What Norm from Cheers and Karl Marx can tell us about Employee Engagement
Reading the obituary of the comic actor, George Wendt – who played Norm Peterson in the long running sitcom, Cheers – I was struck by Wendt’s reflection on why he opted for careers in fields that are known for being brutal and unforgiving; comedy and acting. It carries a lesson for corporations today.
Wendt, who died last week, deftly brought to life ‘Normie,’ as the affable everyman. When asked about his career choice, Wendt said that he had read up on Marx’s theory of alienation, which made him realise that he must opt for work that he loved or face the risk of becoming alienated from himself.
I hazily recalled this idea of alienation from my days as an Economics and Politics undergraduate. So, I looked it up. Now bear with us, we’re not going to go all Marxist at Threshold, but the ideas are quite prescient today. Marx argues that work creates a sense of internal discord and self-alienation when:
- It is devoid of opportunities to be creative
- It lacks social connectedness and a sense of belonging
- People have little sense of ownership of what they create or produce
- People can’t influence the way in which their work is done
These points chime with everything that the most contemporary theory tells us are essential principles for an engaged workforce. This is consistent across the disciplines of organizational and social psychology and the latest in behavioural science.
Kaizen and Total Quality Management
Since the 1990s, spurred on by the Japanese philosophies of Kaizen and Total Quality Management, we created workplaces where work felt more meaningful. Employees were given greater ownership and latitude to make decisions. Work systems were reorganized so that employees could see and feel what they had created. Employees were communicated with, and more importantly, listened to….
The workplace became more human… less alienating. Engagement improved.
Social cohesion and social capital
But our latest evidence-backed analysis shows that we now risk slipping backwards. And we ignore this at our peril. Organizations are suffering from plummeting social cohesion and social capital, together with increased anxiety over the ways in which technology will change the nature of their work. These phenomena affect many people but the most at risk are Gen Z – the future talent pipeline. Our analysis indicates that disillusion can spread rapidly leading to waves of quiet quitting.
The good news is that something can be done about this! Our research with YouGov shows that just five leadership practices, carried out by line managers, can boost engagement and protect the organization against quiet quitting.
What Norm from Cheers and Karl Marx can tell us about Employee Engagement
Normie finished the day with a cold beer and warm social contact. As a painter and decorator, he had control over the way he did his work, he had the scope to be creative, he could see the fruits of his labour. Perhaps most importantly – he worked with people.
“Yes, but…” I hear you say, “that’s all very well, but what about a large, complex organization?”
Re-humanize the workplace
Again, our analysis shows that a few small changes in line-manager behaviour can make the workplace better and more engaging, even across the larger, multi-layered and matrixed organization. The evidence is compelling, and the solution is in our hands. It just takes the will. A few small steps can re-humanize the workplace and make work rewarding again. And the payback is immense for any organization that wants to make this a priority.
At Threshold, we are helping our clients to ensure that their human workforce is committed, engaged and ready for the technology revolution. We do this by bringing about small shifts in line manager behaviour that make a big difference. To find out more visit www.threshold.co.uk
