CRS advocates SCARF model to employee engagement
CRS Technologies supports the SCARF model to employee engagement as an effective means to boost productivity, agility and operations within a digital business.
Nicol Myburgh, Head of the HR business unit, explains that within the context of employee engagement and the role of staff in business, each SCARF model element can increase or reduce engagement in an interaction.
“SCARF stands for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness,” he explains. “It is significant because it speaks to people development and the internal and external resources employees rely on to develop and work to their full potential.
Status looks at the relative importance of people or how individuals perceive their own worth in relation to other people.
Certainty is about reducing ambiguity. The brain seeks certainty in order to make predictions; it is normal to want to know what will happen.
Autonomy is about the ability to rely on oneself and the perception of having control over an environment.
Relatedness is about connection and a sense of belonging, while fairness is the perception of being treated fairly.
Why is SCARF significant to a digital business?
“Not only does it help decision-makers develop an effective, sustainable employee management strategy, but it also helps employers enforce the strategy and measure the results,” says Myburgh.
“Consider the influence of trends like gamification, based on the application of game design elements in non-game contexts. The SCARF model for employee engagement takes this to a new practical level for businesses and people development.”
To illustrate, gamification brings in point systems and leader boards (status), a clear roadmap and real-time feedback (certainty), control of progress and direction (autonomy), multiplayer environments and teams (relatedness), and unbiased and unfiltered feedback (fairness).
“There is a lot we can learn from trends like gamification in business and how technology can transform systems to develop people,” says Myburgh. “We know an engaged employee is fully in tune with company objectives and operations, and how best to use resources to achieve these objectives. That is what drives a passionate, dedicated member of staff, and what differentiates companies in highly competitive industries in the new economy today.”
By applying the SCARF model with approaches like gamification and other tech-driven business development methodologies, decision-makers can attract, retain and maximise the investment in people.
