<\/span>GOALS for Autism, Inc.<\/span>
<\/span>in partnership with <\/span>
<\/span>Shannon Biagi, MS, BCBA
<\/span>Chief Motivating Officers<\/span><\/p>\n
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term \u201cengagement\u201d is defined as:<\/span><\/p>\n For a word used so often in businesses, an analysis of the definition provides some interesting insight into the trouble with the concept of \u201cengagement\u201d. If there\u2019s anything that high school English class taught me, it\u2019s that using the defined word (\u201cengage\u201d) in the definition of the word itself is a big no-no. And the only definition that does not use the word to define itself focuses on simply showing up! Furthermore, none of these definitions of engagement have any \u00a0acknowledgement of businesses or employees, and yet, those of us in upper management positions are constantly bombarded with new ways to \u201cengage\u201d our staff. But in the context of an organization, and with only self-referential definitions to guide us, what IS \u201cengagement\u201d? <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My inbox is filled daily with new webinars or articles on how to \u201cengage\u201d staff. As I view these materials, it becomes clear that engagement of staff has no consistent definition. Instead, the webinars or articles address retention problems, interaction between staff and clients, management check-ins, etc. – anything BUT \u201cengagement\u201d. So, what does engagement in a workplace really mean, from an OBM perspective? In the authors\u2019 opinion, absolutely nothing. It\u2019s often used as a useless buzzword; \u00a0an umbrella term used by corporations to justify staff performance levels, and for management consultants to sell fancy evaluations and trainings. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, a different question can be posed to get more useful, actionable information: what does engagement mean in <\/span>my <\/span><\/i>workplace? In my workplace, the word alone, again, means nothing. But when asked \u201cWhat does engagement <\/span>look like<\/b>?\u201d, behaviors and outcomes become the focus – treatment integrity, meeting billable requirements, closed-loop communication, and participation in company events, to name just a few. The difference between these concepts and engagement is that these are observable and measurable behaviors or outcomes when we operationally define them. It\u2019s much easier to define what meeting billable requirements looks like rather than just pointing the finger at \u201cengagement\u201d. These subcategories end up being the staff behaviors that we\u2019re <\/span>actually<\/span><\/i> looking to measure. Not \u201cengagement\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Focusing on the behaviors and outcomes that fall under the term \u201cengagement\u201d serves a number of purposes for leaders in an organization.<\/span><\/p>\n In homage to the great Inigo Montoya, you keep using the word engagement, but it does not mean what you think it means. Think about what it looks like for your organization. Ask the CEO. Ask multiple departments. Ask your entry level staff, managers, and even your clients! You\u2019ll receive different answers from everyone. Take their responses and determine what you\u2019re actually looking to observe when we use the word \u201cengagement\u201d, measure, and then improve those behaviors with intervention.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.chiefmotivatingofficers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4118.jpg” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/you-keep-using-that-word-meme.jpg?ssl=1\")
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