Resource Library - Research

This recently conducted analysis by The Incentive Research Foundation (IRF)of one company's long-standing use of travel awards as a motivational tool shows that such incentives have a clear, measurable and positive impact on corporate culture and employee performance, as well as a broader "ripple effect" on the economy of the region where an incentive travel program (ITP) is held.

Overall, the study concluded that the importance of these programs should not be undervalued; their impact and their value reach well beyond the typical event timeline. Earners of the incentive travel program are far from the only beneficiaries of the program. The sponsoring company, the destination and the suppliers all receive significant benefits as well.

Few people in academia better understand the convergence of analytics and Enterprise Engagement than Charles Scherbaum, Associate Professor of Psychology at Baruch College and a member of the doctoral faculty at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Scherbaum, an early contributor to the Enterprise Engagement Alliance curriculum on analytics... [ read more ]

The larger or more geographically spread out the organization, the greater the issues related to diversity. Beyond the regulatory and ethical obligations to recruit employees and market to customers... [ read more ]

A common error that frontline managers sometimes make is to focus their performance improvement efforts on employees’ weaknesses, rather than focus on their strengths. But Gallup research shows that the worst thing managers can do is to ignore their employees altogether. According to Gallup researchers Brian Brim and Jim Asplund, “If your manager focuses on your strengths, your chances of being actively disengaged at work are only 1 in 100. If your manager ignores you, however, you are twice as likely to be actively disengaged than if your manager focuses on your weaknesses. Being overlooked, it seems, is more harmful to employees’ engagement than having to discuss their weaknesses with their manager.” This paper offers a summary of their research.... [ read more ]

This study, by Prof. James Oakley of Ohio State University, found a clear link between employee engagement and customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction and profitability.... [ read more ]

Readily available employee engagement applications supported by effective management practices can transform the traditional, ineffective employee performance management and appraisal process.... [ read more ]

A shift is taking place in workplace wellness related to the concept of Enterprise Engagement, linking wellness strategies to an organization’s culture, retention, productivity, performance and even customer and employee satisfaction. By Amy Kramer & Paula Godar. Wellness goes beyond the obvious benefits of lowering healthcare claims,... [ read more ]

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Gallup Business Journal recently reported that employees who work for a female manager in the U.S. are actually more engaged, on average, than those who work for a male manager. However, only one in three (33%) working Americans say they currently have a female boss. Female managers themselves tend to be more engaged than male managers. Gallup finds that ... [ read more ]

Over the past decade or so, more and more organizations are talking about the importance of creating a culture of high engagement with their employees so they will create exceptional customer experiences. However, although employee engagement shows up as a top challenge for ... [ read more ]

This study, conducted by Prof. Frank Mulhern and Patricia Whalen of Northwestern University, identified a significant gap between the view of human resources and employees on the role of employees on delivering customer satisfaction, but found that companies with a close link between human resources and marketing outperform companies that don't.... [ read more ]

Keeping employees happy, productive and loyal is essential to the long-term health of any company. But generational differences in the workforce tend to complicate matters when it comes to essential elements of employee engagement such as rewards and recognition... [ read more ]

Tom McMullen, writing recently on the Hay Group blog, notes that a recent study of World@Work members found only 11% of organizations conduct a formal ROI assessment of their reward programs. However, 48% of respondents said they planned to more rigorously assess... [ read more ]

Given that the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) is charged with advancing the science of incentives, it surveyed industry professionals to obtain their opinions about the more salient trends affecting the industry during 2009 and leading into 2010. The IRF asked these professionals questions on trends with regard to incentive travel programs, merchandise non-cash programs, and budget changes forecast for 2010. Findings indicate that the trends are stabilizing for each of the core issues since March 2009. However, the trends remain significantly lower than in 2008. Survey participants expect more domestic than international destinations, "slightly smaller" budgets, and shorter stays for incentive travel in 2010. A majority of participants also expected decreased award values on the merchandise side. ... [ read more ]

Close observers of the Stakeholder Capitalism movement will note that there is much talk, but little apparent action beyond public pronouncements and donations. ... [ read more ]

If recognition is thoroughly woven into the fabric of your culture, it becomes a true measurement tool of individual and organizational performance... [ read more ]

The 10018 Guidelines on People Involvement and Competence were created by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Technical Committee ISO/TC 176, Quality management and quality assurance, Subcommittee SC 3, Supporting technologies. These standards are based on ... [ read more ]

Employee engagement and recognition: What is the difference and how this affects solution providers and corporate planners. Over the last two decades, the recognition field has become a multi-billion-dollar business with over a dozen leading solution providers and hundreds of smaller ones across the U.S. Companies spend billions on ... [ read more ]

Seattle, WA-based engagement research firm TINYpulse recently released its 2017 Employee Engagement Report, "The Broken Bridges of the Workplace." After reviewing over a million anonymous employee responses, researchers note that ... [ read more ]

The Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) surveyed industry professionals during the month of April 2010, asking them about incentive travel programs, merchandise/non-cash programs, and ROI/budget considerations. The most promising data show that respondents appear to be more optimistic about the current economic climate than they were in either the Summer or Fall of last year. When asked, "In your opinion, what impact will the economy have on your ability to plan and implement incentive travel programs?" 69% say it will have a positive impact vs. only 33% in the Fall of 2009 and just 24% in the Summer of 2009. Similarly, those who say the economy will have a positive impact on merchandise/non-cash incentive programs increased from 20% (Summer '09) and 26% (Fall '09) to 41% currently. Still, one-third of those surveyed predict that budgets for incentive travel will decrease this year, while 37% say they'll remain unchanged. Things were a little better on the merchandise/non-cash side, where only 22% expect a decline (down from 51%), while 40% predict an increase and 37% say they see no change in budgets. This indicates that although there's an uptick in optimism about the economy in general, it may not translate into more money for programs – at least not in the near term. ... [ read more ]

Social media, blogs, and e-newsletter technology enable almost any organization to become its own media company to generate leads, enhance thought leadership, build relationships and enhance sales ratios. Very few in business implement strategic integrated communications programs, often because they lack the people with the journalistic and other content creation skills needed for effective content marketing or they fail to integrate the communications programs into their sales and support process. ... [ read more ]

Don McPherson, President and Co-Founder of Minnesota-based Modern Survey, recently noted that when people say they know and understand the organizational values of the company they work for, those people are 51 times more likely to be "Fully Engaged" than ... [ read more ]

Are there differences in how a computer manufacturer plans and implements an incentive program versus how a pharmaceutical company or new car dealer does? What about a commercial banking operation, insurance agency or a telecommunications company? Are there processes, types of incentives used, or other nuances that are unique to these markets? Which industries are more likely to develop their programs in-house, as opposed to securing an outside vendor? The Vertical Market Study attempts to answer these and other questions. It provides a full report on how the six specific industries planned and implemented incentive travel, motivational meetings and special events.... [ read more ]

For last year’s Summit, a research study was conducted to assess the drivers of employee satisfaction and engagement and the downstream customer and financial implications of these important employee attitudes. This research identified several unique organizational characteristics driving employee engagement, including employee satisfaction, and identified organizational communication as a key driver of employee satisfaction.... [ read more ]

Despite hundreds of billions of dollars spent annually by organizations to engage employees and customers, numerous independent research studies find that neither employee nor customer engagement have improved appreciably in more than a decade. ... [ read more ]