Employee Engagement Survey

Problem

An employee engagement survey revealed that employees did not feel that the leaders listened to them or involved them in decisions that directly affected them, and morale was low as a result.

The initial response from the organization was to implement two new inclusion programs to facilitate greater connection between executives and their employees. Unfortunately, while some leaders adopted the programs, many more resisted implementing the programs for their teams. The initiatives were in danger of failing. 

Solution

I conducted a quick audit of the situation to diagnose where the resistance was coming from. I spoke with as many stakeholders as possible, learning about their experiences with and objections to the initial design of the programs. Many offered advice on how to optimize and streamline the program, and some shared examples of smaller, local programs that had operated successfully. 

Building on this information, I combined the best parts of the two original programs with popular features of local programs. My research showed that the original program processes were a significant barrier to implementation, so I streamlined the processes so that executives could more easily connect with their employees and ensure that employee feedback was acted upon.

Methodology

There is a saying that if you really want to understand a system, try and change it. Because a failed or stalled implementation is a rich source of data about the organization and its culture, I gathered a list of key stakeholders and spoke with each about their experience with and perceptions about the programs. Although many had constructive criticism about the “what” of the implementation, it quickly became clear that the main point of contention was the “how” of the implementation. 

In a striking parallel process, these leaders felt that they had not been involved in the decision-making process and that the program had been forced upon them. The act of seeking their feedback and using it to redesign the programs was a good enough intervention to unfreeze the stalled implementation.

However, removing this restraining force was not sufficient to guarantee a successful implementation without a strong, politically connected champion to drive it. Through inquiry and communication with key stakeholders, I was able to locate a person with the passion and connections to sustain the program over the long term.

An initial pilot generated positive feedback, and the new, streamlined program was rolled out to the region.