Page 5 - Enterprise Engagement and ISO Standards eBook

Enterprise Engagement and ISO Standards

Introduction

ISO Leads the Way on Engagement Standards Applicable Today

The International Organization for Standardization has already published principles and
standards that address many of the issues involved with Enterprise Engagement and the
questions being asked by investors, with more on the way.

In 2017, ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, approved the creation of
formal standards for the implementation of engagement practices in business, based on a
proposal from the Enterprise Engagement Alliance. The first working group was held in May
2017, and if the process runs smoothly formal standards could be approved by 2020 or
earlier.

Organizations seeking to profit from engagement do not have to wait. ISO 9000 has already
created valuable principles and voluntary standards published in 2012 for the purposes of
quality management that anyone can start applying today for the creation of more effective
leadership training, assessment, communications, learning, incentive, recognition, loyalty
and other types of initiatives to build better relationships with people in business. ISO’s
principles and guidelines not only overlap with the types of information major investors are
seeking from public companies worldwide on topics related to human capital and
engagement, but largely correspond to the framework and implementation process first
published by the Enterprise Engagement Alliance in 2009.

This eBook is for any organization that seeks to profit from the work of ISO, the Enterprise
Engagement Alliance, and others to start implementing engagement strategies today.

Whether developed by organizations such as ISO or others, standards are beneficial to the
emergence of a formal field. As is evident in the field of engagement today, a lack of clear
definitions, nomenclature, or an agreed-upon process framework lead to confusion, poor
results and wasted time that helps explain why engagement levels of both customers and
employees remains low, despite large investments in marketing and human resources.

In a recent Harvard Business Review (HBR) article, Why the Millions We Spend on Employee
Engagement Buy Us so Little, author Jacob Morgan says organizations need to take a more
long-term, strategic approach to employee engagement. The greatest gains, he writes, go to
those organizations that focus specifically on the employee experience, which he defines as
“investments in technology, physical, and work environments.” But what does that mean in
practical terms?

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