Collaboration for Growth

A cross-functional group was assigned to evaluate the results of a department-wide annual associate satisfaction survey and provide recommendations to the department's VP and other senior leaders. While survey data showed that associate commitment and satisfaction were generally high, the survey revealed specific areas of opportunity in the areas of communication, work effectiveness, and development.

The cross-functional team broke into three subcommittees to address each of the three areas of opportunity. Subcommittee and whole-committee meetings were scheduled to ensure alignment on strategy and approach. All subcommittees determined that some of the key survey findings within their areas of opportunity were inconclusive and that a follow-up survey was warranted to better understand underlying factors behind associate responses. A third-party vendor was used to issue a 9 question mixed multiple-choice and open response follow-up survey, which saw a 65% response rate.

The development committee responses showed that associates felt a need for more cross-functional projects and stretch assignments and well as to others outside of their specific functional area within the department.

While this program did have support from the department's senior leaders, there were several constraints associated with this undertaking:

• A zero-dollar budget

• No technical support from IT

• All associates on the committee were serving on a voluntary basis, taking on this project in addition to their normal work responsibilities

To address this issue, I proposed the creation of an online Collaboration Portal with in-app instructions and organized according to functional area. The Portal was designed as a simple, no-cost solution to build community, improve communication in a virtual environment, and improving access to cross-functional development opportunities. Any individual department-wide could post a project/cross-functional opportunity, and guidelines were put in place to ensure a beneficial experience for both parties.

The Portal was presented to senior leaders and any concerns were addressed. The concept was socialized within the department prior to its launch both informally and via a short presentation at a department-wide All Hands.

Finally, the Portal was officially launched over a lunch-and-learn session with a tour of the site, a review of the instructions for use, and opportunities for Q&A.

Since the Portal launched nearly a year after the subcommittee survey was performed, I determined the need to collect baseline data before launching the survey.

The Development subcommittee collaborated to produce a three-question survey assessing associates' current perceptions of the issues that the Portal looked to address, and released the survey prior to launch. This survey received a 70% response rate, with results closely tracking those of the original larger survey.

In the two months since the program's launch, six projects, stemming from three work groups, have been posted and filled. All projects were filled before the closing deadline.

Evaluation of this program is currently an ongoing effort. I am collaborating with associates from OD and the TCC to achieve objectives including a plan for evaluating mid-term outcomes and a Phase-2 for the Portal.