Diagnostic tool Handout: Transactional or transformational engagement?

Take a look at the statements below, for each pair and indicate which is more like your company’s approach to employee engagement

Our employee engagement approach is predominantly focused on our annual engagement survey / We take regular pulse checks throughout the year to understand how our people feel about working here, rather than relying on an annual survey
More like us More like us
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
We spend most of our time working on the annual engagement survey and subsequent action planning / We view the engagement survey as one aspect of our overall engagement strategy and plan, we have lots of other activities going on as well
More like us More like us
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
The majority of our budget for employee engagement is spent on activities relating to the survey / The majority of our budget for employee engagement is spent on activities which help to develop and implement our strategy and plan
More like us More like us
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
We tend to look at what isn't working when it comes to employee engagement and how we can fix these problem areas / We try to understand what good engagement looks like for our employees and build a culture based on that rather than only looking at what isn't working
More like us More like us
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
We view employee engagement as a project or initiative / Employee engagement is a key part of our strategy, and is integrated into our strategy
More like us More like us
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
We don't invest in the skills and capabilities of our managers to ensure they can engage their teams / Managers are developed to ensure they have the skills and capabilities to engage their people
More like us More like us
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
Once the actions from the survey have been delivered engagement is not discussed until the next survey / We view employee engagement as a key strategic enabler: we know engaged employees will help us achieve our business strategy and goals so its something that is always discussed
More like us More like us
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
Don't give employees a voice other than the annual survey / Employees genuinely have a voice and can contribute to the success of the organisation
More like us More like us
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
We have limited opportunities for employees to make their voice heard / The organisation is a listening organisation: we listen in an ongoing and authentic way, not simply a once a year survey opportunity
More like us More like us
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
Employees are not involved in matters affecting them: decisions are mostly made at the top of the organisation / We actively seek ways in which we can involve employees in matters affecting them
More like us More like us
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0

When you have completed the diagnostic tool, please add up your scores:

A score of 10 – 30 indicates that your approach to employee engagement is largely transactional

A score of 30 – 70 means that you are beginning to move towards transformational engagement, the higher the score the nearer you are

A score of 70 or more means you are taking a largely transformational approach to employee engagement: take a look at your lower scoring questions to understand where you might need to focus your attention.

Here is a useful overview of the differences between the two approaches.

Companies with a transactional engagement approach….. / Companies with a transformational engagement approach…..
Start with an engagement survey and use the outputs from the survey to take action to improve engagement
Take a deficit approach – looking only to improve what isn’t working
See engagement as a project or an initiative, owned by HR or worse still a project team
Once the actions from the survey have been delivered engagement is not talked about until the next survey
Don't view engagement is not part of the overall business strategy
Have budget for the survey but no budget for what happens after the survey
Don't invest in the skills and capabilities of their managers to ensure they can engage their teams
Don't give employees a voice other than the annual survey
Don't listen to employees in an ongoing way / May not even need to do a survey – they have their finger on the pulse and aren’t reliant on an annual survey to tell them how their employees feel
Ensure engagement is integrated into everything they do: every employee touch point from recruitment, to on-boarding, to performance management and even exit is designed to ensure it contributes towards employee engagement rather than eroding it
Employee engagement is a key part of the organisation strategy
Managers are developed to ensure they have the skills and capabilities to engage their people
The organisation is a listening organisation: this listening is ongoing and authentic, not simply a once a year survey opportunity
Employees genuinely have a voice and can contribute to the success of the organisation
There is a high level of trust in management
Take a strength based approach to understand the conditions under which employees flourish at work
Engagement is see as everyone’s responsibility