no misuse of
power will be experienced.

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