CRC Press Meaningful Partnership at Work: How The Workplace Covenant Ensures Mutual Accountability and Success between Leaders and Teams

Why are some work partnerships exceptional while most are not? How can we establish and sustain an enhanced level of cohesion, connection, and collaboration in the most important work relationship, the one between a manager and team? What could remedy the high levels of isolation and anxiety so many feel at work these days? Silver and Franz explore the concept of ‘meaningful partnership’ in the workplace. They present meaningful partnership as a mindset where both leaders and their teams are fully committed to ensuring the support and success of the other. Then, they describe a model called ERTAP, which stands for Empathy, Respect, Trust, Alignment, and Partnership, which is the foundation for meaningful partnership. Finally, they detail a practical yet transformative relationship-building process referred to as the Workplace Covenant. This enables leaders and teams to create mutual commitments with obligatory weight that help them to feel accountable for the success of the relationship and each other. The book includes real client stories that illustrate the dimensions of partnership and the Workplace Covenant process. Silver and Franz also outline other work relationships that can benefit from meaningful partnership, pitfalls to avoid, relevant research, and insights derived from years of consulting experience. This book is a must-read for leaders interested in a better working relationship with their team; for teams who have critical work partnerships with other teams; for individuals who work closely with other individuals and need an exceptional 1:1 partnership; and finally for third-party experts in HR or continuous improvement who are seeking a new powerful way to help clients feel supported and be more successful. Review When teams work remotely, managers often ask, "How can I manage them if I can’t see them?" Whether virtual or co-located, however, Meaningful Partnership at Work offers an eminently workable, practical approach that managers and team members will find indispensable to the performance management process. -- Wayne F. Cascio, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado and former President of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology   Meaningful Partnership at Work by Silver and Franz represents the next step beyond traditional thinking about employee engagement. While many treatments of engagement focus on how to build passion and commitment among individual workers, The Workplace Covenant focuses on how to build a corporate culture where the promise of engagement matches the corporate culture. Are you a manager or HR person looking for a way to take your organization to higher levels of productivity? If so, you really must look at this book… -- William J. Rothwell, Professor of Workforce Education, The Pennsylvania State University and President, Rothwell & Associates, Inc.  This work does not fall under the category of "must read" but instead "must do!" Meaningful Partnership at Work is very timely and much needed by all organizations regardless of size or scope especially during times of upheaval and uncertainty. -- Fernán R. Cepero, Senior Human Resources Business Partner, YMCA of Greater Rochester, Association Office   Meaningful Partnership at Work is the essence of employee engagement at the highest level, a true partnership between employees and leaders to transform the working relationship at all levels. A must read for HR leaders and more importantly for line leaders in their quest for true employee input, exchange and engagement. -- Augustin Melendez, Chief HROD / DEI Officer, Hillside   These unprecedented times demonstrate how an organization’s culture must be grounded in having shared purpose and respect for human dignity. Silver and Franz provide all the details necessary to create a powerful team intervention that affects these exact elements. -- Paul M. Mastrangelo, Principal Strategist, CultureIQ   Meaningful