There are a lot of frustrated people in the workforce today. We’re not talking about the incorrigible office grump or the permanently unmotivated slacker. We’re referring to dedicated and valued workers who are prevented from achieving their potential by organizational obstacles.

Workplace frustration is a silent epidemic creeping through every organization—but one rarely confronted or even recognized. Frustration wears down motivated, dedicated employees who really care about their jobs but can’t get the support they need to work effectively. Focused on making contributions, they are often loath to complain or make waves, leaving managers in the dark about what’s really going on.

The Enemy of Engagement analyzes workplace frustration in detail and pinpoints solutions. Based on original research conducted by the prestigious Hay Group, the book uncovers the fact that the organizational barriers that are the root cause of frustration can’t be fixed with splashier leadership or more engaged employees. What’s needed are informed, targeted management practices that enable employees to do their jobs. Packed with new findings, a lively case study, and self-assessments, The Enemy of Engagement explains how to:

• Provide clear direction about organizational priorities to help people focus on the highest-value tasks

• Encourage superior levels of teamwork both within and across business units to help everyone cope with work demands

• Support training, development, and empowerment opportunities to ensure that employees have the skills and authority to get the job done

• Provide the tools, information, and other resources employees need to work efficiently and effectively

Having highly engaged and enabled employees leads to dramatically better productivity, improved financial results, and more loyal customers. The Enemy of Engagement gives managers powerful new insights and research-based tools for ensuring their teams are both willing and able to make maximum contributions.

MARK ROYAL and TOM AGNEW are leaders in Hay Group’s employee research division. Their client consulting work focuses on helping organizations leverage employee input to increase employee engagement and effectiveness, manage change more successfully, and enhance customer satisfaction and business performance. Mark holds Ph.D. and MA degrees in sociology from Stanford University, and Tom received his Ph.D. in management from Vanderbilt University and MBA from the University of Saskatchewan. Mark is based in Chicago and Tom in New York City.

New data collected by Hay Group management consultants suggest that many high-potential employees are also frustrated employees. Individuals who are highly engaged but face barriers at work preventing them from doing their jobs effectively represent 20 percent or more of the workforce. That’s a whopping number, and one that provides a devastating critique of workplace cultures today, with their procedural red tape, ever-shifting priorities, and persistent demands to do more with less.

Over time these frustrated employees can be expected to disengage or leave in search of greener pastures. But the vast majority started as dedicated, hardworking employees eager to contribute to company goals. What happened?

For managers who are ready to face some painful truths, The Enemy of Engagement offers a rich, virtually untapped source for radically reducing frustration and improving productivity. Written by two leaders in Hay Group’s employee research division—which partners with Fortune magazine in identifying the “World’s Most Admired Companies”—the book uncovers a host of everyday ills that plague organizations: lack of training, inefficient work­flows, poor communication, and inadequate performance feedback. These are the kinds of nagging, ongoing management problems that contribute to long work hours, unhealthy stress levels, poor work-life balance . . . and high degrees of employee frustration.

The Enemy of Engagement not only pinpoints the organizational barriers that prevent high achievers from doing their jobs properly, it also offers practical, clearheaded advice for fixing the problems. You’ll learn how to ensure that your employees’ skills and abilities are put to best use, and to give them the resources they need—including clear goals and expectations and adequate information, decision-making authority, and collaborative support—to get the job done.

Everyone is under pressure in today’s competitive economy, but data show that the most successful organizations don’t meet their goals by squeezing employees a little more. Rather, they enable their best people to succeed. Now you can too with the eye-opening insights and strategies in The Enemy of Engagement.