Without question, Burke and Cooper's compilation of scholarly, clear, and practitioner-focused research addressing fulfillment and engagement in the workplace is one of the most valuable and timely resources that I have reviewed in a very long time. This resource speaks to my own “sweet spot” in that the each of the contributions carries significant value and speaks to the very real issues that continually vex organizations and dishearten the people who work within them. While organizational realities can suck the very life out of those who show up to ply their trade, the authors of these pieces and the wisdom of Burke and Cooper who pulled together this collection, explain how to thoughtfully craft and shape interventions and approaches that address the real issues and concerns of those who bring their competences and their aspirations to the workplace. Each contribution brings a balanced perspective between the needs of people in organizations and the role of management to thoughtfully create environments that accelerate passion and engagement and mitigates that toxic separation of the human soul from meaningful work. Another reason that this volume carries significant value is that the topic of increasing employee engagement, fueling workplace meaning, and supporting rather than diminishing well-being in the workplace is a titanic issue. The book raises questions and offers answers that address what seems to be at the very heart of performance and motivation. In my role as leadership and management consultant, it is a resource such as this that can be of tremendous value “in the field.” My practical experience resulting from working with organizations confirms that the material in this volume accurately speaks to the issues that undermine and the solutions that accelerate the will to perform and the quality of the performance itself.
This is also an outstanding resource for those who provide undergraduate and graduate instruction in such areas as organizational development, industrial organizational psychology, leadership theory and practice, and management principles. In my work as a management professor, Burke and Cooper's fine collection has already come into play on a number of occasions as a supplemental resource. Furthermore the book can be placed on the reserve shelf as an excellent source that supports student research efforts.
The contributions are divided into four areas: issues, optimal individual and organizational outcomes, individual resources, and organizational initiatives. In Part I, Burke begins with his own piece addressing, “The healthy organization: Reducing high-risk individual behavior and organizational toxicity.” Here he sets the tone and content of what follows in the remaining sections of the book. He adroitly identifies critical areas of trauma, challenge, and opportunity as it relates to addressing organizational realities. Among the topics he addresses include leadership and toxicity, organizational narcissism, the importance of character, improving work-life integration, and initiatives that address human frailties and toxicity. Though Part II contains four research pieces, the research by Demerouti and Fullager on the experience of flow in the workplace is outstanding. Their research identifies the factors that must be in place as precursors to the emergence of flow. Furnham, in his research addressing passion in the context of organizations, provides valuable insight into how passion is connected to Csikszentmihalyi's (1990) concept of flow. It is clear to this reviewer that a senior manager or HR executive could take Furhman's work, along with any of the other research findings from the four chapters in Part II, and find immediate applicability and significant substance to think strategically about how to immediately positively shape and augment the work environment.
In Part III, of the three chapters the work of Lubit in “The emotional intelligence response to coping with narcissism in the workplace” stands out as particularly insightful and practical. Lubit discusses the presence and destructiveness of narcissism in organizations. What is most valuable in his contribution are his approaches to addressing narcissism in bosses, peers, and subordinates. His admonitions and strategies are designed to be explored and implemented with the three types of narcissistic individuals.
Part IV holds the majority of the book's content as it presents eight research pieces which describe specific initiatives in specific contents where the findings are generalizable across most organizations. Three research pieces are noteworthy in this section. First, Flint-Taylor and Robertson's work on strengthening well-being in organizations through employee selection and ongoing development. Second, Fairlie's research on meaningful work and healthy work speaks to the importance of meaning, the components that create meaning, and how the establishment of meaningful work is directly tied to well-being or the lack thereof. As I review Fairlie's contribution, I can recall numerous organizations where management placed little if any value of creating meaningful work. Indeed, there is often a serious disconnect in this area in many of the organizational contexts in which I have consulted. It is refreshing to review Fairlie's work which speaks to this concern with resourcefulness and concern. Finally, Schwartz's research on values-based leadership is valuable and timely. He provides a clear discussion on how values, ethics, and leadership are inextricably bound together. His findings include a detailed exploration of values and decision-making as well as values expressed within the broader exercise of leadership. My own consulting work with an organization on this very issue of integrating values-based leadership within a command-and-control leadership model has been better informed because of Schwartz's work.
Gower, the publisher of Burke and Cooper's book, consistently brings real-time value through its approach to applied research. As both a scholar and practitioner, I consistently have found practical value in Gower's publication. However, this volume has been especially helpful and relevant to my own work as an instructor and consultant. Moreover, because the connections between the matters of work, meaning, employee engagement, and motivation continue to be ongoing challenges in organizations, the research contributions in this book will have strong utility. Those internal and external specialists who work with organizations to help resolve the issues raised in this book will find valuable resources and perspectives in each chapter. For scholars and post-secondary instructors, this book will be an excellent resource for course preparation in addition to supporting student research and learning.
About the reviewer
Dr Jeffrey D. Yergler, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Management and Chair of the Undergraduate Management Department at the Golden Gate University, San Francisco, California. Dr Jeffrey D. Yergler can be contacted at: jyergler@ggu.edu or jeffreydyergler@gmail.com
