The Strategy You Need to Improve Employee Engagement

As a people manager, you face a significant challenge. You’re responsible not only for achieving the company’s goals but also for addressing the unique needs of every individual on your team. When even one member feels lost or disengaged, it can influence the entire team and cause cracks in an otherwise well-oiled machine.

So, how do you make sure that everything runs smoothly and that all your employees are satisfied? How do you make sure they always know:

• What’s expected of them?
• How they contribute to the organization?
• And how they fit into the bigger picture?

How do you maintain their engagement to sustain productivity and morale in the long run?

If you’re at a loss for how to tackle this, rest assured: you’re not alone.

The Problem of Employee Disengagement

Employee disengagement is a widespread problem plaguing many people leaders and organizations. Despite countless initiatives to combat this issue, recent statistics paint an alarming picture:

• 33% of employees in the US report being actively engaged at work.
• Globally, this number is even more dire, with only about 15% reporting themselves as being engaged.
• 73% of employees would leave their job for a lower-paying one if it better aligned with their cultural values and allowed for greater engagement.
• In the US alone, $450 to $500 billion is lost annually due to disengagement.
• Globally, this figure hovers around $8 trillion.

If left unchecked, employee disengagement can severely hinder an organization’s performance and lead to failure.

To counteract this, organizations must employ strategies that increase and sustain long-term engagement. One of the most effective strategies is collaborative design.

What Is Collaborative Design Thinking?

Traditional top-down approaches frequently fall short of increasing employee engagement, and it’s no surprise why. These approaches are usually designed from one perspective—that of the leaders—without considering feedback from the employees themselves. Adopting a collaborative design thinking approach can bridge the gap between leaders’ expectations and those of their workforce. This will ensure a responsive, adaptive engagement strategy.

This approach is an inclusive process that emphasizes collective decision-making, open communication, and active participation from all stakeholders throughout the design process, regardless of whether they’re leaders or frontline employees. It moves away from top-down decision-making and leverages the expertise of those most impacted by the changes.

When employees are fully involved in shaping the strategies that affect them, they’re more likely to accept these solutions, which leads to higher engagement and productivity.

The Five Stages of Collaborative Design Thinking

The process of collaborative design thinking consists of the following five stages.

1. Empathize

This first stage revolves around understanding the needs, desires, and challenges of employees. It requires setting aside one’s assumptions about what employees may want, and instead seeking genuine feedback and detailed insights through research and observation.

Leaders may conduct interviews or surveys with their direct reports to understand their experiences, or they could hold observational sessions where they spend a day in the life of their employees to gain a firsthand perspective on their work environment and culture.

2. Define

Next, leaders synthesize the insights they’ve gained to reveal the key pain points and opportunities for employee employment.

For example, based on multiple surveys conducted, a leader might find that their employees’ biggest demotivator is feeling undervalued or lacking clear progression paths. Once the main problem has been identified, leaders can proceed to the next stage to brainstorm solutions to address this issue.

3. Brainstorm

This is where the magic happens. In this stage, collaborators from various employee groups come together to generate ideas that can address the problem defined in the previous stage.

This structured brainstorming session employs numerous techniques to encourage the sharing of ideas without immediate judgment. The goal is to boost creativity and innovation while minimizing negativity. All ideas here are considered valid to facilitate a free flow of creativity.

This phase is not about judging or criticizing ideas but about generating as many as possible to capture the perspectives of diverse employee groups and make sure that each one’s specific needs and goals are met.

4. Analyze

Once the brainstorming phase is complete, the process transitions to the analysis stage, where ideas are evaluated, refined, and tested. This step involves critical analysis to determine the viability of ideas, which allows weaker concepts to be discarded while strengthening the promising ones.

When a particular solution is selected as feasible, a model or prototype of the final product (or process) is created. In terms of employee engagement, this prototype could take the form of a professional development program, a policy aimed at improving work-life balance, or a rewards plan. Creating a tangible representation of ideas allows for early testing and feedback, helping to assess their potential for success and make necessary adjustments.

5. Test

In this final stage, the proposed solution is presented to a diverse group of stakeholders to gather feedback. Questions to ask during this phase include:

• Will the prototype solve the problem?
• What issues may arise during implementation?

The feedback gained from this round will help further refine and align the solution with employee needs.

How These Stages Work

At each stage of this cycle, participants are given clear objectives to maintain focus. For example, during brainstorming, the emphasis is focused exclusively on generating ideas instead of evaluating or criticizing them. This mindset promotes intentionality and continuous progress, which prevents stagnation or distractions throughout the decision-making process.

While presented as a structured process, it’s important to recognize that collaborative design thinking is not linear. At any point during the cycle, participants can move freely between stages as needed.

For instance, during the prototype phase, it may become clear that it is necessary to return to the empathy phase to gain deeper awareness of the problem. Indeed, one will certainly find that their solution will need several iterations, tests, and rounds of problem-solving before it can be delivered to the rest of the organization.

When participants move back and forth between stages, it creates a stronger culture of flexibility and collaboration. Moreover, engaging team members in every stage develops a sense of shared ownership, which results in productive solutions that harness the collective strengths of the entire team.

Common Challenges of Implementing Change

Despite positive intentions, organizations regularly come across common pitfalls when trying to implement changes. Whether it’s a new strategy, process improvement, or organizational transformation, the road to successful implementation can be fraught with difficulty.

Miscommunication, resistance to change, and incomplete solutions are just a few of the obstacles that can derail even the best-laid plans.

In these situations, collaborative design thinking emerges as a powerful approach to overcoming several hurdles.

Challenge #1: Solutions From Above

When decision-making is restricted to the top, it often overlooks critical insights that the leaders are unaware of.

Unlike this traditional hierarchical approach, design thinking places a strong emphasis on empathy, collaboration, and iterative problem-solving. It requires the involvement of stakeholders from all levels of the organization in a process designed to understand and meet the needs of the entire workforce.

This inclusive approach creates solutions that are well-informed by diverse perspectives and are likely to be accepted across the organization.

Challenge #2: Moving Too Quickly

A solution, no matter how great it is, will fail if not implemented properly. Rushing into implementation without adequate planning and consideration of all factors can and will result in incomplete solutions.

Collaborative design thinking mitigates this pitfall by guiding participants through each stage, which guarantees readiness before proceeding to the next step. This deliberate approach minimizes risk and maximizes the chances of success.

Challenge #3: Not Enough Ideas

Often, a decision-making session can be dominated by stronger personalities, which results in a limited range of perspectives and ideas.

This can dampen creativity and innovation, as well as overlook the valuable perspectives of quieter team members.

In response, collaborative design thinking promotes inclusive participation and structured brainstorming techniques. It encourages a supportive environment where all voices are heard and ideas are welcome, so that a diverse range of ideas can be considered before narrowing down to the most viable options.

Challenge #4: Boiling the Ocean

Tackling employee engagement is a monumental task, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. However, trying to address various issues simultaneously can lead to a lack of focus and inefficiency.

In contrast, collaborative design thinking advocates for prioritization and incremental progress. By breaking down complex tasks into manageable parts and addressing them iteratively, organizations can maintain clarity without losing momentum. This approach allows teams to focus on high-impact areas first, ensuring that efforts are concentrated where they can make the biggest difference.

Challenge #5: Sticking to Tradition

Resistance to change can stifle innovation and progress. While sticking with what we know may seem comfortable, it can prevent organizations from adapting to evolving market demands and staying ahead of competitors.

Collaborative design thinking helps overcome this issue by encouraging continuous improvement and adaptation. By instilling a culture that challenges traditional norms and welcomes new ideas, organizations can foster an agile environment that thrives on fresh perspectives and change.

Challenge #6: Misaligned Expectations

The root of a failed project often lies in a misalignment of expectations between stakeholders. When team members, managers, and other stakeholders are not on the same page regarding goals, roles, or outcomes, it can cause confusion and inefficiency.

To address this, collaborative design thinking prioritizes clear communication and alignment from the outset. By involving all relevant parties in each stage of the process, organizations can make sure that expectations are well-defined, understood, and agreed upon before moving forward.

Additionally, collaborative design thinking encourages ongoing dialogue and feedback loops throughout the entire cycle, allowing participants to identify and resolve potential discrepancies early on.

Design Your Employee Engagement with Frontline

Solving the problem of employee engagement is not only about implementing strategies; it’s about learning how to cultivate a culture where every employee can be heard, valued, and motivated to give their best. When leaders use collaborative design thinking to co-create solutions with their teams, it places them on the right track to crafting engagement initiatives that truly resonate with their workforce.

To learn more about collaborative design thinking, watch our free webinar. In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• Expert insights from Don Perini, M.F.A. (Professor of Creativity and Innovation at Cornerstone University) and Nathan Leaman (Managing Director of Frontline Training Solutions).
• The essential tools and perspectives needed to crack the engagement puzzle.
• How to drive your company towards sustainable growth.

If you’re looking for additional solutions to improve employee engagement, connect with us at Frontline. We’ll help you pinpoint core issues, identify focus areas, and design effective strategies to create an engaged, productive workforce.