Strategic Conversations on Employee Experience — Part 3: Shining the Spotlight
Leaders who are modernising employee experience in their organisation have a monumental task ahead of them, with considerations ranging from strategies that reduce absenteeism through to initiatives that bring knowledge workers back to the office with zest. This mini-series will guide leaders through strategic conversations on this topic, with “preparing the topic” to set the scene and “seeking diverse outlook” to fuel the conversations. Today’s post focuses on another crucial step in laying the foundation — “shining the spotlight” on the topic through the relevant lens.
Much like how a photographer can draw viewer’s attention to specific features through the use of zoom and focus (or aperture, for you photographers out there!), employee experience designers have the privilege to influence the strategic conversations by bringing in different lenses.
Choosing the right frame is more of an art than a science, as leaders shine the spotlight to focus on pertinent paths of the strategic conversation. Here are four example frameworks to stimulate our exploration on “10 ways learning can be improved in our organisation,” the exam question set out in Part 1.
Day in the Life
“Day in the life” is a powerful way to visualise a typical work day for one or more personas. This tool builds awareness of operational activities across participants who may otherwise be unaware of challenges faced by employees they have not worked with before. The diverse perspectives focused on shared challenges and opportunities will facilitate practical discussions.
Think Inside the Box
Instead of relying on cliché activities like “blue sky thinking” and “thinking outside the box”, restricting the brainstorming scenario with constraints has been proven to produce great results.
In our example, we could explore what people do during their commute–listening to music on Spotify, flicking through Instagram feed, watching a downloaded show on Netflix, or chatting with friends on WhatApp–to understand how learning can compete with these activities. Asking the question “what concepts from popular apps like Spotify, Instagram, Netflix and WhatsApp could we apply to learning” will instigate stimulating discussions.
Vary the Question
In the above example, we asked the question “how can learning compete with popular apps”. However, vastly different discussions can materialise by simply altering the question slightly, sometimes by as little as one word:
- Should learning compete with popular apps?
- When can learning compete with popular apps?
- Will learning compete with popular apps?
Ensuing discussions can vary considerably based on subtle changes in how a question is phrased.
Wear a Different Hat
If discussions stall because participants are stuck in a rut with their thinking, this fun technique can help. Ask the group to view the challenge through the eyes of famous individuals. For example, how different would learning look if Sheryl Sandberg/Steve Jobs/Satya Nadella/(insert names selected by participants) were in charge of our organisation’s learning and development?
It’s surprising how nimble our brains are to surfacing new ideas through the eyes of someone else, even if we have never met them.
Choosing the right frame will structure productive discussions. Select a maximum 2–3 key frames to anchor your discussions, and make sure these frames build on top of each other so the strategic conversation flows seamlessly.
Ready to start your own strategic conversations about employee experience? Look out for the last of this series for final tips and tricks to make the strategic conversation memorable and successful.
