Opinion Piece: Activating Leadership To Engage The Passive Workforce

Activating Leadership to engage the passive workforce –

by Dr Lynne Derman and Camille Rabier

“A passively complacent workforce is not a permanent fixture; it is a reflection of the environment that leadership has created. Improving employee engagement should not be seen as a “soft” HR goal that can be subverted, intentionally or unintentionally, in order to achieve operational objectives. Rather, employee engagement is a strategic imperative overseen by the CEO.

“A positive workplace culture results in an engaged workforce that fuels productivity and performance in pursuit of operational objectives. More importantly, it creates a resilient, adaptive organisation which is the ultimate defence line against market disruption and rapid, unanticipated changes.

“After running an engagement survey, leadership must tap into the goldmine of data collected to identify the opportunities to raise engagement sustainably. To move from insight to impact, leadership needs to take ownership of the organisational climate and implement specific levers that bridge the gap between survey scores and the desired lived behavioural changes of a truly committed workforce.

1. Relational Leadership

“The data reveals a consistent truth: leadership style is the primary driver of trust and retention. In an era of rapid change, strict hierarchies and positional authority are insufficient. We need relational and values-driven leaders who uphold the organisational values through daily action rather than relying on strict hierarchy or hoping that positional authority alone will get the job done.

“By building relational leadership capacity across all levels and focusing on emotional intelligence, ethics and resilience, organisations create a trickle-down effect of accountability. When leadership is appropriately decentralised and decision-making is pushed towards the teams closest to the work, the “passive majority” gains a sense of agency, shifting from spectators to active stakeholders.

“Relational leaders act as anchors: they do not micromanage the “how” but protect the “why,” thereby building psychological safety and respect. Conversely, leaders who ignore toxic behaviours act as cultural brakes, encourage employees to remain unnoticed and safely hidden whilst at the same time driving high-performers into “survival mode”. Even though these outcomes are unintentional, the result is still passive complacency.

2. Re-design the Performance Management System

“If leadership is the root of engagement, the performance management system (PMS) is the framework that provides structure and direction. Research as well as practical experience on the ground has shown that employees thrive when they are seen, heard, and receive ongoing feedback.

“It is time to replace the once-off annual review with a more continuous performance management model. Additionally, the idea that all responsibility for feedback sits solely with the immediate supervisor limits the opportunity for inputs that promote growth. In a mature environment, performance feedback can be expanded further, to include  360-degree inputs.

“Furthermore, when developing a more pertinent PMS to address engagement issues linked to culture and thereby measuring lived company values, it is important to follow certain steps to ensure maximal relevance:

Operationalising Values: Measuring values directly is a challenge as they are abstract concepts. Values should be translated into specific, measurable behaviours.
Co-Creating a behavioural dictionary: A successful system avoids developing any metric in isolation. Leaders and teams must collaborate to define the visible behaviours that represent their values. This prevents internal recognition from becoming a popularity contest and ensures a shared language.
Addressing Transience: Because behaviours are transient, delayed praise loses purpose. Real-time recognition reinforces positive behaviours before they wither, cementing them into company culture.
Weighting: To repair a culture, organisations must weight behavioural inputs (how work is done) alongside traditional outputs (what is achieved). For example, if a cultural gap exists in “Collaboration,” that metric should carry a higher weight until the behaviour is normalised, signalling that the quality of interaction and thereby relationships are as vital as the quantity of output.
 

3. Linking Micro-Tasks to the Macro-Purpose

“While a strong performance system defines how we work, engagement will still falter if employees don’t understand what they are working toward, hence complacency often being a symptom of a "context gap." If an employee cannot see how their specific tasks fit into the company’s business objectives, they will be more inclined to coast and hope for the best.

“It is for this reason that leaders must transparently cascade organisational goals in order for every department, team and team member to know their exact and specific contribution. Allowing teams to co-create their own micro-objectives that link back to the macro-strategy creates a sense of ownership at all levels. When employees see their "fingerprints" on the company's success, indifference is replaced by a sense of purpose and work becomes meaningful.

“For example: A customer service agent isn't just "serving clients"; they are "securing the brand loyalty".

4. Growth Opportunities as an Engagement Strategy

“When employees understand their purpose and are recognised and rewarded for their behaviours, they are more inclined to look toward the future. Engagement spikes when employees see a path forward in terms of growth, which can be career growth or expanding their set of skills. If an organisation does not invest in an employee’s growth, employees will eventually invest their energy elsewhere or, worse, nowhere.

“Performance Management is a valuable tool in this regard. Setting “stretch goals” that require an individual to acquire additional skills also needs to tie directly into the organisational training plan to ensure the individual is empowered. In this manner, an organisation creates a forward-motion culture. Furthermore, in an environment like this, the passive majority is encouraged to stay engaged because they are focussed on developing their own potential rather than doing the bare minimum.

“For example: A growth path might include a certification in "Agile Leadership" that will enable an employee to lead a new cross-functional task force in the future.

Conclusion: The Strategic Choice

“By shifting from measurement to meaningful movement, organisations can convert latent potential into active energy.

“In our landscape defined by volatility, a strong and intentional culture is the most effective way to transform your workforce. The engagement of your people is a critical asset that your competitors cannot acquire, replicate, or automate.

“As such, for any organisation seeking to thrive, cultivating a deliberate culture is no longer a strategic luxury, it is the baseline for success.”

Written by Dr Lynne Derman, Head People and Talent and Camille Rabier, Consultant.

Total Words: 1040