Cultivating a Culture for Engagement: How a Company's DNA shapes its People

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Abstract: This article examines how organizational culture impacts employee engagement levels. The article defines culture as the shared values and norms that guide behavior in a workplace, and engagement as an employee's willingness to contribute discretionary effort to their work. A review of research finds that cultures with active drivers of engagement, like a clear purpose, opportunities for growth, recognition, autonomy, and input, tend to have higher employee engagement, productivity, retention, and other positive business outcomes compared to disengaging cultures. The article then provides examples of strategies companies have used to cultivate these cultural pillars in areas such as onboarding, mentorship programs, recognition programs, flexible work policies, and soliciting employee feedback. The article concludes that culture is a key lever for leaders to motivate employees and unlock their full potential to benefit organizational performance.

As an organizational consultant and researcher, I've seen firsthand how the underlying culture of a workplace directly influences the level of engagement among its employees. While engagement is a buzzword that gets thrown around a lot these days, what really matters is establishing an environment where people feel valued, motivated to contribute their best efforts, and committed to the organization's success.

Today we will explore the research behind how culture impacts engagement, and provide practical strategies any company can use to foster an engaging culture that powers performance.

Defining Culture and Engagement

Let's start by explaining what we mean by "culture" and "employee engagement". Culture refers to the shared values, assumptions, and beliefs that guide behavior and norms within an organization (Schein, 2017). It is the unwritten rules, traditions, and "way things are done around here" that employees experience on a daily basis. Employee engagement, on the other hand, refers to an employee's cognitive, emotional, and behavioral state directed toward desired organizational outcomes (Saks, 2006). In other words, it is the level of discretionary effort, dedication, and willingness to go above and beyond that employees demonstrate in their work.

A wealth of research has established the link between these two concepts. Studies have consistently shown that organizations with a highly engaging culture see measurably better business outcomes, including higher productivity, profitability, customer loyalty, safety, and lower turnover (Gallup, 2017; Ken Blancher, 2019). On the other hand, disengaging cultures are plagued with problems like absenteeism, presenteeism, and lack of discretionary effort that undermine performance. Simply put, culture sets the stage for whether employees feel motivated to give their all or just do enough to get by each day.

Defining Cultural Pillars that Drive Engagement

So, what are the key ingredients of a highly engaging culture? Research identifies several overlapping pillars that foster worker commitment and passion for the job:

• A shared sense of purpose and mission: Employees want to feel they are part of something meaningful and contributing value through their work (Sinek, 2009). Organizations with a compelling sense of purpose see increased engagement because work feels worthwhile and inspiring. Communications should clearly articulate how each role connects to the larger organizational vision and values.

• Support for growth and development: All employees desire opportunities to continuously learn and expand their skills (Pink, 2009). Cultures that provide formal and informal training, rotational assignments, mentorship programs, and other avenues for progression lead to higher engagement as people feel invested in professionally.

• Recognition and appreciation: Simple acts of acknowledgment and praise can go a long way in fueling motivation (Nelson, 2011). Employees want to feel valued for their efforts through both informal kudos from managers as well as structured award and incentive programs. Public recognition also helps foster team cohesion and pride in results.

• Autonomy and empowerment: When given freedom and trust to use their expertise and discretion in their work, employees feel more committed (Hackman and Oldham, 1980). Micro-management breeds disengagement, while empowering employees as owners and problem-solvers boosts their dedication to goals.

• Opportunities for input and participation: Having a voice and role in shaping decisions that impact work fosters greater identification with organizational priorities (Agarwal, 2014) . Two-way communication and responsiveness to employee feedback signal that management values their perspectives, again building commitment to collective successes.

With a grounding in this research, let's explore some strategies companies across industries have used to cultivate these cultural drivers of engagement in tangible ways.

Applying Cultural Principles in Practice

Clearly communicate purpose and values through onboarding

One consulting client, a major healthcare provider, redesigned their new hire onboarding process with a stronger focus on imparting their mission. While previously just transactional paperwork and system training, orientation now starts with senior leaders sharing patient stories that brought the organizational purpose to life. Departmental meet-and-greets also emphasize connecting daily work to this higher purpose in a genuine, personalized manner. Staff report feeling inspired and aligned from day one as a result.

Foster growth through skill-building and mentorship

A tech company implemented an intensive internal mentorship program pairing new graduates with seasoned engineers. Monthly workshops focused on professional development, leadership, and hands-on technical skills. By cultivating a learning-oriented culture where growth is expected and supported, the program boosted retention of new hires who previously felt adrift. Peer evaluations also revealed higher engagement across all roles do to an empowering environment.

Recognize diverse contributions both formally and informally

In revamping their recognition program, a manufacturing employer shifted from solely acknowledging objectives-based results to also spotlighting examples of collaboration, safety leadership, innovation and other behaviors reflecting core values. Departmental "kudos boards" and informal shout-outs at morning huddles also gave managers opportunities for appreciation on a human scale. Qualitative feedback revealed renewed passion for team success and pride in the organization as a whole.

Foster autonomy through hack weeks and skill-based projects

To combat burnout in knowledge work, a consulting firm implemented semi-annual "hack weeks" where employees could spend paid time on self-directed learning, skunkworks projects, or passion initiatives outside their client work. Another created a database for employees to publicly list their non-core skills to tap for future volunteer work. By signaling trust in competence and valuing diverse interests, these practices sparked renewed enthusiasm, purpose and discretionary effort.

Solicit input and embed frontline feedback loops

A mid-sized manufacturer rolled out new engagement surveys with departmental dashboards to prompt action planning based on quantitative and qualitative staff insights. Leaders also began walking the production floor daily for transparent discussions on problems and ideas. These participatory practices signaled care for the human experience of work and built partnership for continuous improvement efforts.

Conclusion: Culture is Key to Unlocking Potential

The workplace culture established by leaders represents arguably the single greatest driver of employee motivation, commitment and extra effort. Organizations that cultivate a culture grounded in purpose, development, recognition, autonomy and participation see quantifiably higher engagement, productivity, safety, retention and other sought-after business results.

While cultural transformation requires sincere commitment over time, even small symbolic changes, as illustrated in the industry examples, can have outsized impact. For the people who dedicate their careers within its walls, a company's DNA profoundly shapes the human experience of work each day. Forward-thinking leaders recognize that by cultivating an enriching culture where talent feels valued and empowered, they unlock discretionary effort that fuels performance far beyond what transactional rewards alone could motivate. In today's tight labor market, companies failing to prioritize culture risk being left behind by employers who have mastered employee engagement.

References

1. Agarwal, U. A. (2014). Relating psychological conditions and employee engagement: Examining the mediating role of employee identity. Journal of Management Development, 33(7), 628-647.

2. Gallup. (2017, January 3). State of the American workplace.

3. Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1980). Work redesign. Addison-Wesley.

4. Ken Blancher, R. (2019, September 23). The impact of company culture on employee engagement and performance.

5. Nelson, B. (2011). 1501 ways to reward employees. Workman Publishing Company.

6. Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. Riverhead Books.

7. Saks, A. M. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600-619.

8. Schein, E. H. (2017). Organizational culture and leadership (5th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

9. Sinek, S. (2009). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Portfolio.

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Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Associate Dean and Director of HR Programs (WGU); Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD/HR/Leadership Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.

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Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2026). Autonomous Skill Profiling: The Foundation of Modern Talent Systems. Human Capital Leadership Review, 25(1). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.25.1.3