The Enthusiastic Employee

Summary

Enthusiastic employees far out-produce and outperform the average workforce:they step up to do the hard, even 'impossible'jobs.#xA0; Most people are enthusiastic when they're hired: hopeful, ready to work hard, eager to contribute. What happens? Management,that's what. The authors tell you what managers do wrong, and what they need to do instead. It's about giving workers what they want most, summarized in the Three-Factor Theory: to be treated fairly; to feel proud of their work and organizations; and to experience camaraderie. Sounds simple, but every manager knows how tough it can be. Nostrums, fads, and quick and easy solutions have abounded in the management literature, but swiftly go out of style when they fail to meet the test in the workplace. The authors provide research-grounded answers to crucial questions such as: Which leadership and management practices can have the greatest positive performance impact? What does employee satisfaction really mean? What's the relationship between employee satisfaction, customer loyalty, and profit? Sirota and his colleagues detail exactly how to create an environment where enthusiasm flourishes and businesses grow.

Author Biography

David Sirota is founder and Chairman Emeritus of Sirota Consulting, a firm with a national reputation for improving performance by systematically measuring and managing employee, customer, and community relationships. He previously served as IBM director of behavioral science research and application. Sirota has taught management at Cornell, Yale, MIT, and Wharton, and was a study director at the University of Michigan's Institute of Social Research. His work has been featured in Fortune and The New York Times. He holds a doctorate in social psychology from the University of Michigan.

Louis A. Mischkind has been involved with organizational effectiveness–research and practical application–for over 35 years. Prior to joining Sirota Consulting, he was Program Director of Executive Development at IBM, Advisor on Human Resources to the President of IBM's General Products Division, and in charge of opinion surveys and management assessment for IBM's technical community. He has taught courses in social and organizational psychology at New York University and holds a master's degree in experimental psychology from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in organizational psychology from New York University.

Michael Irwin Meltzer joined Sirota Consulting full-time in 2001 as Managing Director, after serving as its General Counsel for 20 years. He has advised businesses ranging from financial consultancies and real estate developers to sales, distribution, and construction organizations. He has also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Pace University, teaching business organizations, real-estate law, and trusts and estates. He holds a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.

Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Introduction
Worker Motivation, Morale, and Performance
What Workers Want-The Big Picture
Blame It on the Young
What People Actually Say About Work
Three Factors
The Evidence
How the Three Factors Work in Combination
Individual Differences
Employee Enthusiasm and Business Success
Making the Connection
Tell Us in Your Own Words
A Few Leading Organizations
Enthusiasm and Business Performance
Building the People Performance Model
Enthusiastic Workforces, Motivated By Fair Treatment
Job Security
Justice and Job Security
Best Policies and Practices
Compensation
Money as Seen by Workers
Money as Seen by Employers
The Level of Pay
Pay for Performance
Strategies for Effective Compensation
Respect
The Heart of Respect
Humiliating Treatment
Indifferent Treatment
The Specifics of Respectful Treatment
Physical Working Conditions
Status Distinctions
Job Autonomy
Constrained Communication
Day-to-Day Courtesies
Enthusiastic Workforces, Motivated By Achievement
Organization Purpose and Principles
Elements of Company Pride
Company Ethics and Business Results
Ethics in the Treatment of Employees
Getting Practical: Translating Words into Deeds
Job Enablement
Ah, Bureaucracy! The Evil That Just Won't Go Away
A Management Style That Works
Layers of Management
The Benefits of Self-Managed Teams
Job Challenge
Is This an Aberration, Are Workers Delusional, or Are They Lying?
Given a Choice, Few People Volunteer to Fail
Push and Pull Forces
Feedback, Recognition, and Reward
Do Workers Get the Feedback They Need?
Guidance: Cognitive Feedback
A Short Course on Giving Guidance
Evaluation, Recognition, and Reward
Promoting From Within
Dealing with Unsatisfactory Performance
Feedback Sets Priorities
Enthusiastic Workforces, Motivated By Camaraderie
Teamwork
A Look Back
Are We Doing Better Now?
Socializing While Working
The Negative Effect of Uncooperative Co-Workers
Contentious Workgroups Are a Drag
Building Partnership
A Short Course on Effective Partnership Workshops
Bringing It All Together: The Total Organization Culture-And How To Change It
The Chapternership Organization
Partnership and Its Alternatives
Application to Other Constituencies
Translating Chapternership Theory into Chapternership Practice
It Starts at the Top
The Action Process
Appendices
Survey Administration and Population Composition
Reliability and Validity of the Data
Job Satisfaction: Demographic, Occupational, and Regional Breaks
Comparisons with Other Norms
The Readiness Questionnaire
Endnotes
Index
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