Looking for ideas to help engagement (manufacturing facility 90 - 100 employees)

Any organization tends to follow the lead of the management. If management is poor, then morale, production, retention - pretty much everything - tends to be poor. I would suggest you start O3s with your direct reports, have regular staff meetings, and proceed from there. Remember the "don't make changes for 90 days" rule, but even that might have exceptions if you find something obviously wrong (or illegal, unsafe, etc.). Whatever you want to accomplish, starting it from your directs is the way to implement any improvements. You might simply ask, "Do any of you have any ideas how we can improve __________?" The blank should be filled with something concrete. "Engagement" is too nebulous. What needs to be improved in a more active sense? Morale? Production? Any particular areas having problems?

One thing I do is I try to smile and say hello to everyone, everyday, the first time I see them. I will also take a few minutes to ask about any particulars I am aware of, such as, "Did your wife call her family to tell them about your daughter's citizenship award?" Use the wife's and daughter's name, if you know them. If you don't know the names, learn the names. These are little things, but they tend to percolate through the group.

Another thing you might try would be simply to put up a suggestions box, and actually check it daily. Just verbally asking about things is also good. A simple, "How are things going in your area today?" to a supervisor might give you insights into the situation.

Good luck! Repairing something that's broken is usually harder than keeping it from breaking in the first place. Apparently, you've inherited something broken already. Note that all of these suggestions come from a high I DISC communicator, so evaluate the suggestions with that in mind.

I am at a site that has experienced the same thing you are talking about. I have been here for about a year now and one of the things that impressed me most was a simple thing - posting pictures of individual employees and the work that they perform. I know that it doesn't sound like much but now employees are actively looking for their pictures and raising questions when we move them to new locations. We have also begun to recognize employees for improvement ideas that get implemented and for production excellence.
Alone none of these will do much, but when you combine them all together with an active leadership team you will see things start to change.

I hope that this helps.
Mac

So I would want to know why there is so much turnover in management, can you find out?  This tells me either they were being asked to do too much, they were treated as assistants, or they were treated rudely.  That will be your first eye opening expereince.  The best thing Ive ever done is having quick 15-minute meetings every morning just to collect as a group, just talk about what's going on that day, build as a team.  You have a corportate culture that you are battling as well as a rumor mill.  Survey the staff and ask them how to improve things.

I agree with donm's comment title. There is no magic bullet that is going to resolve this issue overnight. The issue is a lot like weight loss in the fact that its going to have to be a daily exercise and the gains are going to be small in measurement. While actual activities need to be shaped to fit the organization, I do have a few books that would be a great foundation for a plan moving forward. The Progress Principle, Turn This Ship Around, and It's Your Ship. I have implemented many of the ideas found in these books as well as the Management Trinity and seen a tremendous improvement in morale and performance. Good luck and keep moving forward in your quest. The Progress Principle (link - http://www.amazon.com/Progress-Principle-Ignite-Engagement-Creativity/dp...) Turn This Ship Around (link - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-ke...) It's Your Ship (link - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-ke...)

I agree with donm's comment title. There is no magic bullet that is going to resolve this issue overnight. The issue is a lot like weight loss in the fact that its going to have to be a daily exercise and the gains are going to be small in measurement. While actual activities need to be shaped to fit the organization, I do have a few books that would be a great foundation for a plan moving forward. The Progress Principle, Turn This Ship Around, and It's Your Ship. I have implemented many of the ideas found in these books as well as the Management Trinity and seen a tremendous improvement in morale and performance. Good luck and keep moving forward in your quest. The Progress Principle (link - http://www.amazon.com/Progress-Principle-Ignite-Engagement-Creativity/dp...) Turn This Ship Around (link - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-ke...) It's Your Ship (link - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-ke...)