IFPM Center for
Energy engagement
The Center for Energy and Engagement pools knowledge on organizational energy and develops it further — expertise that is relevant for both researchers and practitioners.
Zentrale Fragestellungen von Energy und Engagement:
Why are some organizations full of energy, while others suffer from stagnation or inertia? What can leaders do to unleash and maintain a high level of energy in their companies?
Study on Customer Contact and Productive Energy
An empirical study of more than 9,000 employees surveyed from 75 different companies shows that the total customer contact that a company maintains across all functions is an important factor for organizational energy within the company. Contact with customers acts as a provider of meaning for the employees. However, in order for employees to actually derive positive meaning from contact with customers, a transformational leadership climate is essential. The study was published in the journal Group and Organization Management under the title «The Impact of Customer Contact on Collective Human Energy in Firms» (Kipfelsberger, Bruch, Herhausen, 2018).
Since 2001, Heike Bruch and her team at the Institut für Führung und Personalmanagement (IFPM) of the University of St.Gallen have been researching organizational energy and how it can be measured and managed. In close cooperation with ABB, Hilti, Lufthansa and Tata Steel, we have developed the construct of Organizational Energy to describe the extent to which an organization (or department or team) has mobilized its emotional, cognitive and behavioral potential to achieve its goals.
We have found that energy differs along the two independent dimensions of intensity and quality. This results in a total of four energy states: productive energy, pleasant energy, resignative inertia and corrosive energy.
Findings
- Companies with high productive energy are characterized by intense positive emotions, high attention and a high level of activity. The mobilized potentials are aligned with the achievement of the common overarching goals.
- In the state of pleasant energy, companies are characterized by satisfaction with the status quo, a low intensity of action, a tendency towards reduced attention and low emotional tension.
- Resignative inertia is reflected in indifference, inner withdrawal or distancing from company goals. Emotions such as frustration and disappointment prevail, and the level of activity is significantly reduced.
- In the case of corrosive energy, companies are characterized by high activity, alertness and emotional tension; however, these are not used constructively, but for internal struggles, micropolitics and the prevention of innovation and change.
A good mix of productive and pleasant energy is the desired goal, on the one hand to mobilize the collective forces and on the other hand not to overheat them, i.e. to avoid the acceleration trap.
So far, we have measured energy in more than 1,200 companies with more than 630,000 participants in 55 countries and 24 languages.
At the heart of the Organizational Energy Survey is a special employee survey that can be conducted online via our IT systems or in paper form. Energy can be measured simply and reliably using the Organizational Energy Questionnaire. The result of the survey shows how strong the various possible energy states are in the company or in individual areas. Companies can be in all four states at the same time and experience them with different intensities. The resulting energy profiles can be illustrated in a graphic that looks like this:
It also shows the expression of the energy drivers, i.e. the levers with which you can influence the energy and performance of the organization. Soft success factors such as leadership quality, strategic alignment, confidence, commitment and teamwork become benchmarkable. This gives managers tangible clues for optimizing the potential of their areas or teams.
Based on the results of the study, strategies can be developed with which the company can specifically increase, align, or maintain its energy. The success of implementation can be verified or demonstrated by a renewed measurement.
After conducting the measurement, the client receives a detailed statistical evaluation of the data and a written results report (with benchmark profiles and key figures). If interested, differentiated analyses are carried out, in which, for example, energy profiles of internal and external services or of various country organizations, departments, or hierarchical levels are compared.
Customer energy
Since 2010, we have been investigating the influence of customers on organizational energy. The innovative basic idea of this research strand is the view from the outside in («outside-in»), i.e. how customers influence organizational energy. Several studies on various types of customer influences, e.g. customer contact, customer feedback and customer enthusiasm, have already been carried out and published. One of the key findings is: Positive feedback from customers is crucial for employee motivation.
Porsche AG
Porsche is a leading automobile manufacturer with a long-standing tradition in motorsport. In addition to its headquarters in Zuffenhausen, the company operates five additional sites with areas covering development, sales, and production. Porsche also welcomes more than 40,000 guests annually at its Leipzig Customer Center, located in one of the most modern plants in the world.
energy factory St.Gallen AG
energy factory St.Gallen is a consultancy for leadership and cultural transformation. It is based on the latest research findings, data-based evidence and practical experience of successful pioneers.
Center for Positive Organization, Michigan
The Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) is devoted to energizing and transforming organizations through research on the theory and practice of positive organizing and leadership
