CREATING VALUE THROUGH EFFECTIVE CONTINUOUS LISTENING STRATEGIES
R&C: What do you believe are the key objectives and elements of a continuous listening strategy? How can continuous listening strategies create value?
Vincent: A continuous listening strategy contributes to how an organisation builds its culture. It can encourage employee engagement, mitigate risk, drive innovation and build trust, both inside and outside the organisation. The value from a continuous listening strategy comes from the development of a healthy culture, and a healthy culture equals a high-performing organisation. A continuous listening strategy is multifaceted. Organisations should focus on the following critical elements: identifying the instances and times when ‘listening’ can occur; the methods and mechanisms for collecting the feedback and a way to consolidate and analyse the information received; determining how to follow-up on feedback received and what stakeholders should be involved in this process; and developing a strategy to communicate how employees and stakeholders were ‘listened’ to.
Moosmayer: First, we must acknowledge that there is an issue regarding ‘listening’ in some companies. It is a common experience that the ability and willingness to listen decreases the higher you move up in a company’s hierarchy. Management often requests a ‘speak up’ culture among their employees but forgets that speaking up requires a listening partner. Companies not only need a ‘speak up’ culture, they also need to ‘listen up’. To start a continuous listening strategy, this issue must be acknowledged by senior management. If this is done effectively, it will create value because collaboration will significantly increase.
Jul-Sep 2018 Issue
ClearView Strategic Partners Inc.
Nokia Corporation
Siemens