Professor of Practice Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business
Reigniting Employee Engagement
What You'll Learn
- Recognize the need for reimagining and reigniting workplace engagement.
- Become equipped with an easy-to-use framework to increase engagement.
4 Modules
16 Hours
4 hrs per module (approx.)
Rating
About Reigniting Employee Engagement
Welcome to Reigniting Employee Engagement with Professors J. Sanchez-Burks and Cheri Alexander. Engagement at work is tenuous at best. Stress and unhappiness remain elevated resulting in a myriad of challenges that limit the ability for us and others to thrive in our jobs. This course introduces three interactive levers, which can be used to reignite employee engagement. These levers include strategies and tools for surfacing what others care about, how to increase their confidence and ways to take better control of the comparisons that influence how we make sense of our environment. This course will use interactive tools, videos and animated vignettes to develop a strategic plan for using these levers in your work, and possibly in your personal life. This course aims to help you go forward with positive personal engagement in your lives, teams and organizations. We look forward to this partnership in learning and are excited to provide you with engaging content and stimulating exercises that will be fun and reflective.
Skills You'll Gain
- Change Management
- Employee Engagement Strategy
- Employee Motivation
- Leadership
- Management
- Team Motivation
What You'll Earn
- Certificate of Completion:
- Certificates of completion acknowledge knowledge acquired upon completion of a non-credit course or program.
Welcome Message
Welcome to Reigniting Employee Engagement, an online course focused on helping individuals and organizations restore motivation, connection, and purpose at work. You will explore three practical levers—care, confidence, and comparisons—that shape engagement and well-being. Through reflection, interactive activities, and real-world examples, this course supports the creation of personal and professional strategies to foster healthier, more engaged teams and workplaces.
This abbreviated syllabus description was created with the help of AI tools and reviewed by staff. The full syllabus is available to those who enroll in the course.
Course Schedule
Module 1: Understanding and Reigniting Engagement
- Video: Course Introduction
- Video: Cheri Alexander and Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks Introductions
- Video: Course Learning Objectives
- Reading: Course Syllabus
- Reading: Pre-Course Survey
- Video: Return to Normal
- Video: Discombobulated, Disengaged, Discontent
- Video: Activity 1: Pre/Post Photos Introduction
- Reading: Introduction to the Gamut Workbook
- App Item: Activity 1: Pre/Post Photos
- Video: Why Reflection?
- Video: Introducing the Gear Framework
- Video: Myth vs. Reality of the Bad Boss
- Ungraded Plugin: Vignette: Recognition by Donuts
- App Item: Activity 2: Myth of the Bad Boss
- Reading: Content Notice
- Video: Looking Back on Week 1
- Discussion Prompt: Week 1 Reflection
- Reading: Optional Readings and Resources
- Graded: Quiz 1
Module 2: The Care Lever of Engagement
- Ungraded Plugin: Vignette: Engagement Survey
- Video: Introducing Gallup
- Video: Strengths and Limitations of Gallup Data
- Reading: More Information about Gallup
- Video: Care Gear and Predictive Validity
- Video: Human Case for Engagement
- Ungraded Plugin: Vignette: Best Friend at Work
- Video: Biggest Predictor of Engagement: What People Care About
- Ungraded Plugin: Copy of Vignette: Engagement Survey
- Video: Activity 3: Caring Collection Introduction
- App Item: Activity 3: Caring Collection
- Video: Three Reasons to Understand What Others Care About
- Video: Strategies for Understanding Others
- Video: More Examples of Boosting Engagement: Call Centers and Bogota
- Video: Engagement in Virtual Collaborations
- Video: Study the Extremes & Leverage Follow-Up Questions
- Video: Activity 4: Being a Caring Anthropologist Introduction
- App Item: Activity 4: Being a Caring Anthropologist
- Reading: Content Notice
- Video: Happy Hour: Looking Back on Week 2
- Discussion Prompt: Week 2 Reflection
- Reading: Optional Readings and Resources
- Graded: Quiz 2
Module 3: The Confidence Lever of Engagement
- Ungraded Plugin: Vignette: Development
- Video: Three Gears of Engagement: Confidence
- Reading: Take the Confidence Code Quiz
- Video: How Self-Confident Are You?
- Video: Confidence Builders
- Video: Activity 5: Confidence Builders Introduction
- App Item: Activity 5: Confidence Builders
- Video: 3 Fundamental Motives
- Ungraded Plugin: Vignette: Feedback
- Video: Activity 6: Wise Feedback Introduction
- App Item: Activity 6: Wise Feedback
- Reading: TED Talk: The secret to giving great feedback
- Ungraded Plugin: Vignette: Four Steps of Excellent Feedback
- Video: Activity 7: 4 Part Feedback Introduction
- App Item: Activity 7: 4 Part Feedback
- Reading: Content Notice
- Video: Looking Back on Week 3
- Discussion Prompt: Week 3 Reflection
- Reading: Optional Readings and Resources
- Graded: Quiz 3
Module 4: The Comparisons Lever of Engagement
- Video: Social Comparison Theory
- Ungraded Plugin: Vignette: I Hate My Computer
- Video: Introduction to the Work of René Girard
- Reading: René Girard Explains Mimetic Desire
- Ungraded Plugin: Vignette: Mimetic Desire
- Video: Formula for Social Comparisons
- Ungraded Plugin: Vignette: Performance Review
- Video: Performance Management
- Video: Social Comparisons in Action
- Reading: Content Notice
- Video: Looking Back on Week 4
- Discussion Prompt: Week 4 Reflection
- Reading: Optional Readings and Resources
- Video: Course Reflection
- Reading: Post-Course Survey
- Reading: Continue Learning With Professors Sanchez-Burks and Alexander
- Graded: Quiz 4
Grading Policy
Learners are assessed through quizzes designed to measure understanding of each module’s content. To pass the course, learners must earn an overall score of 80% or higher. Quizzes allow unlimited attempts and require a minimum score of 80% to pass. Each quiz is worth 25% of your final grade.
William Russell Kelly Professor of Business Administration Professor of Management and Organizations
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
Intermediate Level
Learners may take away more from this course if they have work experience.
