Book excerpt: Only 15% of employees worldwide are engaged at work. This represents a major barrier to productivity for organizations everywhere – and suggests a staggering waste of human potential. Why is this engagement number so low? There are many reasons — but resistance to rapid change is a big one, Gallup’s research and experience have discovered. In particular, organizations have been slow to adapt to breakneck changes produced by information technology, globalization of markets for products and labor, the rise of the gig economy, and younger workers’ unique demands. Gallup’s 2017 State of the Global Workplace offers analytics and advice for organizational leaders in countries and regions around the globe who are trying to manage amid this rapid change. Grounded in decades of Gallup research and consulting worldwide -- and millions of interviews -- the report advises that leaders improve productivity by becoming far more employee-centered; build strengths-based organizations to unleash workers’ potential; and hire great managers to implement the positive change their organizations need not only to survive – but to thrive.