The Polyployee. On the lived experience of Polymaths' Engagement with Leadership Styles in Organisational Settings

Doktorarbeit / Dissertation , 2022 , 406 Seiten , Note: 1.5

BWL - Unternehmensführung, Management, Organisation

Build a niche. Algorithm yourself. Hyperspezialize. The work environment of the 21st century becomes a place of boxes, labels and tags, with leaders on top who are far beyond the capability to direct or steer, but rather react on risk scenarios, market losses and an overarching change aversion.

However, as the Universe medal has two sides by nature, there is an opposing force that came to light in the last years: Generalism. Not only as a term. Through the centuries unique individuals were able to learn faster, adapt rapidly and synthesize ideas quicker than others, namely: Polymaths. These individuals are part of the working world. Unfortunately, most of them live unheard and uncared for in organisational settings around the world.

Table of Content

Abstract

Foreword

CHAPTER 1 – Introduction
1. Overview
2. Research Background
3. Gap in Research
4. Aims of the research
5. Methodological Approach and Conceptual Framework
6. Significance of the Study
7. Assumptions and Limitations
8. Chapter Framework
9. Summary

CHAPTER 2 – Literature Review
1. Introduction
2. Engagement from the Leadership Perspective
3. Engagement from the Employee Perspective
3.1. Effects of Leadership Style on Engagement
3.2. Value of Employee Engagement for an Organisation
3.3. Communication as a Key Factor
4. Polymaths or Multi-disciplinaries - A Description
4.1. Trained or Inherited - A Differentiator
4.2. Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Skills
4.3. Pros and Cons of Polymaths in Organisations
5. Summary

CHAPTER 3 - Methodology
1. Introduction
2. Phenomenological Research Approach
3. Research Philosophy
4. The Role of the Researcher
5. Sample size
6. Data Collection
7. Data Analysis
8. Reliability and Validity
9. Ethical Implications
10. Summary

CHAPTER 4 - Data Analysis
1. Introduction
2. Online Questionnaire Participants and Recruiting
3. Polymath Interview Participants
3.1. Characteristics of Participants
3.2. Interview Schedule
3.3. Interview Conduction and Transcription
3.4. Data Analysis Process
4. Researcher Reflections
5. Summary

CHAPTER 5 – Findings
1.1. Overview
1.2. Theme Generation Process for the Online Questionnaire and Interview Questions
1.2.1. Prevailing Leadership Style in the Workplace
1.2.2. Finding a Meaning in One’s Work
1.2.3. Autonomy in the Workplace
1.2.4. Leadership Strategies to Facilitate Polymaths’ Performance
1.2.5. Negative Perceptions of Leaders
1.2.6. Importance of Praise
1.2.7. The Impact of Micromanagement on Polymaths’ Performance
1.2.8. Communication in the Workplace
1.2.9. Polymaths’ Input in Developing organisational Objectives, Mission, and Vision
1.2.10. Teamwork Skills
1.2.11. Demographic Information of Participants in the Interviews
1.3. Inductive Themes emerging from the Online Questionnaire
1.3.1. Diverse Developmental Model of Polymathy (Araki, 2018)
1.3.2. Trait Polymathy and Resilience
1.3.3. Polymathic Strategies of Adaptation to a Changing Work Environment
1.3.4. The Polymathic Workplace of the Future
1.4. Summary of the Online Questionnaire Results
2. Theme Generation Process Polymath Interviews
2.1. Polymath’s self-characterization themes
2.1.1. Polymaths Define Themselves as Experts across Disparate Disciplines
2.1.2. Polymath Identity Emerges from not Fitting in a Box
2.1.3. Being Polymathic Impacts One’s Social Experiences
2.1.4. Polymaths Have Difficult Career Choices
2.1.5. Financial Resources Can Both Hinder and Promote Polymathy
2.1.6. Polymaths are Shaped by Their Families
2.1.7. Polymaths are Voracious Learners
2.1.8. Polymaths are Quite Confident but May Also Experience “Imposter Syndrome”
2.1.9. Polymaths Self-Identify as Highly Creative
2.1.10. Polymaths Cannot be Happy as Narrow Specialists
2.1.11. Effective Polymaths are Effective Time Managers
2.1.12. Polymathy is due to Both Nature and Nurture but Polymathic
2.2. Deducted Themes from Online Questionnaire
2.2.1. Autonomy in the Workplace
2.2.2. Input Developing Organisation Skills
2.2.3. Communication in the Workplace
2.2.4. The Impact of Micromanagement
2.2.5. Importance of Praise
2.2.6. Teamwork Skills
2.2.7. Negative Perceptions of Leaders
2.2.8. Leadership Strategies to Facilitate Polymathic Experiences
2.2.9. Finding a Meaning in One’s Work
2.2.10. Prevailing Leadership Style
2.3. Inductive Themes from Online Questionnaire
2.3.1. The Polymathic Workplace of the Future
2.3.2. Strategies of Adaptation
2.3.3. Trait Polymathy and Resilience
2.3.4. Diverse Developmental Models
3. Summary

CHAPTER 6 – Discussion
1. Discussion
2. Discussion of Themes
2.1. Autonomy in The Workplace
2.3. Finding Meaning in One’s Work
2.4. Input Developing organisational Skills
2.5. Communication in the Workplace
2.6. Importance of Praise
2.7. Negative Perceptions of Leaders
2.8. Teamwork Skills
1. Contributions
1.1. Contribution to Theory
1.2. Contribution to Methodology
1.3. Recommendations
1.3.1. Input developing organisational skills -> Achieve results
1.3.2. The prevailing leadership style -> Maximise performance
1.3.3. Path progress
1.3.4. Negative perceptions of leaders -> Build relationships
1.3.5. Foster recognition
1.3.6. Communication in the workplace -> Master Moments
1.3.7. Autonomy in the workplace -> Leverage Strengths
1.3.8. Finding meaning in one’s work -> Make meaning
1.3.9. Importance of praise -> Enhance Well-Being
1.3.10. Teamwork skills -> Enliven Energy
2. Idea Synthesis during Interview Conduct
2.1. Idea One - Constant flow of ideas
2.2. Idea Two - My system, my structure
2.3. Idea Three - IQ follows EQ
2.4. Idea Four - Career Wormhole Paradoxon
2.5. Idea Five - Define as “Specialist in Generalism”
3. Final Thoughts of a Polymath

CHAPTER 7 - Literature

Appendix A: Interview with Victoria

Appendix B: Online questionnaire and semi-structured interview questions

List of Figures

List of Tables

Abstract

Build a niche. Algorithm yourself. Hyperspezialize. The work environment of the 21st century becomes a place of boxes, labels and tags, with leaders on top who are far beyond the capability to direct or steer, but rather react on risk scenarios, market losses and an overarching change aversion. However, as the Universe’s medal has two sides by nature, there is an opposing force that came to light in the last years: Generalism. Not only as a term. Through the centuries unique individuals were able to learn faster, adapt rapidly and synthesised ideas quicker than others, namely: Polymaths. These individuals are part of the working world. Unfortunately, most of them live unheard and uncared for in organisational settings around the world.

This study undertakes a first attempt to shed light on the lived experience of individuals with polymathic tendencies and their experiences with different leadership styles in corporate settings. By applying Zinger’s Framework for employee engagement (Zinger, 2012) twenty-eight self-defined individuals with polymathic tendencies worldwide were asked to answer questions in an online survey about their experiences. The resulting themes were structured and presented to six accomplished Polymaths in a second tier. The qualitative analysis was conducted with MAXQDA.

The results provided evidence for misconceptions and misunderstandings in how Polymaths are understood by leaders in organisational settings in the fields of: (1) autonomy in the workplace, (2) the prevailing leadership style, (3) finding meaning in one’s work, (4) input developing organisational skills, (5) communication in the workplace, (6) importance of praise, (7) negative perceptions of leaders and (8) teamwork skills. The unused potential of Polymaths in corporate settings are highly linked to the grade of engagement companies are willed, to establish. This includes human resource development strategies, two-way communication, getting rid of micromanagement and flat hierarchies.

Satisfied employees are committed, become engaged and deliver better results. Polymaths however can take a company to a whole new level in a world of broken specialisation promises.

Foreword

Polymaths are not an invention of the Renaissance area. They are a little-noticed phenomenon in everyday life. However, now and then one of them breaks through the surface. One of them is Oleksiy Arestovych, an Ukrainian presidential adviser, blogger, actor, political and military columnist. Since February 24, 2022, Arestovych held daily briefings on the current situation regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as an adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine. In 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Oleksiy suddenly was remembered when he predicted an inevitable war with Russia in 2019.

The following excerpt from an interview with MEDUZA, an international daily news publication sheds a light on “hidden” Polymaths in the 21st century.

“MEDUZA: For many, you have become a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance. They call you “the main crash of this war”. What do you think led you to such popularity?

ARESOVYCH: A combination of factors. What was always considered as my weakness - and told me that I was throwing my life away - turned out to be my strength. Me and the military. I'm also an actor - 17 years in theater and film. I've been a psychologist for many years, as well as a philosopher and a theologian. I have my own school of philosophy and psychology, which is very popular. The ability to present myself on camera helped as well. But the most important thing is the sum of skills that I have accumulated. Again, war. Who can explain everything? There are very few people who can explain complex military issues to housewives. Also psychological inurement, which allows you to calmly survive the most difficult moments.

But the main secret is very simple. I have never tried to be anything but myself. There are many craftsmen in politics, in the arts, in psychology, and in the military. Artisans are those who want to be something. They are unnatural. And the stars are the people who are natural in that setting and resonate. That's it.” (Lionsrealm, 2022)

In the light of the ongoing conflict between Russia and the Ukraine, Arestovych becomes a symbol for a new interpretation of David against Goliath. As Polymaths against the hyperspezialisation of algorithms.

CHAPTER 1 – Introduction

1. Overview

The following first chapter delivers a bigger picture of the research conducted in this thesis. The research explored the lived experience of polymathic individuals experiencing different leadership styles in corporate settings. Aim of these introducing sections is to get a deeper understanding of the background, the research gap, the aims of the research, the methodological orientation and the significance of the study. Additionally, it takes into consideration the limitations, deliminations and the derived assumptions. This will lay the fundamental framework for the research study itself.

As the researcher himself is defined as Polymath, a certain amount of potential bias is given, however, throughout the in-depth research process of eighteen months, natural preconceptions were reduced through a rigorous methodological approach and consequent self-analysis with regards to professional distance and reservation in the qualitative data interpretation phase. The active role of the researcher delivered a rich and broad understanding of the topic and the final outcome.

2. Research Background

Since December 2019 mankind has seen a fundamental change of its perceived reality. COVID-19, climate change and finally the war in the Ukraine with its negative effects on Europe left no stone unturned in the business world. Additionally, the internet with its whistle blowers, fake news producers and powerful algorithms restructure our understanding of right and wrong on an hourly basis, leaving more and more people wondering: “What is happening to us?”, “How will it end?” and “What can we do now to get back on track?”. This places a heavy load of responsibility on leaders and managers to rethink concepts like expectation management, strengthening motivation and employee engagement in the workplace.

Employer engagement is understood as the relationship of employees regarding their work environment, their positive attitude towards work and a high level of empowerment (Owen-Nieberding, 2014). However, the factors that influence these concepts are many. Especially leadership is a key element that flourishes or flounders productivity and engagement (Anand, 2017). In times of crises leaders tend to struggle with their improvement of strategic employee engagement development to reach organisational goals (Bakker and Albrecht, 2018). Nevertheless, the necessity to understand employee engagement as a major goal in the management process is crucial to implement sustaining interventions, mainly improving communication (Neves and Eisenberger, 2012). Neglecting the improvement of engagement will inevitably lead to low performance and outcomes in organisational processes (Bisel et al., 2012). According to Nasomboon (Nasomboon, 2014) one possible approach to improve engagement is the fusion of social programs and engagement strategies, as employees who work together with others develop a meaningful work setting in the organisation (Sivapragasam and Raya, 2014).

The challenges the post-pandemic area and the ongoing war in the Ukraine provide are fundamental to leaders, managers and employees alike (Kauff, 2021). One of the most disruptive trends in this context are the “Great Resignation”, “Big Quit” or “Great Reshuffle” movement around the world (Chugh, 2021). The crisis catalysed unmet challenges and unsolved problems from the past. Managers are not the main “to go to” experts as strategic solution developer, implementer, executor and controller in one person anymore (Nicolaides and McCallum, 2013). Understanding the necessity to rely on employee skills, knowledge and effort is a crucial factor to keep an organisation competitive in the decade ahead (Robinson and Shuck, 2019).

When it comes to developing a sustaining organisational process structure to reach goals, employee engagement is a main pillar for success (Bakker and Demerouti, 2017; Eldor and Harpaz, 2016; Saks and Gruman, 2014). This includes desired skills like (1) creativity (Reijseger et al., 2017; Toyama and Mauno, 2017), (2) performance, (3) open and broad mindedness, (4) initiative (Reijseger et al., 2017), (5) satisfaction, (6) commitment (Biswas and Bhatnagar, 2013) and (7) productivity (Kataria et al., 2013).

As each employee is an individual with wishes and ideas it is stated that the main decision that is undertaken in organisational settings to categorise employees comes in two flavours: specialists and generalists. While it is proven that leaders with general manager skills receive higher payment than specialised colleagues, the opposite is true for employees where specialists earn higher salaries than generalists. However, there are individuals in the working field that are not only “natural born generalists” or multi-potential characters, but classified as “Polymaths” (Root-Bernstein and Root-Bernstein, 2019). According to the authors who cite Burke (Burke, 2020) Polymathy can be defined as follows: “As must by now be clear, polymathy comes in different shapes and sizes. Burke has proposed four qualitative types of polymaths distinguishable by intellectual breadth and practice within and across disciplines:

“1. Passive polymaths, who are broadly educated or widely read in many disciplines but actively engage in none, or work in only one. An example of a passive polymath would the individual mentioned above who had earned twenty-three master’s degrees in as many subjects, to no creative purpose.
2. Limited polymaths, whose activities cluster around closely related disciplines. Mozart and Picasso represent the type. Both stayed within well-defined fields of endeavour, yet explored every aspect, material, and technique of the music or art of their day, masterfully integrating diverse themes and methods and inventing new forms. As their examples make clear, a limited polymath can be extraordinarily creative.
3. Serial polymaths, who forge reputations in multiple disciplines one after another, often across fields. Gordon Parks exemplifies the serial polymath, one who broke through artistic silos as well as colour barriers in 20th century America, a public success in all his ventures. He originally made his reputation as a fashion photographer and a documentary photojournalist before turning to poetry, autobiographical fiction, script writing, filmmaking, music composition and, finally, painting.
4. Proper polymaths, who make recognized contributions to several disciplines and/or fields simultaneously. Leonardo da Vinci remains the archetype, although modern exemplar such as MIT’s Erik Demaine, a mathematical prodigy turned computer innovator, ground-breaking origami artist, and glass sculptor, reminds us, along with Herbert Simon, that such polymaths can still be found today.”

A shorter definition was presented by Root-Bernstein (Root-Bernstein and Root-Bernstein, 2019): “Active engagement in multiple interests or endeavours that draw upon or synthesise vocations and/or avocations, simultaneously or serially, across the lifespan.”

Taking into consideration the challenges of the coming years and the need for creative and innovative ideas, the question that every CEO should take to heart is: “What if there are polymaths in our company?” or much worse: “What if they left the company … yesterday?”.

The following section gives a reasoning for the gap of research in this field.

3. Gap in Research

The goal of this qualitative study was to understand the phenomenon of employee engagement of “Polymaths” in organisational settings and its implications for strategic management and human resource development, as this issue was never researched in the field of business administration until now. The population sample included an online questionnaire with 28 individuals with polymathic tendencies around the world in a first tier and six in-depth interviews with accomplished Polymaths in a second tier. A literature review laid the ground for the deductive development of the survey questions, while the semi-structured interview questions were developed deductively and inductively from the results of the online survey. The themes that emerged in the interviews were finally summed up and newly emerging themes were arranged separately.

The reason for this research is grounded in the personal work experience history of the researcher who is classified as a Polymath. While working in different organisational settings the researcher was confronted with many different leadership styles. Two triggering events led to the idea to conduct research in this field. One leader, who actually understood intuitively the pros and cons of a generalist in his workplace, and one leader, who did not understand it. One setting was flourishing and nurturing the skills and competencies, the second one was floundering and hindering the potentials, resulting in severe mental health issues.

The researcher came to understand that there might be other polymathic individuals in corporate settings that struggle with similar problems. The decision to conduct this study was therefore based on the wishes to (1) help other Polymaths understand who they are, what they need to be engaged and how to communicate these needs to superiors. On the other hand, the researcher wished to (2) present his findings to human resource managers, CEO’s and headhunters to improve recruiting processes, as well as an optimal development of the capacities a Polymath brings to the workplace.

The research therefore tries to close the research gap of how Polymaths can be engaged as employees in corporate settings, seen from a personal experience level and a qualitative research level as a phenomenon in the workplace of the 21st century.

4. Aims of the research

The phenomenological research approach takes into consideration the newness of the topic “polymathy in corporate settings”. The aim was to get a deeper understanding of the lived experience of individuals with polymathic tendencies in everyday work regarding their engagement and motivation. To deliver a broad picture of the phenomenon, the academic literature on engagement theories was read and reviewed from the leadership perspective, from the employee engagement and from the theoretical framework point of view. This led to a clearly defined research gap regarding the trait polymathy (Bachkirova, 2016). As the lived experience of individuals with polymathic tendencies gained centre stage in this study, the perception of leaders and managers was not included. However, the in-depth interviews with accomplished Polymaths included four of six people that are actually in leadership positions. The formulation of the initial research question: “What are the lived experiences of polymathic individuals with different leadership styles in corporate settings?” was transformed to “What are the lived experiences of polymathic individuals experiencing different leadership styles in corporate settings?” for clarification. The accompanying sub-questions were derived from there on to present opposing perceptions: (1) “Which leadership behaviour leads to flourishing engagement in polymathic individuals?” and (2) “Which leadership behaviour leads to floundering engagement in polymathic individuals?”.

The dynamic processes in qualitative research led to complex challenges, but also interesting insights in the experiences of Polymaths. The main focus of research was put on the individual experiences and how these experiences influence the perceived work reality and the self in meaning making process of engagement. Three research interest pillars were defined parallel to the research question development. (1) The work engagement experience, (2) the interpretative conclusions of these experiences and (3) the individual perceptions of the trait Polymathy.

The following section gives an overview about the Methodological Approach and the conceptual framework.

5. Methodological Approach and Conceptual Framework

Since Kahn’s (Kahn, 1990) groundbreaking research in employer engagement many theories emerged over the years. While Kahn understood cognitive, emotional and behavioural engagement as founding concepts, other authors developed the core elements of his framework to ensure proper strategic implementation flowcharts for organisations. As cognition, emotions and behaviour are subjective by nature, qualitative research dives into the necessity to combine the logic behind beliefs, assumptions and expectations, as well as the derived concepts and theories from individual standpoints.

The theory Kahn (Kahn, 1990) proclaimed pivoted around the challenges of employee engagement and the productivity of an organisation. The research at hand took this basic interrelation understanding as given and the assumption that several perceived and unperceived factors interfere with each other as a natural fact of work.

After testing different models, namely (1) The Zinger Model (Zinger, 2012), (2) the Deloitte Model (Bersin, 2015), (3) the AON Hewitt Model (Hewitt, 2021) (4) the Khan theory (Kahn, 1990) and (5) Maslow’s Model (Maslow, 1943), the researcher decided to use the Zinger Model, as it suited the aim of the research best to deliver useful insights, recommendations and foremost answer the research questions. The main exclusion factor for the Deloitte Model was the fact that it announced itself “to create a workplace that is irresistible to workers” by creating an organisational culture, which is not really necessary to Polymaths due to their high adaptability skills and the intrinsic wish to make the workplace and their work irresistible. The AON Hewitt Modell was too formulaic, limited and therefore specialised in its approach to simply “Say, stay, strive”, which does not meet the multi-potential work approach of Polymaths. Maslow and Khan finally were not appropriate, as the first one was announced in 1943, a time that could not take into consideration the fast paced development of organisations through digitalisation, while the latter one grounded in the “no limits”-Zeitgeist of the 80’s was too limited, with regards to the opposing post-pandemic challenges of the year 2022. The Zinger model with its pyramid structure consisting of ten essential actions a leader should undertake to improve employee engagement was the most suitable framework, as it is goal-oriented and action-driven from the leadership perspective, which fits the claim of the researcher to present recommendations to the “higher ranks” as an overall goal of this study.

The following section discusses the significance of the study from the added value to strategic management and human resource development perspective.

6. Significance of the Study

An informed and strategically planned approach to employee engagement development is crucial for success. The results from this study will deliver the following insights to managers, leaders and human resource specialists. (1) If the organisation employs Polymaths, how can they be supported and developed, (2) if the organisation has more than one Polymath, how can they be merged in special task units and integrated in the strategic processes, (3) if the organisation has no Polymaths, how can they be recruited, (4) if the organisation had Polymaths in their ranks, how could they be motivated to join the organisation again. As research shows, engaged employees and positive outcomes are interrelated (Guaspari, 2015). However, there is still a massive chasm in literature on employee engagement, especially with the COVID-19 related necessity for remote work and the according increase of digital communication paths (Bekirogullari, 2019).

The better managers, leaders and human resource specialists understand the issues around employer engagement, the better the overall results of the organisation will turn out. The implementation of a human resource development strategy for Polymaths is highly connected to the understanding of the pros and cons that come with this trait.

The next section discusses the assumptions and limitations of the study.

7. Assumptions and Limitations

As all theory-based research has to come to terms with assumptions and limitations, the study at hand draws the following lines to narrow the research field down. Assumption No. 1 took into consideration that there are individuals out there that define themselves as Polymaths, but are actually highly efficient time managers and learners or self-acclaimed Polymaths without proof or narcist personality types or don’t define themselves as Polymaths as the surrounding culture accepts certain quirks of creativity or innovation potential as “normal”. So, the researcher tried to sift out these individuals through an online questionnaire proceeding with the collective emerging themes. Interestingly enough many participants declined as they didn’t feel comfortable with the term Polymath and stated that this would be “too presumptuous” or simply “not them”. Assumption No. 2 was derived from Assumption No. 1 accepting that all participants told the truth and answered honestly. Assumption No. 3 accepted that the emerging themes were a mixture of deductive and inductive findings based on the lived experience of individuals which are not generalizable for different populations around the world. The phenomenon Polymathy is an individual trait independent of culture, race, gender, age, religion or upbringing.

As limitations and therefore weaknesses of the study the following points can be brought forward: (1) personal changing beliefs systems can interfere with the self-perception of the individual and therefore out of the researchers control, (2) a rather small sample of the seeked for individuals, which on the other hand might be an indication that there are either people out there who still don’t know about their trait or live in settings that allow the live their polymathy without interference, (3) the discussions between interviewee and researcher might lead to thought and answer bias in the participants, (4) using a semi-structured interview guideline could hinder the full and free flow of thoughts of the interview partners and (5) a geographical limitation arise as polymaths from the USA were not contacted, as the initial research design focused on people from Europe and Eastern Europe in the online survey and the DACH region and UK in the interview setting. The reason for excluding participants from the USA was the fact that they were included and discussed in the research from Cotellessa (Cotellessa and Marquardt, 2018).

As phenomenology samples have rather small sample sizes, the number of 28 participants in the online survey and six interview partners justify the use of a phenomenological research approach. However, the small sample size is a major issue regarding generalizability and diversification (Guest, 2017). Selection bias was excluded as 180 individuals were invited personally to participate in the online survey, which means that the answers of 14% of the invited population were mapped, with a confidence interval of 90% and a margin error of 10%. Given the fact that individuals with polymath traits are rare and these individuals were looked for in the LinkedIn Group “Multipotentialite - we excel in everything” with 314 members, from which self-employed individuals and USA citizens were excluded, the resulting sample size fits statistical needs to be trustworthy.

The following section sums up the Chapter framework of the thesis at hand.

8. Chapter Framework

The thesis is divided in 8 Chapters and an Appendix, which fits the conventions of a standard thesis in social science.

Chapter 1 gives an overview on the topic. It lays foundation for the research itself, as it gives insight in the background, sets stage for the research gap and problem, as well as for the justification, the used research method and the main limitations.

Chapter 2 delivers an overview over the existing literature, taking into consideration that there is a certain limit to the papers that can be read and included to the topic, as it would break the mould of the research. Therefore, the researcher decided to focus on the existing key papers and research results not older than five years, except an older work was necessary for understanding or supporting a chronological development argument. The review is divided in three sections, looking at engagement (1) from the leadership perspective, (2) from the Employer perspective and finally (3) summing up the relevant elements around Polymathy.

Chapter 3 defines the methodology. The research design, the underneath lying philosophy and the role of the researcher. Additionally. it clarifies the sample size, data collection and data analysis phase, together with the reliability, validity and ethical implications.

Chapter 4 goes deeper in the data analysis part, and describes the deductive process from deriving major themes from the literature, creating the online survey questions, deriving the resulting answers and clustering them to develop the semi-structured interview guideline.

Chapter 5 presents the findings of the online questionnaire categorised in the emerging themes, which are divided in (1) deductive findings and (2) inductive findings by the survey participants. Then a broad section follows that includes the analysis of the in-depth interviews with the experts. Here an indirect validation process was implemented. Cotellessa (2017) found 12 overarching themes that define Polymaths lived experiences. This analysis part tried to find these themes in the six expert interviews to verify that their answers proof the trait polymathy sui generis. After this an interpretation section took care of the deductive findings in the online survey and the inductive findings. The chapter closes with an overview of the found themes.

Chapter 6 discusses the findings from the recommendation point of view that was seeked for in the first place. The discussion part also includes new ideas that emerged naturally in the interviews, as “idea synthesis” is a major skill of the trait polymathy and affirms the intention to deliver recommendations for further development of the topic.

Chapter 7 finally draws the conclusions and leads out of the thesis. Theoretical and practical implications are made and a lookout to the future is made.

Chapter 8 and the Appendix include the used literature, the online questionnaire and a sample of an interview transcript.

9. Summary

The introduction chapter is understood as an “opener” to the research work. It highlights major aspects of the conducted study, gives justification to certain aspects like research gap, aim of the research, research question, the used method, the significance and its limitations. Therefore, it lays the ground for the following chapters.

As the researcher is defined as a Polymath himself, all the following writings have to be understood from a phenomenological and auto-ethnographical perspective. The developed interpretation position is as unbiased as possible through the various methodological steps as far as possible.

CHAPTER 2 – Literature Review

1. Introduction

This chapter represents a literature review on the development of the multifunctional employee in today’s organisations. The focus is on getting the most out of polymaths skillset in a company. This is because polymaths’ diverse skills and knowledge can be used strategically by organisations to improve their productivity and image across different audiences. Different topics are covered in this literature review, as initially the issue of engagement is discussed from the leadership and the employee perspectives. By including these two perspectives in the discussion, the goal is to demonstrate objective and neutral arguments on the importance of employee engagement as seen from multiple angles.

In addition, the literature review provides significant details about the importance of developing effective leadership styles. This is because the adoption of a particular leadership style can either improve or impede employee engagement in organisations. The diversity in leadership styles explains how certain leadership traits can be combined to create an optimal leadership model that can help employees boost their performance. In this context, the value of employee engagement is thoroughly discussed in this chapter, implying that highly engaged employees are usually quite productive and efficient in achieving specific organisational objectives. Along with effective leadership, communication is also discussed to play a key role in determining the level of employee engagement in organisations.

The most substantial part of the discussion initiated in this literature review comprises the information provided on polymaths or multi-disciplinaries. The specific characteristics of polymaths are introduced to emphasise how these employees can bring long-term benefits to organisations. It is specified that the prevailing opinion in the literature regarding polymaths is that their characteristics emerge as a result of extensive training rather than being inherited. The combination of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills of polymaths represents another important section in this literature review, indicating how these two types of skills are valuable to the strategic growth of polymaths and organisations. The discussion of the pros and cons of polymaths in organisations reveals important insights into the specific features of multifunctional employees.

2. Engagement from the Leadership Perspective

Considering employee engagement from the leadership perspective implies specific strategies introduced by leaders to ensure that employees are highly engaged with realising the mission and vision of the organisation. Such proactive leaders aim at achieving results that could ensure that organisations gain a sustainable competitive advantage.

According to Suyanti (Suyanti et al., 2019) the following sum up of a SWOT analysis of different engagement models allows an overview of the main initiative actions management can undertake (see Table 1).

Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten

Table 1: Initiative actions in different engagement models (Suyanti et al., 2019)

An important model used by managers is identified as the Zinger model of employee engagement (Hussainy, 2020). The greatest advantage of the respective model are the practical steps managers have to follow in order to contribute to enhanced employee engagement. This model has a pyramid structure (see Figure 1) which suggests a specific hierarchy in adhering to employee needs as adequately connected to their engagement levels.

Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten

Figure 1: Pyramid of Employee Engagement Model (Zinger, 2012)

The bottom row of the pyramid in the Zinger model of employee engagement is to meet the basic necessities of employees in order to perform well in their organisation. The most important steps managers are expected to take relate to enhancing employees’ wellbeing, discussing their strengths, and providing them with a meaningful work environment (Zinger, 2012). Moreover, managers actively support employees to bring their energy to the workplace and claim their solid presence in terms of discussing different solutions to emerging organisational problems.

Another important level of the Zinger model of employee engagement is described as uniting the organisation which can be done at several levels. The development of strong relationships between employees and leaders is at the core of optimal employee engagement, improved organisational performance, and increased productivity (Hussainy, 2020). Leaders should be proactive in promoting greater flexibility and transparency while encouraging employees to make relevant connections in the workplace (Zinger, 2012). In this context, leaders assume their solid position and authority to foster recognition. By recognizing employees’ contribution to the organisation, leaders convey a positive message about the strengths and dedication manifested by each single employee. It has become important for leaders to develop an organisational culture which favours the process of mastering distinct moments (Suyanti et al., 2019). This process is closely linked to the mental and emotional presence of employees in the sense that they are so engaged with their work that they experience high levels of job satisfaction and motivation. The third essential role in the Zinger model of employee engagement is represented by leadership actions aimed at improving employee performance. One such action is recognized as optimising performance. Both managers and leaders should improve their coordination on providing optimal work conditions to employees (Zinger, 2012). In this way, it is important to ensure that employees have no barriers to improving their performance, as this strategic goal is linked to prospects for increased organisational productivity and profitability (Hussainy, 2020). Another action demonstrated by leaders is to mark employees’ progress. All milestones related to employee performance should be properly documented and communicated to employees, as this could serve as an additional motivating element (Wang et al., 2019).

The top of the pyramid structure evident in the Zinger model of employee engagement is the actual process of achieving results. It is apparent that enhanced employee engagement implies high achievers who are committed to their work, the organisation, and the numerous possibilities they have to advance their careers (Zinger, 2012). Achieving optimal results is the ultimate goal of leaders as they are concerned with improving the competitiveness of their organisation. Therefore, such ambitious leaders promote employee engagement at different organisational levels.

Furthermore, the concept of employee engagement as seen from the leadership perspective indicates leaders’ recognition of the decision-making potential of employees. In other words, the emphasis is upon the solid belief in the qualities employees have to make optimal decisions (Kaur, 2017). In fact, leaders are focused on instilling greater trust within the organisation so that employees could feel free to share their insights or creative solutions to different problems that may be encountered.

Leaders play a crucial role in motivating employees to find meaning in their work. Giving greater autonomy to people is important because they want to have better control over their work. When employees have ownership of their work, the process of completing specific job tasks can become more facilitated, and this could have optimal effects on organisational performance and productivity (Yasin Ghadi et al., 2013; Zinger, 2012). Those employees who are able to find meaning in their work are more committed to their organisation’s mission and vision.

Employee engagement is a concept that is regularly evaluated by leaders in order to adopt the most appropriate policies which could benefit all stakeholders in organisations. In this continuous assessment process, effective leaders are concerned with the practical implications of cultural hires (da Costa et al., 2018). This shows their focus on recruiting individuals whose values and principles correspond to the culture adopted by a particular organisation. Such leaders are cautious to make decisions, which indicates the presence of cross-cultural skills.

Organisations that promote employee engagement illustrate the importance of providing significant growth opportunities to employees. Effective leaders aim at identifying any examples of employee stagnation because this could have a rather negative effect on employee engagement and motivation in the long term (Kaur, 2017). Yet a similar scenario can be avoided when leaders provide training and continuous support on the job. From this perspective, it is essential to note leaders’ fundamental role in facilitating talent mobility (Zinger, 2012). This means leaders should frequently communicate with employees to help them determine their career progress and professional development opportunities.

The concept of employee engagement from the leadership perspective also implies a substantial amount of trust in the concept of leadership per se. In order to fully engage employees, leaders should clearly communicate the organisation’s purpose and mission to the workforce (Kaur, 2017). It has been argued that mission-driven organisations tend to perform better because of high employee input and effectiveness as well as more opportunities for innovation. In developing and communicating their organisation’s mission, leaders demonstrate their personal qualities and strengths that identify them with specific leadership styles (da Costa et al., 2018). For instance, both transformational and visionary leadership styles are found inspiring to leading employees to improve their levels of engagement within the organisation.

Good leaders also constantly invest in people and they make sure to communicate this aspect to both existing and potential employees. The importance of learning and development is incorporated into all organisational activities (McDermott et al., 2011). In this way, employees are provided with a chance to demonstrate their potential and learn from their mistakes. When leaders take the time to know their employees, this conveys a rather positive message to individuals in the sense that their contribution to the organisation is highly valued (Osborne and Hammoud, 2017). Such leaders offer frequent and constructive feedback which additionally motivates employees to build on their strengths and overcome their weaknesses by becoming more proactive.

Leaders can have a solid influence on changing employees’ intrinsic motivation, which is defined as: “the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfaction rather than for some separable consequence.” (Ryan and Deci, 2000). This implies opportunities for employees to improve their engagement because a similar aspect illustrates leaders’ firm belief in employees and willingness to invest in them (McDermott et al., 2011). The focus on intrinsic motivation as manifested by leaders sets a positive example for employees to follow, especially when employees need to see how they contribute to the success of the organisation (Crawford et al., 2010; Saks and Gruman, 2014). It appears that leaders should experiment with their approaches in order to reach more extensively to employees. It is important that workers are provided with sufficient, challenging work that can trigger their professional development within the organisation.

[...]

• Note: 1.5
• Autor: Dr. Florian Stummer (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2022
• Seiten: 406
• Katalognummer: V1285722
• ISBN (PDF): 9783346767233
• ISBN (Buch): 9783346767240
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: Polymathy, Employee Engagement, Leadership Style, Change Management, Management Innovation