Bill Kahn is professor of organisational behaviour at Boston University's Questrom School of Business. However, some call him "The Founding Father of Employee Engagement," a label he strenuously refutes. Yet there is no doubt he changed the world of work with his research: "Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work".

Thirty years after it was published, what does Bill make of how his insight has evolved as employee engagement is now big business. In 2018, HBR estimated companies were spending over $720 million each year on employee engagement - projected to rise to over $1.5 billion.

Yet Gallup’s reports indicate only 13% of over 31 million respondents are truly engaged at work (source). A charismatic speaker, Bill remains as passionate and clear on the value of personal engagement, which is a far cry from what most understand 'engagement' to be.