AbstractsBusiness Management & Administration

Organizational leaders worldwide have been plagued with consistently low and declining levels of employee engagement despite ongoing efforts to implement initiatives to retain talent through increased engagement. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs held by 14 leaders in Arizona and the role their values might play on their receptivity to and experiences with employee engagement. Data obtained from semi-structured interviews and previously completed Core Values Index (CVI) assessments revealed insights that may offer new approaches leaders might consider with regard to engagement initiatives. Results showed six major themes emerged including communication; culture; feeling valued; personal values, such as work ethic, honesty, integrity, or trust; professional development; and empowerment. An individual’s position within the organization did not appear to influence his or her engagement preferences. Rather, participants ranked the six themes in different priority orders based on their core values, indicating they may prefer different approaches to engagement by their leaders. Notably, participants appeared to engage others according to the methods they, themselves, preferred rather than adapting to the methods that might work best for the employee. Based on these and other findings, recommendations for C-suite and other leaders include: increased, consistent communication with employees regarding strategy, initiatives, successes, challenges, and recognition; embracing and modeling of engagement practices by leaders at every level; integration of engagement practices throughout the talent management cycle; and updating policies and procedures to ensure accountability and recognition around engagement initiatives.