Our client, a leading MOOC provider, sought to expand its course catalog with career-focused certifications and short-courses, but faced the challenge of finding subject matter experts (SMEs) who combined industry expertise with a passion for teaching. SweetRush’s unique blend of L&D experts staffing and custom learning solutions enabled us to hand-select “unicorn SMEs” who not only shaped the curriculum but also delivered compelling instruction, resulting in 14 top-rated certificate programs reaching millions of learners globally.
The Client and Need
Our client, a massive open online course (MOOC) provider with more than one hundred million registered users,identified an opportunityto expand its existing library to include career-based certificate programs and short-form courses. Focusing on in-demand skills in areas such as IT support, AR development, UX design, project management, data analytics, and supply chain management, our client’s goal was to equip its users with the skills needed to excel in today’s competitive job market.
With an existing content library of more than 7,000 courses that include programs developed by many of the world’s leading brands and universities, the new courses needed to uphold the quality and standards that our client’s audience have come to expect.
The courses needed to:
Drive real-world impact, ensuring graduates are equipped with the skills needed to excel in today’s competitive job market.
Engage a diverse audience by connecting with global learners from all walks of life through authentic and relatable learning experiences.
The Challenge
To execute their vision, our client needed a solutions provider who could bring academic rigor and real-world relevance while delivering an exceptional learner experience.
Specifically, our client needed a partner with access to subject matter experts (SMEs) who have industry experience and expertise and a passion to teach—SMEs who can translate their deep knowledge into compelling educational content.
Our two decades of L&D expertise means we know what makes a great SME tick—both on paper and in the virtual classroom.
Our vast network of talent connects us with industry leaders eager to share their knowledge.
Our rigorous staff augmentation vetting process enables us to handpick the experts who meet our client’s exacting needs—in this instance, those with a passion for teaching and a knack for storytelling.
Client Testimonial:
“SweetRush understands our needs deeply. They have taken the pressure off of us when it comes to onboarding SMEs to the requirements of content development. They leverage their expertise to help us find unicorn SMEs who are not only experts in their field but also excel at creating content. They have done so at a reasonable cost and on impressive timelines.”
—Senior Program Manager, SweetRush Client
Once screened, selected, and onboarded, these “unicorn SMEs” played a crucial role in:
Recommending the learner journey: Supporting the client with curriculum design including consulting on the learning objectives, content outlines, and the sequence, structure, and flow of the learner journey
Creating authentic hands-on activities: Drawing inspiration from their own experiences to recommend and co-create authentic, realistic, and impactful scenarios
Developing meaningful assessments: Ensuring learners are equipped with and tested on the knowledge and skills they need to face challenges in the real world
Crafting compelling video scripts: Lending authentic voices, perspectives, nuance, and stories that engage, motivate, build trust with, and inspire learners
In addition, some of the SMEs we placed, specifically those with expertise in cutting-edge topics like generative AI and nuanced areas such as DEI, were invited to star in the videos and present the content.
The Results
Our staff augmentation partnership has led to the creation of 14 industry-leading certificates, each featuring more than 90 hours of engaging, practical instruction that have reached millions of learners worldwide.
Boasting an average learner rating of 4.8 out of 5, the certification programs and courseshave consistently ranked among the most popular on the client’s platform. This feedback speaks to the effectiveness and appeal of our expert-led approach to upskilling and reskilling. SweetRush’s ability to consistently source top-notch SME talent has earned us the client’s highest quality rating (5 out of 5 stars) and secured our position as their exclusive vendor for SME resourcing.
When We Succeed, You Succeed!
Our success in exceeding the high expectations of today’s learners has solidified our client’s reputation as a pioneer in the online education space, demonstrating the power of collaboration, expertise, and a shared vision for the future of learning.
When a global tech giant sought to transform their internal cloud training into a market-disrupting certification program, they turned to SweetRush L&D Talent Solutions. We orchestrated a rapid talent infusion, placing 12 L&D experts to turn this ambitious vision into reality. The result? A certification program that exceeded expectations, cementing the company’s position as a cloud innovator and market leader.
The Client and Need
Our client, a global tech powerhouse, had a bold ambition: take their existing cloud training, designed for internal upskilling, and transform it into a public, industry-leading certification program. Their goal was to become a recognized authority in the cloud space, differentiating themselves from established players like AWS and Google Cloud.
To achieve this, they needed to create a certification program that not only met rigorous standards but also delivered an engaging, high-quality learning experience that would resonate with a wide audience.
The Challenge
While the client had a strong internal L&D team, they lacked the bandwidth and specialized skill sets required to execute such a large-scale and complex undertaking. They needed to rapidly expand their team with experts across multiple disciplines, from instructional design and program management to learning technologies and assessment.
Finding the right talent quickly and efficiently was critical. The client needed a partner with proven experience in staff augmentation for L&D who could understand their unique needs and provide a tailored solution.
The SweetRush Solution
With over a decade of experience in L&D staffing, SweetRush Talent Solutions stepped up to the challenge. We worked closely with the client to understand their vision and identify the specific expertise gaps that needed to be filled. We then developed a custom, phased recruitment strategy that prioritized filling critical roles first, ensuring a seamless integration of new talent into the existing team.
Our deep network of L&D professionals allowed us to quickly identify and place top talent in key roles, including:
Program Management: Experienced professionals to oversee the project, manage resources, and ensure alignment with the client’s goals.
Learning Experience Design: Instructional designers, content developers, and multimedia specialists to create engaging and effective learning experiences.
Assessment and Accreditation: Experts in psychometrics and accreditation to ensure the program met rigorous industry standards.
Learning Technology: LMS architects, administrators, and technical specialists to build and maintain the technological infrastructure of the program.
The Results
We successfully filled more than a dozen specialized roles, providing the client with the expertise they needed to move their project forward at full speed. Our phased recruitment strategy ensured a seamless integration of new talent, minimizing disruption and maximizing productivity.
The results were impressive!
Rapid Placement: All roles were filled and onboarded within weeks, with an average placement time of three weeks per talent.
Zero Turnover: 100% of the talent placed by SweetRush remained on the project for the duration of their contract, a testament to our rigorous screening process and commitment to ongoing support.
Client Satisfaction: The client was thrilled with the quality of talent and the collaborative partnership we provided, leading to an ongoing relationship that continues to this day.
Client Testimonial:
“SweetRush excels at finding and providing true expertise, and in nurturing their team members, providing them with the necessary support to thrive while also employing strategic resourcing practices.This has made my life easier in knowing I have a partner that is deeply committed to the project’s success.”
—Program Manager, SweetRush Client
Conclusion
SweetRush Talent Solutions’ ability to quickly identify and place top L&D talent was instrumental in helping our client achieve their ambitious goal. Our collaborative approach, commitment to quality, and focus on building strong partnerships enabled the client to launch a market-leading certification program that has solidified their position as a cloud innovator.
An insider’s look at leading-edge learning innovation at Hilton
We’re entering our second year of generative AI buzz, but organizations are just beginning to scratch the surface, with most using the technology to create first drafts, identify data patterns, and summarize lengthy texts. Meanwhile, they’re leaving nuanced human pursuits like critical thinking, creativity, relationship building, ethics, and navigating complex and ambiguous situations to…well, their humans.
Training is another pursuit that’s been left to humans: None of the 1,600+ respondents to a global survey on the state of generative AI called out training as a use case.
This vast, virtually untapped opportunity is what makes generative AI so exciting for L&D innovators—like our friends at Hilton. Read on to discover how the Hilton-SweetRush team set out on an exploratory mission into the heart of generative AI… and emerged with a leading-edge immersive learning experience.
Generative AI: Hilton’s L&D Use Case
With a robust portfolio of effective, engaging WebXR and native VR learning solutions, the Hilton-SweetRush team were already veteran immersive learning creators. Amazing experiences such as Hotel Immersion and Exceed with Empathy (see below) place learners in someone else’s shoes—and drop them into interactive, day-in-the-life scenarios that help them gain insight and empathy.
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Learner Audience: Newly hired team members
Purpose: Help learners gain empathy for hotel operations team members.
The Experience: The Hilton-SweetRush team wanted newly hired team members to experience a day in the life of the hotel operations team members who drive results via brand standards. In this energetic simulation, learners land in a Hilton hotel—and work against the clock to assemble room-service trays, clean a guest room, and check guests in at the front desk. Learners access this experience via a headset, which gives them the freedom to move around and interact with objects in these 3D spaces.
Learner Audience: Hotel operations team members
Purpose: Help learners develop empathy for guests.
The Experience: Learners step into the shoes of a guest waiting in a long line to check in, after hours of travel; a guest who’s served the wrong order at the restaurant; and another who finds that the conference room they’ve booked is improperly set up. After each experience, they reflect on their mood, gain greater insight into the guest experience, and discover how to exceed guest expectations.
In spring 2023, the team began to wonder how they might leverage generative AI to take Hilton’s immersive learning game up a notch. The timing was right, and so was the learning need: Create an engaging, effective, and scalable immersive experience to help hotel operations staff practice their guest service skills.
Read on for background about the business and learning needs—and how the team met them with creativity, ingenuity, and industry-first technology.
Hilton’s Business Need: Deliver a Reliable and Friendly Stay
Guest feedback shared the wish for a reliable, consistent, and friendly stay, where team members treat every guest like a friend. Thus the powerful impetus for Hilton’s leading-edge guest service skills training was born.
This impactful learning journey, called Make It Right, features a variety of bite-sized eLearning modules, pre-shift team meetings, videos and more.
One part of Make It Right focuses on service recovery with HEART, Hilton’s five-step problem-resolution model (see below).
At this stage in the learning journey, Hilton team members are equipped with a good understanding of HEART. But knowing the five steps and their purpose and putting them into practice—especially under pressure—are two different things.
Like so many interpersonal skills, service recovery requires plenty of trial, error, and feedback before learners achieve competency. While role-plays are one way to achieve this, Hilton chose a virtual environment to build confidence with their teams during their training process.
Would this catch-22 derail the opportunity for hands-on practice of the HEART model? Not for the Hilton-SweetRush team!
WebXR and Generative AI: Scalable Immersive Learning for Hilton’s Global Audience
The Hilton-SweetRush team rose to the challenge by creating a capstone experience that brought hands-on HEART practice to team members across all its hotels.
How? By leveraging WebXR, a super-scalable virtual reality learning technology.
Because WebXR content lives on a web browser and can be accessed by learners with or without a headset, it’s an ideal modality to bring the benefits of virtual learning to a distributed global audience like Hilton’s.
Helping Hilton team members speak from the heart was the perfect learning use case for WebXR. To practice these vital service recovery skills, they created the Delivering on Our Customer Promise experience. This WebXR- and AI-powered simulation drops learners into three different scenarios with concerned guests, each of whom explains their problem and waits expectantly for a response.
These scenarios make learners sweat a little, just as real service recovery situations do. Yet rather than risk real relationships with Hilton guests, they find their feet—and voices—within a safe, authentic virtual practice space.
Generative AI: Hilton’s High-Tech Human Skills Coach
Hilton’s Delivering on Our Customer Promise WebXR adventure was already a leading-edge learning experience—but the team’s addition of generative AI lands it among L&D industry firsts.
Here’s how generative AI helps learners make it right: After listening to the guest explain their problem, learners speak their response into their device’s microphone, using the HEART steps they’ve learned.
The simulation records their response, converts it into text, and feeds the text of the response into a Large Language Model (LLM). On the back end, the LLM, which has been carefully “trained” by SweetRush SMEs, creates a response to the learner’s attempt. (Discover how SweetRush’s exacting SMEs systematically trained the LLM to evaluate learner input and deliver relevant, actionable feedback.)
Learners receive feedback and a grade of pass or fail on each step of Hilton’s HEART model. Though most learners can tackle the HART, most find the E, or Empathize, to be a challenge.
After completing each scenario, learners can then reattempt it as many times as they like, receiving targeted feedback each time.
Learner Experience (LX): Designed by Experts, Hosted by VIC
To create the greatest impact, the team focused the WebXR experience on three different scenarios, all based on top guest problems:
Room climate controls
Food and beverage options
Special room requests not met
Using their best storytelling and dialogue-writing practices, the team built branching scenarios featuring a guest interaction in different areas of the hotel. These in-room, front-desk, and breakfast-area conversations could end with positive, negative, or neutral results based upon the learner’s input.
The instructional designer worked closely with Hilton SMEs to craft realistic guest scenarios—and responses that matched Hilton’s high standards and signature service recovery methods.
This guest visits the front desk to express frustration with the air conditioning unit in her room. It rattled all night, and she didn’t get any sleep. The learner’s challenge: Respond with HEART.
This guest has been working on a presentation all morning and missed breakfast. Learners think on their feet to offer a heartfelt resolution.
This guest hasn’t received the in-room amenities he requested when he made his reservation. The learner has only moments to Make It Right.
Making It Look, Sound, and Feel Right: Designing in 3D
Appearance matters for a 360° immersive experience, and a realistic setting is an important part of creating an authentic immersive scenario. The team custom-created these lifelike settings by taking photographs at real Hilton properties—and the SweetRush extended reality (XR) team built depth and detail into each scene.
The guests’ avatars needed to be as diverse and expressive as Hilton’s guests are in real life, with the tone of voice, gestures, facial expressions, and posture that reflects their mood and level of satisfaction.
Why this painstaking care? To truly immerse learners, they need to feel that they’re face to face with a real guest in a real Hilton hotel.
Because of the complexity of the scenarios and their different potential outcomes, the creative director, instructional designer, and XR team worked closely together to ensure that the content, audio, and visual treatment informed one another.
Like any great guest experience, the HEART model trainingexperience needed a great host who would encourage learners and serve as their guide throughout all three scenarios. VIC, Hilton’s friendly robot emcee (and breakout star of previous VR experiences), was up to the task, hovering in the scene with helpful instructions, a HEART walkthrough, and learner feedback. (Join us for a demo of this leading-edge immersive AI coaching experience at Training Industry’s Leader Talk: Using AI to Transform Content Development.)
Leading-Edge Learning at Your Organization: Leverage Generative AI Coaching and Immersive Training for Your Unique Needs
Feeling inspired by Hilton’s generative AI-powered, immersive learning VICtory? We’re with you!
We’ve loved sharing the story of how one innovative client-partner leveraged the leading-edge powers of WebXR and generative AI to meet Hilton’s deeply human business need: a warm welcome and friendly stay for every guest.
If you’re curious about how to apply WebXR and generative AI to your organization’s unique needs and learners, we’ve got you covered!
“We are so thankful for the award, but this is about our industry and the opportunity and responsibility we all have to use our craft to be a force for positive change,” said SweetRush CEO Danielle Hart, “and promoting the values of DEIB stands out as a powerful human-centered value all of us in our industry can focus on and be proud of.”
Many clients care deeply about—and come to SweetRush specifically for—Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) training. However, regardless of the training topic, DEIB can be infused in all training deliverables, from the way people and avatars are depicted to how stories are told and language is used.
“Businesses trust SweetRush to deliver training that embraces everyone’s unique experiences. They are great at uncovering unconscious bias, creating a common language, and opening hearts and minds.” – Christopher Pappas, eLearning Industry Founder.
At the heart of SweetRush’s success is its innovative approach to DEIB training, thoughtfully designed to meet the diverse needs of clients and learners. SweetRush’s bespoke programs feature inclusive storytelling and character designs that resonate across a broad audience, enhancing the learning experience by ensuring all participants feel seen and respected. This commitment to diverse representation in eLearning provides authentic experiences that reflect the real-world diversity of the learner population, fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and included.
“Our mission at SweetRush is to infuse DEIB into everything we do; it’s not just what we do, it’s who we are,” said SweetRush DEIB Lead Gonzalo Solorzano. “This recognition is a testament to our deep commitment to creating learning experiences that are not only educational but also transformative.”
SweetRush’s partnership with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) exemplifies this thoughtful approach to character authenticity and depth. In character design, SweetRush takes great care to “treat our characters with respect,” considering them representations of real people rather than mere lines on a digital page. By understanding their backstories, dreams, and desires, SweetRush finds unique ways for characters to express themselves as individuals.
In collaboration with the HRC Foundation, SweetRush has applied these principles to develop workforce training focused on diversity, inclusion, and belonging. This project employs narrative-driven, inclusive content that deeply engages learners on crucial topics such as Allyship in Action, Gender-Inclusive Language, and Unconscious Bias. Each course is thoughtfully crafted to address critical issues affecting traditionally marginalized groups. This ensures that the training educates and resonates with learners, fostering a genuine connection to the content and promoting a deeper understanding of DEIB principles.
“Our approach goes beyond traditional learning; we focus on immersive experiences, leveraging multimedia and real-life narratives to foster empathy and understanding among learners,” Hart said. “We believe in the power of education to transform lives and are committed to helping organizations create inclusive cultures.”
SweetRush also collaborated with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to create the People Manager Qualification (PMQ) program, a distinguished example of training, which includes 70 diverse characters and modules focused on workplace bias and social justice. Recognized for its innovative approach, the PMQ program has received numerous accolades, including 8 Brandon Hall Awards—highlighted by a Gold Award for Best Learning Program that Supports and Promotes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and a Gold Chief Learning Officer Learning in Practice Award for Excellence in Content. With SHRM’s membership exceeding 300,000 individuals in 165 countries, the program is poised to make a significant impact on the global workforce.
These initiatives are underpinned by SweetRush’s commitment to embedding diversity and inclusiveness in every solution. “We prioritize learner empathy, engaging diverse perspectives, and fostering a visually diverse world in our content,” said Rae Feshbach, a SweetRush Solution Architect who is passionate about DEIB training. “Our collaborative development process ensures that our learning solutions are accessible, usable, and truly inclusive.”
If you’d like to speak with SweetRush about its award-winning approach to DEIB training programs, get in touch to connect with a consultative expert!
About SweetRush
SweetRush is trusted by many of the world’s most successful companies to help them improve the performance of their employees and extended enterprise. SweetRush is known for exceptionally creative and effective solutions that combine the best of learning experience design with highly engaging delivery. SweetRush services include custom L&D solution design and development, high-performing staff-augmentation talent staffing, certification development, voice-over, and innovative learning technologies such as VR, AR, and AI. SweetRush’s work has earned a long list of awards and accolades in collaboration with its world-class clients. Discover more at www.sweetrush.com.
Imagine you’re on a trip to another country. After sleeping off the jet lag, what’s the first thing you do?
Some of us might head straight to the nearest landmark, while others might embark upon a challenging hike. Still others might choose a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood, exploring the local shops, cafes, or even the supermarket.
It’s fascinating to observe what daily life looks like for people in that neighborhood, in that city—and maybe even strike up a conversation with the locals. After all, connecting with others is one of the perks of travel!
Back home, though, something happens to that spirit of curiosity and discovery. We become guarded, even fearful, about the differences between ourselves and others in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities. The sharing of experiences and cultures that was so enjoyable on vacation turns fraught.
Granted, the stakes are lower on vacation. If we make a false assumption or don’t know a term, we’re presumed innocent. At home, we’re expected to get it right every time.
We become so fearful of saying something wrong that instead of engaging our curiosity, we pretend the differences between ourselves and others don’t exist. After all, many of us have been taught that overlooking them is the polite thing to do. We may also have been conditioned to believe that smooth, harmonious conversations are the most productive ones. Why rock the boat?
The Human and Business Costs of Not Rocking the Boat
The problem is that the things we smooth over, don’t mention, and otherwise ignore start to feel like taboos. And our teammates who live life with different skin colors, bodies, abilities, genders, and relationships begin to feel that they’d better hide these fundamental parts of themselves.
When any of our employees can’t bring their full selves to work, we lose out on the benefits of a diverse organization: smarter teams who focus more on facts and innovation (Harvard Business Review, 2016) and help us explore problems and our own products and services through multiple lenses.
Getting it right doesn’t mean memorizing long lists of new vocabulary or making stilted conversation to avoid any possible offense. What it does entail is applying human-centered communication practices (This five-step challenge will help your team get started!) in the service of including and valuing all people. You’ll know you’re hitting the mark when your people are inspired to step up and initiate their own grassroots projects.
We can’t tell you how to reach the summit of enlightenment—because our own approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is constantly shifting and evolving. But we can share some of the practices that have helped us over the course of our climb.
Model Resilience
No manager likes to plan for the worst. But when we have a team of individuals with different perspectives and life experiences, dissent—even occasional conflict—is inevitable.
That doesn’t mean that we devolve into shouting matches or sulking. It does mean that we use conflict as an opportunity to learn about one another and how to work better together. It may mean that someone’s presented a perspective we’ve never considered before. It may be new only to us, or it may be new to the world—after all, we’re creating the future state together.
Even the most perfectly empathetic manager won’t get everything right on the first try. The first try is the key phrase here: We’ve got to try again, even after we mess up or hurt someone’s feelings. In fact, trying again immediately is the best way to recover.
No one can be an expert on every ethnic, cultural, or gender identity—nor about every possible way of being in one’s brain and body. We will make mistakes, no matter how curious we are and how much we care. And when those mistakes happen, we can’t write each other off forever.
The human-centered approach is to hold one another accountable for learning to do better. We do that by speaking up when someone’s words or actions hurt our feelings—and briefly sharing why.
That’s the resilient approach. It means that we’re able to understand that the person who has hurt us is also a person who cares for us and means well. It’s the mindset we’re (usually!) able to apply when we’re upset with our loved ones: We can dislike the words or actions while keeping sight of our love for the person.
Two tiny words can help you maintain that mindset: ouch and oops. They’re part of a larger technique called Communication Recovery—a resilience-based technique that helps us “rebuild trust and rapport, and move forward” (The Ouch! Files, 2014). Here’s how that might look in action.
You might have noticed the pause in the middle. That’s critical—and it’s where we come in as leaders. We need to stop the conversation and let the person who’s been hurt have the floor.
After the teammates address each other, we step in as leaders to thank the person who shared the ouch—and, if it feels appropriate, encourage everyone present to learn more about that topic.
Speaking things aloud removes the taboos around hurt feelings and messing up. Rather than feeling insulted and suffering in silence, Teammate 2 secures a genuine apology from Teammate 1. And rather than making Teammate 1’s mistake a source of shame and secrecy, we model how the entire team can learn from it—without dwelling on it.
As managers, we model both responsibility to one another and responsibility for moving on. Handling hurt feelings this way requires a leap of faith from everyone. And when our people are able to make it, it’s a sign of resilience and mutual trust.
Hold Space for the Hard Stuff
We’re not talking about top-shelf whiskey (sorry!). What we’re after here is open and inclusive communication.
For example, when challenging issues arise outside of work in a nation, region, or the entire world, the anxiety they provoke follows us to work. Acknowledging these issues is part of fostering an environment of psychological safety.
And though we don’t need to delve deeply into the issue in every 1:1 or team meeting, it’s important to acknowledge when we’re having a collective moment. This is a great place to share your own feelings of fear or hope—and invite your team to do the same.
When tensions rise or tempers flare around an issue, that’s a sign that it’s time to explore it more deeply. (Remember: What isn’t talked about becomes a taboo—and a source of hard feelings.) To do that well, you might need to engage an educator who can provide some background—and engage your team in a productive, challenging conversation. If that expertise doesn’t lie within your organization, look externally.
For example, when we wanted to learn more about the history of Juneteenth and how we might advocate together for people of color, we invited an expert to spark our imaginations. In June 2021, Certified Diversity and Inclusion Master Trainer, Facilitator, and Consultant Alicia Newton engaged our entire team in a discussion of the history of Juneteenth. Together, we considered why this holiday isn’t as well known as our other Independence Day and, in small groups, we traded ideas about ways each of us could become advocates for inclusion.
We found once again that our opinions differ. Our experiences also differ. Sometimes, we might feel hurt because someone’s experience doesn’t yet acknowledge our own. But that won’t stop us from holding challenging discussions about how to do better together.
Being part of a human-centered organization means that we sit with one another through the challenges—just as we do through consensus and celebration (Harvard Business Review, 2021). By dealing with the tough stuff together, in one virtual “room,” we practice courage and (radical) candor. (Learn more best practices for virtual management with our remote teams Q&A.)
Diverse Teams + Emotional Resilience → Innovation
You’ve probably noticed that we’ve only touched on a few types of diversity here. Your team members also differ in the ways they pay attention, brainstorm, collaborate, socialize, and so on.
That’s goodgreat news! A mix of cognitive styles, life experiences, and ways of seeing the world makes a team stronger, smarter, and more innovative. (Looking for ways to invite your diverse team to bring their full selves to the table? Try our tips for better virtual—or hybrid, or live!—collaboration.)
Last week, we continued our journey through the components necessary for growing your desired culture and focused on Structural Alignment. Today, we continue with Follow-Up and Learning.
The process of cultural change in an organization is iterative. Building feedback loops for learning and growth is one of the most commonly forgotten steps in the journey. These steps will help you learn where to focus your attention and let you know when you need to correct your course:
DAILY FEEDBACK
Feedback is an effective way to visualize and manifest a desired culture. “Effective feedback enables the receiver to walk away understanding exactly what he or she did and what impact it had on them. When the result is this specific and this direct, there is a better chance that the person getting the feedback will be motivated to begin, continue, or stop behaviors that affect performance” (Weitzel, Feedback That Works, 2000).
Related exercises: Effective Feedback from the book Get Connected(p. 173)
REFLECTION AND “LESSONS LEARNED” MEETINGS
We need to invest time to stop, reflect, and learn collectively. This helps us develop shared meaning and an understanding about what works and what does not. The purpose is to enhance your team’s ability to transform and learn.
Related exercises: Team Learning from the book Get Connected(p. 165)
RECOGNITION, CELEBRATION, AND REWARDS (Performance/Behavior Awards)
People like to be caught doing things right. This is contagious, so the more you do this, the more it will
spread. Traditionally, we are not good at celebrating what is right and good around us. By intentionally focusing on the positive, we also grow the behavior and culture we want to see.
Shared picture of each team’s current culture journey through data collection and dialogue.
Related exercises: Culture Report from the book Get Connected(p. 185)
ROLLING THREE-MONTH PLAN
This plan includes focus, actions, and dates. It helps the top team and the Culture Manager review, focus, and manage the cultural transformational journey. The eBook, as a whole, with its related activities and questions, is meant to serve as a base for building a rolling three-month plan to manage your culture.
A CULTURE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
This plan includes desired values, actions, responsibilities, and dates. It helps each team review, focus, and manage the cultural transformational journey.
There is an example of a Culture Development Plan in the book Get Connected(p. 54).
FOLLOW-UP CULTURE ASSESSMENT
Define how and when you intend to follow up to see the effect of your efforts and the evolution.
In 2017, Ashley Munday, Former Director of Thrive by SweetRush, and Tor Eneroth, Director of Cultural Transformation at Barrett Values Centre, wrote an eBook as a resource and workbook for leaders to get started on the culture journey in a meaningful and tactical way. To accommodate as many leaders as possible, we have converted the content into a series of articles that can be read piece by piece and will be publishing them on a weekly basis. We invite you to consume the material at your own pace and welcome your feedback and questions along the way. Thrive by SweetRush is now known as Transforming Leaders and Culture (TLC) by SweetRush. Please reach out to begin transforming your organization today!
If you’re reading this series, we know you are a leader who understands and cares about the way your organization’s culture supports its people and its purpose—for that, we thank you! Check out the other articles in this series:
Last week, we continued our journey through the components necessary for growing your desired culture and focused on Defining and Growing Your Culture. Today, we continue with Structural Alignment. Aligning strategy, structure, and culture is imperative for success in cultural transformation.
Organization-wide values-awareness programs should be established and maintained.
Reinforcement materials—including videos, pamphlets, and posters—should be provided.
A values-based coaching program and coaching culture should be implemented and cultivated.
The company brand and/or customer promise statement need to be aligned with your desired culture.
You must consistently work on culture with various parts of the organization—including HR, communications, and strategy—in addition to the top leadership team. Collaborating on culture is extremely important and easily missed.
You need to ensure that the structures and systems of your culture and the communications about it are aligned.
Structures, policies, procedures, and incentives reflect the value systems of the current leaders and the institutional legacy of past leaders. They dictate what behaviors are acceptable and encouraged and what behaviors are unacceptable and discouraged.
The following are examples of some of the most important policies, procedures, and programs that should reflect the organization’s espoused values:
Decision-making processes should be values-based because they allow us to break with the past and create a new future based on what is important to us individually and as an organization.
HR processes and structures need to be consciously aligned with the wanted culture. This includes employee selection, evaluation, and development.
Leadership development and management training programs should include training and reflection on values, culture, and wanted behaviors.
In 2017, Ashley Munday, Former Director of Thrive by SweetRush, and Tor Eneroth, Director of Cultural Transformation at Barrett Values Centre, wrote an eBook as a resource and workbook for leaders to get started on the culture journey in a meaningful and tactical way. To accommodate as many leaders as possible, we have converted the content into a series of articles that can be read piece by piece and will be publishing them on a weekly basis. We invite you to consume the material at your own pace and welcome your feedback and questions along the way. Thrive by SweetRush is now known as Transforming Leaders and Culture (TLC) by SweetRush. Please reach out to begin transforming your organization today!
If you’re reading this series, we know you are a leader who understands and cares about the way your organization’s culture supports its people and its purpose—for that, we thank you! Check out the other articles in this series:
Last week, we continued our journey through the components necessary for growing your desired culture and focused on Roles for Supporting Culture. Today, we continue with Defining and Growing Your Culture.
Defining and Growing Your Culture
Many leaders think culture is created by defining core values and implementing them. It’s so much more than that. The real work is to align the different aspects of your culture. Creating your desired culture should be engaging, tangible, and visible in daily interactions. It requires a systematic approach to make this happen.
SHARED VISION AND MISSION
Everything starts with clear intention. It is critical to involve the whole organization in defining the vision and mission. This will define organizational culture and strategy.
Related exercises: 4 Whys from the book Get Connected(pp. 75–103)
CULTURE MEASUREMENT
Baseline measurements will help you understand where you are and where you want to go. These should be repeated annually or semiannually to track your progress. This includes existing/traditional “output” and “outcome” measurements, along with the more “causal” culture measurements (Barrett, The Values-Driven Organization, Second Edition, 2013, pp. 43–44).
The results of the culture measurement should be shared with teams throughout the organization. Groups then discuss the results to reflect on strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. In these workshops, teams define wanted norms and behaviors.
Related exercises and worksheets: From CVA to Action from the book Get Connected(pp. 52–55, 129–145).
HANDLE DYSFUNCTION
Issues in your culture inhibit a team from effectively executing your strategy. Address the dysfunction by creating a clear plan of action, detailing the values and behaviors that you want to establish.
Related exercises and worksheets: From CVA to Action from the book Get Connected(pp. 52–55, 129–145).
ALIGN STRATEGY AND CULTURE
Each of your strategic initiatives should include a connection to culture. How do you want people to do this work? How does it relate to the values, vision, and mission of the organization? How does it relate to your desired culture?
CONTINUOUS DIALOGUE
You need to make sure that you invest time for daily and continuous dialogue about desired behaviors.
True dialogue enables people to internalize the values and concepts and makes it more likely that they will be engaged going forward. It is the departmental manager’s responsibility to make sure time and space are provided for continuous dialogue.
FROM CVA TO ACTION
In 2017, Ashley Munday, Former Director of Thrive by SweetRush, and Tor Eneroth, Director of Cultural Transformation at Barrett Values Centre, wrote an eBook as a resource and workbook for leaders to get started on the culture journey in a meaningful and tactical way. To accommodate as many leaders as possible, we have converted the content into a series of articles that can be read piece by piece and will be publishing them on a weekly basis. We invite you to consume the material at your own pace and welcome your feedback and questions along the way. Thrive by SweetRush is now known as Transforming Leaders and Culture (TLC) by SweetRush. Please reach out to begin transforming your organization today!
If you’re reading this series, we know you are a leader who understands and cares about the way your organization’s culture supports its people and its purpose—for that, we thank you! Check out the other articles in this series:
Last week, we began our journey through the components necessary for growing your desired culture and focused on Leadership Commitment. Today, we continue with Roles for Supporting Culture.
Roles for Supporting Culture
Just as you have leaders responsible for HR, finance, and communication, you also need a leader to address the cultural journey and ensure that it is taking place. Someone must be assigned to the role of Culture Manager—it’s not going to take care of itself. Established departments are often at capacity with other strategic objectives and may have difficulty taking on another dimensional responsibility. It is also important that this role work across all departments and divisions to develop and care for the ongoing transformation of the culture.
Candidates for this role need particular experience and training to execute the culture initiatives effectively. In addition to the Culture Manager, other employees throughout the organization should be trained to support the culture initiatives. This, in a way, is transforming your leadership culture—the way your leaders behave and what they place value on—to emphasize the importance of the organizational culture.
CULTURE MANAGER
The primary role of the Culture Manager is to be the “guardian” of the culture. Neither the designer of the culture nor its primary promoter, this person keeps track of what is happening in the culture. The Culture Manager also develops organization-wide programs and specific interventions that enable the culture to develop in line with the changing needs of the organization, employees, and external stakeholders.
This role must be internal, with a clear and direct connection to the CEO and top management.
CULTURE AMBASSADOR
Culture doesn’t just happen at the top. Transformation must occur throughout the organization. Culture Ambassadors are managers and employees who are trained to promote culture initiatives. They represent the organizational culture, provide valuable perspective about whether the culture is being lived among their teams, and facilitate frequent dialogue with employees about the values and behaviors that are necessary to support shifts in the organization’s strategy. Having one cultural ambassador for approximately every 50–75 employees should provide a critical mass of people for cultural transformation.
In 2017, Ashley Munday, Former Director of Thrive by SweetRush, and Tor Eneroth, Director of Cultural Transformation at Barrett Values Centre, wrote an eBook as a resource and workbook for leaders to get started on the culture journey in a meaningful and tactical way. To accommodate as many leaders as possible, we have converted the content into a series of articles that can be read piece by piece and will be publishing them on a weekly basis. We invite you to consume the material at your own pace and welcome your feedback and questions along the way. Thrive by SweetRush is now known as Transforming Leaders and Culture (TLC) by SweetRush. Please reach out to begin transforming your organization today!
If you’re reading this series, we know you are a leader who understands and cares about the way your organization’s culture supports its people and its purpose—for that, we thank you! Check out the other articles in this series:
It takes intention, planning, time, attention, and adjustments based on conditions. There is no prescriptive linear way to do this; however, we’ve identified five areas for growing your desired culture:
Each of these areas takes attention and planning, so it’s important to select just a few to focus on at a time. To begin your journey into organizational culture, this and my next four articles will go deeper into each area, but we encourage you to highlight three to five vital activities that are relevant to your organization in the next three months. Revisit the list every three months to review your accomplishments and identify the next vital activities to focus on.
Leadership Commitment
Everyone knows that leadership is essential to transform a culture, but often the roles and responsibilities are not entirely clear. Here are some tips to create a transformational leadership commitment at all levels of the organization.
ROLE OF CEO
It is critical for the CEO to be a transformational leader in guiding the organizational culture. Transformational leaders who are committed to culture talk passionately about it every day. They have personal and clear stories about why they are working with organizational culture. They are consistent and persistent in living the values and building the culture. They have low tolerance for people who are not working to better the culture. They walk their talk!
BOARD COMMITMENT
You will need buy-in and support from the most senior reporting team or structure for organization-wide success. This is often a corporate board. Organizational priorities are typically established from the top, and organizational culture must be included, especially since it is so critical and needs attention over a long period of time.
COMPELLING SHARED REASON
The top team should develop a compelling shared reason for working with organizational culture. This group should have a clear picture of where they are and where they want to go. They should understand the current culture and have a shared vision of the desired culture.
SELF-AWARENESS
All members of the top team should develop self awareness and know their values, purpose, personality, behaviors, and impact on the people around them. Each leader should also understand how they align with the desired organizational values and culture.
WALKING YOUR TALK
All members of the top team should develop ongoing awareness of and feedback on their behaviors, communications, and the perceptions of others.
INVOLVEMENT AND COMMITMENT
Develop a strategy and process to share your organizational culture and involve all your managers. The strategy should include programs for managers to increase their own personal awareness and expectations about their behaviors.
In 2017, Ashley Munday, Former Director of Thrive by SweetRush, and Tor Eneroth, Director of Cultural Transformation at Barrett Values Centre, wrote an eBook as a resource and workbook for leaders to get started on the culture journey in a meaningful and tactical way. To accommodate as many leaders as possible, we have converted the content into a series of articles that can be read piece by piece and will be publishing them on a weekly basis. We invite you to consume the material at your own pace and welcome your feedback and questions along the way. Thrive by SweetRush is now known as Transforming Leaders and Culture (TLC) by SweetRush. Please reach out to begin transforming your organization today!
If you’re reading this series, we know you are a leader who understands and cares about the way your organization’s culture supports its people and its purpose—for that, we thank you! Check out the other articles in this series:
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