Tammy Erickson Associates Building Intelligent Organizations

Workshop: A Values-Based Employee Experience: Crafting Our Unique Signature

Extraordinary companies design their organizational practices around their values. These excellent organizations can seem . . . well, “odd” – because they emphasize and proudly tout practices that are different from a “typical” company’s practices or even those that are commonly regarded as “best practice.”

For many individuals in today’s workplace, feeling a sense of connection with the organization’s values is important to their satisfaction with and enjoy of work. “Meaning” is the new money.

One of the most powerful approaches to strengthen meaning in the workplace is the creation of Signature Experiences – highly visible, distinctive elements of the employees’ experience that encourage self-selection, leading to higher levels of engagement and retention. A values-based employee experience serves as a powerful and constant symbol of the organization’s culture, values, and heritage and, because it is idiosyncratic, is tricky for competitors to imitate.

This workshop will help your organization develop a cohesive, integrated Values-Based Employee Experience, highlighted by one or more Signature Experiences.

This workshop is designed for a Working Team – people who will actively participate in the design of an integrated employee experience. The ideal team size is about 15 people, but can range from 5-25. More participants often bring more creative ideas and broader buy-in.

Team members should be prepared to participate in a multi-day, intense, creative work session and, ideally, should be committed to assisting with implementation following the workshop. All should have participated in the workshop “What Does It Mean to Work Here?” prior to attending this workshop.

This workshop is designed as a highly interactive delivery format, requiring significant creative work by participants throughout the session. In addition to increased understanding of the concepts underlying employee engagement, tangible outcomes include:

A draft of Design Principles for the employee experience
Specific ideas for the application of those Design Principles to create an integrated, cohesive Values-Based Employee Experience
An initial prioritization of the ideas, based on gaps with current reality
An outline of several specific Signature Experiences

The workshop is designed to require 12 hours, not including breaks. These sessions can be spread over 2 or 3 days, depending on the intensity of work desired. Spreading the sessions over 3 days will provide more time for reflection and creative idea generation.

Workshop Agenda

Time (minutes)	Title	Key Content	Design Format	Syllabus
10	Understanding Engagement	Recap of the “What Does It Mean to Work Here” Workshop	Interactive Lecture	Slide Deck: pages 1-5
20	What Were You Doing When . . .	Recognition of personal drivers of engagement	Personal reflection, followed by a group discussion to share highlights	Slide Deck: page 6 Worksheet: “What Were You Doing When . . . “
30	Lessons from Marketing	Insights on how key processes from marketing provide the basis for developing a values-based employee experience	Interactive Lecture	Slide Deck: pages 7-27
60	Segmentation: Our Current Employees’ Values and Preferences	An understanding of what current employees want from work	Interactive Lecture Group Summary of Key Themes	Slide Deck: page 28-31 Handout: Input for Developing a Values-Based Employee Experience
30	Segmentation: Our Dominant Engagement Archetype	Identification of the organization’s Dominant Engagement Archetype	Work Session Group Synthesis	Slide Deck: page 32-39 Guidebook: Developing a Values-Based Employee Experience
30	Targeting: Our Future Engagement Archetype	Consideration of the business’ future talent needs and the most appropriate Archetype Selection of the Dominant Engagement Archetype to target for the future	Interactive Lecture, with Participant Handout Discussion Group Synthesis	Slide Deck: page 40-42 Handout: Input for Developing a Values-Based Employee Experience Guidebook: Developing a Values-Based Employee Experience
15	Positioning: Design Principles Based on the 4C’s	Understanding of the breadth of factors that influence the employee experience	Interactive Lecture	Slide Deck: pages 43-46
45	Positioning: Design Principles Based on Varying Needs and Characteristics	Practice in identifying creative Design Principles	Breakout Exercise	Slide Deck: page 47 Card Deck: Signature Experiences
90	Positioning: Design Principles for Our Employee Experience	A solid draft of the Design Principles for this organization	Work Session Group Synthesis	Slide Deck: page 48 Worksheet: Our Design Principles Guidebook: Developing a Values-Based Employee Experience
90	Positioning: Elements of Our Employee Experience	Specific ideas for the application of the Design Principles to create an integrated, cohesive Values-Based Employee Experience	Work Session Group Synthesis	Slide Deck: pages 49-51 Worksheet: Our Employee Experience Guidebook: Developing a Values-Based Employee Experience
45	Reality Check: Perceptions of Today’s Employee Experience	An understanding of how employees perceive the current employee experience	Interactive Lecture, with Participant Handout	Slide Deck: page 52-57 Handout: Input for Developing a Values-Based Employee Experience
45	Priorities: Key Gaps and Opportunities in Our Employee Experience	An initial prioritization of the ideas, based identification of elements of the current employee experience that are furthest from the new design	Work Session Group Synthesis	Slide Deck: page 58 Colored Pencils (red, yellow, and green)
30	Brand: The Power of Signature Experiences	Examples of powerful Signature Experiences used in other firms	Interactive Lecture	Slide Deck: pages 59-65
30	Brand: Signature Experiences Based on Varying Needs and Characteristics	Practice in identifying creative Signature Experiences	Breakout Exercise	Slide Deck: page 66 Card Deck: Signature Experiences
45	Brand: Designing a Signature Experience – Importance and Distinctiveness	Guidance on the development of a Signature Experience and input from employees on current strengths	Interactive Lecture, with Participant Handout	Slide Deck: pages 67-72 Handout: Input for Developing a Values-Based Employee Experience
60	Brand: Our Signature Experience(s)	An outline of several specific Signature Experiences	Work Session Group Synthesis	Slide Deck: page 73
30	Action Planning: Next Steps	An outline of required actions and next steps for implementation	Discussion	Slide Deck: pages 74-75
15	Wrap Up and Debrief	Key insights/ take-aways by participants	Individual Sharing within the Group	Slide Deck: page 76

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You can order from Tammy Erickson Associates all the materials you need to deliver A Values-Based Employee Experience: Crafting Our Unique Signature within your own organization.