Introduction: Engagement as the Key to Change
Organizational change is not just about strategy—it’s about engagement. Research shows that only 23% of employees feel actively engaged at work (Gallup, 2023), and disengagement is one of the biggest obstacles to successful change initiatives.
For change to be effective, individuals, teams, and organizations must feel connected, involved, and committed to the process. Through my experience leading major transitions—such as developing the International Business major at Wittenberg University—I’ve seen firsthand how engagement fuels sustainable transformation.
Key Principles of Engagement-Driven Change Management
🔹 Communication & Transparency
Change fails when people feel left out of the process. Open and two-way communication fosters engagement, ensuring employees understand the “why” behind change and feel heard in decision-making. My consulting work emphasizes the power of active listening and storytelling to inspire trust and commitment.
🔹 Leadership as the Catalyst for Engagement
Engaged leaders create engaged teams. Leaders must model the desired changes by embodying the behaviors and mindsets they wish to see. My leadership workshops incorporate mindfulness and emotional intelligence strategies to help leaders engage authentically with their teams during periods of change.
The Engagement Stages of Change
🔹 Lewin’s Change Model & Employee Buy-In
- Unfreezing: Employees must emotionally connect with the need for change before they can support it.
- Changing: Actively involving employees in co-creating solutions fosters engagement.
- Refreezing: Reinforce new behaviors by embedding engagement-driven feedback loops into organizational culture (Lewin, 1951).
🔹 ADKAR Model: Building Engagement Step-by-Step
The ADKAR Model (Hiatt, 2006) emphasizes that engagement is not automatic—it must be cultivated at every stage:
✅ Awareness – Communicate why change is happening in a way that resonates.
✅ Desire – Foster emotional buy-in through inclusive decision-making.
✅ Knowledge – Provide training and resources to build confidence.
✅ Ability – Empower employees with autonomy to apply new changes.
✅ Reinforcement – Recognize and celebrate wins to sustain engagement.
Tools & Techniques for Engagement-Driven Change
🔹 Stakeholder Mapping & Personalized Engagement
Different employees have different motivations. Mapping out key stakeholders and their concerns helps tailor engagement strategies, ensuring that each group feels valued and involved.
🔹 Feedback as a Continuous Engagement Loop
Engagement is a two-way street. Collecting feedback throughout the change process—and acting on it—ensures employees stay invested. My research on spiritual and human values in decision-making (Jeong, 2020) highlights how organizations that integrate meaningful feedback mechanisms sustain long-term engagement.
Final Thoughts: Engagement is the Foundation of Change
Change is not something done to people—it is something created with them. By prioritizing engagement over mere compliance, leaders can turn resistance into commitment, confusion into clarity, and apathy into action.
🚀 Want to build a culture of engagement that fuels successful change? Let’s work together to create lasting transformation in your organization. Book a free consultation today!
References
Jeong, S. (2020). Everyday leadership: How can anyone be a leader every day? In J. Marques (Ed.), The Routledge companion to inclusive leadership. Taylor & Francis.
Gallup. (2023). State of the Global Workplace Report. Gallup Press.
Hiatt, J. (2006). ADKAR: A model for change in business, government, and our community. Prosci Learning Center Publications.
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Harvard Business Review Press.
Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social science. Harper & Row.