WORKPLACE ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM · 2019-07-02 · current workplace behaviors (see survey materials)....

WORKPLACE ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM PROTOTYPE RESOURCES

Corinne Barthelemy HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL | BRIDGING RESEARCH AND SCIENCE IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CAPSTONE

15 MAY 2019

WORKPLACE ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM | PROTOTYPE

Bridging Research and Science in Human Development Capstone Corinne Barthelemy 15 May 2019 | Page 1 |

Contents

02 Introduction

05 Session 1 | Information and Conceptual Phase

07 Session 2 | Interactive + Engagement Phase

09 Session 3 | Action + Preparation Phase

11 Session 4 | Familiarization + Adjustment

13 Session 5 | Review + Stabilization

15 Resources

Session Presentations with Facilitator Notes

Real-Time Recurring Survey

Design Exercise Examples

Session Summary Template



Introduction

Activity Based Working (ABW) is a workplace strategy aimed at improving employee engagement and organizational culture. This strategy supplements traditionally assigned cubicles and scheduled meeting rooms with a workplace that offer employees a variety of environments to conduct individual and collaborative work. By providing workplace choice, employees can address their individual human needs and become agents in producing their best work. For example, one employee may prefer to conduct a focused task, like writing a grant, in a quiet library environment while another employee prefers to complete the same task with the backdrop of a noisier café environment.

Further, this freedom from the traditional desk allows and employee to change environments throughout the day which, in addition to serving individual needs, offers interactive benefits as well. The increased movement around the workplace results in increased encounters with other colleagues, which provides opportunities for quality collaboration and stronger relationships.

Collectively, the individual and interactive results of ABW have the potential to improve employee engagement and workplace performance; however, these are not guaranteed outcomes. The enclosed Workplace Engagement Program aims to address this gap in ABW performance by providing organizations undergoing an ABW workplace design and relocation project with a framework to successfully adapt to and get the most from their new environment.

BACKGROUND Several psychology and human development principles inform the structure and content of the Workplace Engagement Program: Conceptual Change Participants will be guided to think differently about the role of their work environment by evaluating the state of their current workplace, considering misconceptions about ABW, and testing new ways of working. Human Agency Three types of agency contribute to the structure of this program: Personal, Proxy, and Collective. Personal participation in self-development of abilities is essential to behavior change; Proxy representation of a greater group is necessary to scale the program influence throughout the organization; and Collective agency generates shared beliefs towards organizational goals such as core values and culture.



Introduction

Schedule The Workplace Enhancement Program includes five key education stages and is designed to integrate with an organization’s workplace design and relocation project. Note: duration ranges are provided to accommodate the unique conditions of each and organization

WORKPLACE DESIGN AND RELOCATION SCHEDULE

WORKPLACE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM SCHEDULE

SESSION 1Information +

Contextual

SESSION 2Interactive + Engagement

SESSION 3Action +

Preparation

SESSION 4Familiarization + Adjustment

SESSION 5Review +

Stabilization

Project Mobilization

Company Relocation

Beta Group Trial

(5 weeks)

Design Development

(3-4 months)

Program Development

(2-3 months)

Existing Assessment

(2-3 months)

Habit Formation Transforming conscious behaviors into automatic habits reduces cognitive demands and provides long term stabilization of the program behavioral outcomes Motivation Motivation is integral to both agency and habit-formation. Identifying goals and assigning value to chosen behaviors both cultivates the initial action and the repeated behavior necessary for successful ABW adaptation Social Heuristics Conceptual Change and Motivation are vulnerable to many mental shortcuts that overestimate or underestimate risk and subsequently impact behavior choice. Participants share their positive experiences and program progress throughout the sessions to mitigate negative shortcuts and leverage positive mental shortcuts.



Introduction Understanding Goals

Each session identifies Understanding Goals specific to the session content. These session sub-goals aim to facilitate the following overall program Understanding Goals:

1) Personal Goal: Employees will learn how to choose from their workplace settings to support their cognitive needs and enhance the impact of their work.

2) Collective Goal: Employees will learn how to share their workplace with colleagues to support their organization’s goals and enhance the collective impact of the organization.

Participants

The participant groups are designed to cultivate individual, proxy, and collective agency in support of the Program Understanding Goals. Refer to the heading of each session for applicable participants. Leadership Group Employee Agents Beta Department 3-7 people 10-18 people 20-40 people

Organization Representatives Department Representatives Organization Department(s)

Determined by Organization Nominated by Employees and Leadership

Selected by Leadership + Agents during Design Development

Develops organizational change readiness; provides support and secures resources for Agents

Develops framework for individual change readiness and workplace enhancements

Trials Agent-developed change readiness program and workplace enhancements

Resources

The class structure, materials, and homework are structured to facilitate conceptual change and behavior formation toward the new work environment. Refer the heading of each session for specific formats and content. Class Structure Materials Homework Format and duration of each Session

Content prepared to facilitate the Session

Content to participants to complete before or after the Session



Information + Contextual Phase

Session 1

Participants Session Structure Materials Homework Leadership and Presentation + Q&A (40min) PowerPoint “Road Conditions” Employee Agents Homework Orientation(10min) Survey Toolkit Session Summary

This session orients participants to

§ the framework for the program § how the environment affects cognitive load § the process of developing and adapting to their new workplace through the bicycle

analogy

Understanding Goals:

1) Using a bicycle analogy, participants will learn the stages of developing their workplace and adjusting to it.

2) Participants will understand how a work environment can deplete, maintain, or restore cognitive energy.

BACKGROUND

Conceptual Change The presentation content addresses misconceptions about ABW and leverages a bicycle analogy to help participants think differently about how they can engage with their workplace. (slides 3-6, 10-13). The discussion survey provides a measure for how participants are responding to the new information in relationship to their current conceptions (slide 14). Human Agency The presentation identifies the touchpoints for participants to contribute to the development of the workplace (slides 7-8) and uses the bicycle analogy to demonstrate how they can utilize their workplace to benefit their cognitive needs (slide 12).



Information + Contextual Phase

Session Output:

§ Session Summary - Employee Agents to distribute to their respective departments

§ “Road Conditions” individual survey reports and group summary - Leadership and Employee Agents to review in advance of session 2, reflect on

what is and isn’t successful about their current workplace, and come prepared to share potential personal and collective goals for their new workplace experience

Habit Formation The “Road Conditions” surveys participants in real time to generate an understanding of their current action-outcome experiences and an awareness of their current workplace behaviors (see survey materials). Motivation This will be developed in session two, once the “Road Conditions” are established and participants gain with an awareness of how their current workplace impacts their cognitive needs and work experience. Social Heuristics The Session Summary provided by the Employee Agents becomes a communication tool to share the session outcome with the rest of the organization. This provides a positive information cascade to influence the organization’s perception of the program and corresponding workplace design and relocation project (see summary template). V



Interactive + Engagement Phase

Session 2

Participants Class Structure Materials Homework Leadership and Goal Development (40min) PowerPoint + Post-Its Pre-Read Survey Report Employee Agents Design Workshop(40min) Design Exercise Examples Session Summary

This session

§ reviews the findings of the Road Conditions exercise § facilitates a Reasons to Ride group workshop to develop individual and shared goals

for the program § “Builds the bike” for a workplace design based on Reasons to Ride and Road

Conditions


1) Participants will be able to create a personalized work experience plan by applying their knowledge of cognitive energy needs and which environments deplete, maintain, or restore their cognitive energy.

2) Participants will be able to identify their personal goals, differing colleagues’ personal goals, and develop shared goals for the organization.

BACKGROUND

Conceptual Change Participants engage in new ways of thinking about the workplace from each other; sharing their “reasons to ride” and identifying existing workplace challenges from the “road conditions” exercise (see slides 21 and 22). Human Agency Using their insights from the “road conditions” exercise and their new understanding of the environment’s impact on cognitive energy, participants will “build a bicycle” considering how they might change their ways of working to improve their cognitive experience and support their goals (see design exercise examples)



Interactive + Engagement Phase

Session Output:


§ Reasons to Ride Summary - generated by facilitator from Post-It input

§ Individual Building the Bike Results - to be shared during session 3

Habit Formation The “bike building” exercise has participants design a work experience based on the lessons from “road conditions” and “reasons to ride.” This requires participants to test their current workplace habits with their new goals and determine if new habits and ways of working might better facilitate their goals (see design exercise examples). Motivation “Reasons to Ride” exercise generates individual and collective goals for the program as well as begins to identify any potential obstacles in achieving those goals (see slides 21 and 22). Social Heuristics The Session Summary provided by the Employee Agents becomes a communication tool to share the session outcome with the rest of the organization. This provides a positive information cascade to influence the organization’s perception of the program and corresponding workplace design and relocation project (see summary template).



Action + Preparation Phase Session 3

Participants Class Structure Materials Homework Leadership and Presentation (10min) PowerPoint Session Summary Employee Agents Workshop (70min) Etiquette Guidelines

This session

§ reminds participants of the outcomes of Session 2 § tests virtual scenarios to identify conflicting goals and “road rules” for handling them


1) Leadership and Employee Agents will be able to apply their understanding of each other’s goals and needs in the work environment to propose etiquette behaviors that will address conflicting goals and needs of the different individuals and groups.

BACKGROUND

Conceptual Change Participants apply their new ways of thinking about work by proposing work types and workflows that will support their “reasons to ride” and “road conditions” (see slide 35). Human Agency Participants will scenario play what choices they would make in their new hypothetical workplace and what collective choices they would make in support of their shared goals and culture (see slide 35). Habit Formation Participants will identify potential obstacles and/or competing motivations that may deter behaviors which support their long-term goals (see slide 35). Motivation see Habit Formation and slide 32



Action + Preparation Phase

Session Output:


§ Road Rules Summary - generated by facilitator from workshop input

§ Beta Workplace Guidebook - generated by facilitator and project designers for use in Session 4, includes

o Road Conditions Summary from Session 1 o Reasons to Ride Summary from Session 2 o Workplace Design Plan from Session 3 o Road Rules Summary from Session 3

- Note: selection and announcement of Beta Department to follow this session

Social Heuristics The Session Summary provided by the Employee Agents becomes a communication tool to share the session outcome with the rest of the organization. This provides a positive information cascade to influence the organization’s perception of the program and corresponding workplace design and relocation project (see summary template).



Familiarization + Adjustment Phase Session 4

Participants Class Structure Materials Homework Employee Agents and Presentation (30min) Workplace Guidebook Session Summary Beta Department Beta Exercise (5 weeks) Survey Toolkit Group Ride Presentationq

This session orients users to

§ presents a Workplace Guidebook of the workplace design and etiquette behaviors established during the Action + Preparation Phase

§ provides an interactive forum for the participants to learn “when to shift gears” in the new workspace


1) Participants will learn how to use their ABW environment to respond to their cognitive needs and goals by testing their workplans.

2) Participants will learn how to use their ABW environment to support their team’s and organizations goals by testing their etiquette protocols.

BACKGROUND

Conceptual Change Participants will apply their new ways of working in a beta environment and measure how well it supports their needs (see slide 43 and 45). Human Agency This session invites more participants to trial the ideas and content developed in the prior sessions. Testing out the beta environment with a larger group size better replicates “real world” interactions and the greater quantity of users challenges the collective group to maintain their shared goals and culture (see slide 43). Habit Formation The recurring, real-time survey prompts participants to recall their cognitive needs and goals and encourages repetition of these identified actions. Experimenting with the behaviors in a “real word” setting creates more accurate feedback to reinforce any positive results. (see slide 43).



Familiarization + Adjustment Phase

Session Output:


§ Updated Workplace Guidelines - Prepared by Session 4 participants - In addition to content from Beta Workplace Guidelines, adds Leadership

strategy for monitoring workplace success over time § Workplace Engagement Program Presentation Content

- Prepared by Employee Agents

Motivation Measurements from the Beta group will provide reinforcement of any positive results from the new ways of working (see slide 43 and 45). Social Heuristics The Session Summary provided by the Employee Agents becomes a communication tool to share the session outcome with the rest of the organization. This provides a positive information cascade to influence the organization’s perception of the program and corresponding workplace design and relocation project. Results from beta session will provide a positive reference of the impact of the ABW design in improve perception for the company-wide relocation (see summary template and slide 48).



Review + Stabilization Phase Session 5

Participants Class Structure Materials Homework Organization Presentation (50min) Workplace Guidelines Program Presentation

This session orients users to

§ debrief on the five-week beta exercise § removes the “training wheels” and establishes protocol for future workplace issues or

adjustments § participants to present a Workplace Guidebook to be communicated to for the full

“group ride” and organization workplace move


1) Participants will be able to communicate their workplace adaptation experience and recommends strategies to their colleagues to leverage their workplace experience.

2) Participants will communicate the collective gains and goals achieved and determine a periodic measurement method to assess long-term benefits or barriers.

BACKGROUND

Conceptual Change The final participant feedback will compare their prior ways of working with their current ways of working, identify which behavior changes have been beneficial, and communicate the value of their new workplace in supporting their personal and collective goals. Human Agency Participants will determine how leadership will monitor success towards both individual and collective goals to ensure the workplace and their behaviors continue to operate in the best interest of the self-development and collective efficacy



Review + Stabilization Phase

Habit Formation Leadership monitoring will also identify if the intended habits are not being maintained and host an Employee Agent work session to evaluate how to reestablish or redefine workplace goals and associated positive workplace habits Motivation see Human Agency + Habit Formation Social Heuristics The Final Presentation compiled by the Employee Agents is a communication tool to share the session outcome with the rest of the organization. This provides a positive information cascade to influence the organization’s perception of the program and corresponding workplace design and relocation project.



WORKPLACE ENEGAGEMENT PROGRAM | PROTOTYPE

RESOURCES

Corinne Barthelemy HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL | BRIDGING RESEARCH AND SCIENCE IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CAPSTONE

15 MAY 2019

WORKPLACE ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM · 2019-07-02 · current workplace behaviors (see survey materials)....

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Transcript of WORKPLACE ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM · 2019-07-02 · current workplace behaviors (see survey materials)....