In Cultivating Engagement: Mastering Inclusive Leadership, Culture Change, and Data-Informed Decision Making, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover draws on over two decades working as both an academic researcher and culture change consultant to provide an authoritative guide for organizational leaders seeking to foster truly inclusive, innovative and high-performing work cultures.
Westover emphasizes that cultivating true employee engagement and sustainability is an ongoing journey, not a destination. It requires commitment to an inclusive leadership approach, placing empathy, compassion, continuous learning and relationships at the forefront above quick fixes or purely strategic plans. Throughout seven comprehensive sections and 29 chapters, Westover weaves themes of inclusion, well-being, talent optimization, and progress. Readers will find discussions and tools covering foundational elements of inclusive leadership, building psychologically safe and high-performing teams, understanding diverse generational characteristics and leveraging individual strengths, rethinking factors like meetings and remote work with humanity in mind, addressing pay equity and other cultural issues, equipping leaders for their own growth, and aligning data practices with holistic human experiences.
Underlying each topic is Westover's philosophy that maximizing both people and performance long-term demands systems thinking balanced with understanding diverse experiences. Managers will gain perspective through reflections on Westover's own triumphs and challenges encountered as a consultant. The book aims to spark and support positive long-term change through sharing valuable lessons, insights and real-world case studies of progress realized. With its integrated framework and translatable strategies, Cultivating Engagement provides a comprehensive blueprint for leading authentically inclusive workplace transformations.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Cultivating Engagement: Mastering Inclusive Leadership, Culture Change, and Data-Informed Decision Making. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.5