by Kenneth W. Thomas. According to Thomas (emer., business and public policy, Naval Postgraduate School), intrinsic motivation is the key to employee engagement. He defines engagement as the degree to which people actively self-manage their work. Extrinsic rewards such as salaries, bonuses, commissions, perks, and benefits do not come from the work itself, and these rewards lead to compliance, not to commitment or initiative. In contrast, Thomas relates how intrinsic rewards build on an employee's sense of meaningfulness, perceptions of freedom to make choices, feelings of competence, and sense of progress toward a collaborative climate and achievement of goals. He advises that leaders should learn to manage their own intrinsic rewards and ensure they play a positive role in developing them in others. They should also listen to employees, deemphasize money, and provide credible evidence for the intrinsic rewards. The volume contains quotes from major management researchers, and various charts and tables are scattered throughout the text. Each chapter concludes with questions for reflection. The three-volume Building High-Performance People and Organizations (CH, May'09, 46-5118), edited by Martha Finney, provides greater detail about employee engagement. Thomas's book offers practitioner-style reading with an academic base and scholarly references. --Choice
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