ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some background concepts necessary to the study of engagement. It describes the history of some human resource programs. The chapter analyses the concept of business cultures and their relationship to employee engagements the relationship between employee engagement to Toyota’s concept of respect for people. It explores how practitioners should go about making the change and why practitioners do not want to have an “engagement program, project or initiative” but rather a cultural change. When cultures are strong, there is a strong agreement on what are the appropriate actions, the important values and beliefs, as well as the proper jargon and phraseology to be used. Cultures need to be flexible so they can change when the external environment changes. The Toyota Production System is a culture of continuous improvement and respect for people. Improving employee engagement is a large culture-changing event and has to be managed as such, just as practitioners would design and manage a lean transformation.
