Talk, Inc.

How can one stimulate the engagement of employees in companies with several hundred, or even thousands, of people on the payroll? The answer suggested by Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind is based on the power of conversation and dialogue. Indeed, using the ingredients that make a conversation between two people successful and applying them to the context of an organization helps to both create a strong bond with employees and initiate a participative momentum that nourishes a sense of belonging and motivation. For this purpose, several key factors must be carefully managed, namely treating employees as equals, building mutual relationships founded upon trust and authenticity, establishing tools to enable everyone to participate and taking individual contributions seriously. A true conversation involves a good share of listening, because the objective is two-way—rather than unilateral—communication. The challenge is thus to engage such conversation on the level of a large corporation. In this book, the authors explore the key factors which make this approach work, based on many successful examples at big companies such as Coca-Cola, General Electric and Manpower Group.

Talk, Inc. is a concise book, replete with concrete examples and practical advice to help companies establish effective and participative communication. To be read without delay by managers or executives who want to engage in true dialogue with their employees.