Employee engagement is derived from studies of morale or a group’s willingness to accomplish organizational objectives which began in the 1920′s. The value of morale to organizations was matured by US Army researchers during WWII to predict unity of effort and attitudinal battle-readiness before combat.
In the postwar mass production society that required unity of effort in execution, (group) morale scores were used as predictors of speed, quality and militancy. With the advent of the knowledge worker and emphasis on individual talent management (stars), a term was needed to describe an individual’s emotional attachment to the organization, fellow associates and the job. Thus the birth of the term “employee engagement” which is an individual emotional phenomenon whereas morale is a group emotional phenomenon of similar characteristics.
