Insights by Design: The First Step in Alignment Building

How We Work #4: Insights by Design

In our alignment building projects, the first thing we do is understand the current state, or as we call it, the "as-is." What are the dilemmas faced by people on a day-to-day basis? We call this the “Insights by Design” phase.

How Do We Conduct the “Insights by Design” Phase?

We administer surveys and conduct employee interviews. Often, CEOs claim, "My doors are always open, so employees can come to me with anything." HR teams might say, "We conduct regular pulse surveys and focus group discussions. We are very transparent, so we don’t expect any surprises." Yet, we still insist on surveys and employee interviews. Why?

As teams grow, processes are introduced, and new leaders join. Even top leaders change—their worldviews, responsibilities, behaviors, and priorities evolve. People may not bring up every small issue that contradicts the stated and desired company culture—not because they want to hide it from the CEO, but because they feel it’s minor in the larger scheme of things. However, these small issues add up, causing organizations to slowly but surely move away from their core values. People also avoid bringing up problems they have with someone directly to that person.

Challenges in Internal Fact-Finding

A procedural challenge that prevents top leadership from getting a true picture of what’s happening on the ground is that HR teams are often accountable for metrics like employee engagement and eNPS. They are also asked by the CEO to find out what’s happening on the ground—how people feel about new leaders, people practices, performance management, etc. Naturally, HR teams may present a rosy picture, either to protect themselves or due to cognitive biases that make them seek views that reflect positively on them. Another reason internal fact-finding missions fail is that HR teams are too close to the situation, lacking the objective curiosity an outsider brings to question everything.

The Value of an External Perspective

Whatever the reason, the result is that top leadership becomes cocooned in an ivory tower, left wondering why things aren’t like they used to be, and why issues only surface when people leave or projects fail. Employees may not voice their genuine concerns in regular pulse surveys and internal interviews, suspecting these activities are mere checkboxes.

When employees realize that management has hired an external party to understand what’s happening, they perceive it as a genuine effort. Why else would management pay someone to do this? An external interviewer is free from any internal baggage, and employees won’t have any history with them, making them more likely to share the true picture.

The Role of HR and Honest Reflections

This is not to say HR teams are inherently flawed or that growing in employee numbers and hiring new leaders from outside is bad. Rather, organizations need an honest mirror best provided by an external agency.

During the ‘Insights by Design’ phase, we promise employees complete anonymity. We’ve had clients who asked us to reveal who said what; one client even asked if we could convey messages from top leadership (since we bypass layers between them and employees). In all such situations, we remain committed to the objective of the ‘Insights by Design’ phase: to understand the real dilemmas faced by employees, provide them a safe space to open up, and follow through on our promise of anonymity. We have walked away from projects and left money on the table but never compromised on our promise to employees about keeping their identities safe. This can sometimes create friction with the sponsor, but it also signals a potentially good, long-term relationship with the client. If they can’t handle the truth during the Insights phase, they will only become more resistant later when we ask them to model the behaviors they demand from others. This serves as an excellent filtering criterion for us.

References to the Series:

• How We Work #1: Introduction to Our Approach
• How We Work #2: Who We Work With
• How We Work #3: You Do You