Meaningful engagement is the key to getting people to make and own the change. However, there is a difference between meaningful engagement and disingenuous engagement. Disingenuous engagement occurs when minor or irrelevant tasks are delegated to those being changed under the guise of important involvement. Meaningful engagement results from involvement in activities and decisions that truly shape the change.
Meaningful engagement occurs when delegated projects and tasks are characterized by one of more in the following criteria.
- The assignment causes people to generate important information about the current state of the organization relative to the desired future state that will drive understanding and create forward tension
- The assignment causes people to identify gaps, develop alternative solutions to the gaps, and suggest viable solution alternatives
- The assignment causes people to figure out how to implement, stabilize, and sustain the chosen alternative