Course Resources Archive

Crucial to the delivery of superior organisational performance is the extent to which the employees of an organisation feel involved, committed and engaged. This module explores the different dimensions of employee engagement, that is, the cognitive, affective and behavioural dimensions. It examines and explores what is meant by ‘engagement’ and why some organisations are better than others at creating authentic engagement among their employees, and what any organisation can do, with the aid of its human resource (HR) professionals, to create sustainably high levels of workforce engagement.  The module will equip learners with a comprehensive understanding of the concept of ‘engagement’ as applied in an organisational setting and explores the research-based and philosophical connections between employee engagement and other related beliefs, values, leadership models and management practice. It provides learners with knowledge and understanding of the rationale for the emergence of employee engagement as a key priority for organisations with high-performance working (HPW) achievements or aspirations and will enable them to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to assess the research, experiential and anecdotal evidence surrounding both the processes that facilitate employee engagement and the outcomes that may follow.  The module counsels caution in the assessment and interpretation of ‘evidence’ about the processes and benefits of engagement and the need to guard against tendencies towards rhetoric, as many studies lack empirical detail and devote excessive attention to views of those with a vested interest in reporting progress and success. Employee engagement, if properly understood, carefully implemented and objectively measured, is a powerful tool for delivering positive reputational and ‘bottom-line’ outcomes. Learners will explore techniques needed to measure engagement, take remedial action or embed engagement-enhancing cultural practices, and to identify, prioritise and evaluate actions to promote high levels of engagement. The module requires critical reflection on theory and practice from an ethical and professional standpoint and provides opportunities for applied learning and continuous professional development.

On completion of this module learners will be able to:

1. Critically analyse the concept of employee engagement, both intrinsically and also as an instrument for facilitating high-level business purposes.
2. Explain the empirical and philosophical connections between employee engagement, managerial leadership, strategic aspirations and HR strategies focused on infrastructure maintenance and also the development of human resource management (HRM) competitive differentiators.
3. Explore the critical contribution of employee engagement as a route to strategic, reputational and competitive excellence within a high-performance working environment.
4. Design and undertake an analysis of the relationships, causal or correlational, between levels of employee engagement and organisational performance, measured by both process efficiencies and corporate outcomes.
5. Create justified, cost-effective and strategically defensible action plans for promoting employee engagement within their own organisations and elsewhere.
6. Systematically evaluate levels of employee engagement within organisations, functions and business units, and recommend or implement programmes designed to achieve remedial changes or embed levels of engagement already accomplished.

Work Based Learning delivery students will devise an agreed work plan with their Advisor to meet their individual learning needs to achieve the module learning outcomes

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.