One of the many side effects of this immediate crisis is the extraordinary innovation and new thinking about how work gets done. Employees around the world are doing the very best they can with what they have from where they are. So how do you learn from your employees during (and after) this challenging time?
Right before this Covid-19 crisis, we conducted an extensive Courageous Cultures research study with the University of North Colorado to understand what prevents employees from speaking up and sharing their best practices.
The biggest reasons may surprise you.
- 67% said leadership operates around the notion that this is the way we’ve always done it
- An astonishing 49% say they aren’t regularly asked for their ideas
- And 40% say they lack the confidence to share their ideas
- 45% said they lacked training on problem-solving and critical thinking
- And sadly 50% said they were convinced nothing would happen if they share their ideas
Your employees have more ideas than ever. Don’t miss them.
Ask These Questions to Learn From Your Employees During This Challenging Time
You might not have time to linger in these questions right now. But you can at least let your employees know that you’re interested in learning from them.
Even if you ask just one provocative question at the start of your team meeting or one-on-one, you send a clear message that you want their creative thinking and best ideas.
Here are a few questions to get you started
- What are we learning about what matters most for our customers?
- Which meetings are most essential? Which as it turns out, are not?
- What is working well with our remote meetings? What is not?
- What non-essential work have we stopped doing that could potentially stay stopped?
- How are you staying connected at a human level during this difficult time?
- And, how do we carry that empathy and connection going as we return to the new normal?
- What are your best practices for staying productive while working from home?
- What is your biggest learning from this new way of working so far?
- Imagine it’s six months from now, what are your best ideas for the future we are creating together?
The IDEA framework
Of course, you don’t just want ideas — you want good ideas. But how you respond to any incomplete, off-base or inelegant ideas makes all the difference in whether or not you’ll get the contributions you do need the next time. If you stop listening, they’ll stop sharing, so it’s worth the time investment to help your team identify good ideas and want to communicate them.
This is where the IDEA framework comes into play. If you want better ideas, have your employees use these simple, yet effective, questions to vet their ideas for viability.
I: Interesting
Why is this idea interesting? What strategic problem does it solve? How will results improve from this idea (e.g., customer experience, employee retention, efficiency)?
D: Doable
Is this idea something we could actually do? How would we make it happen? What would make it easier or more difficult?
E: Engaging
Who would we need to engage to make this happen? Why should they support it? Where are we most likely to meet resistance?
A: Actions
What are the most important actions needed to try this? How would we start?
By telling your team you’re looking for interesting, doable, engaging actions, you are consistently asking and teaching them how to know a good idea when they see one. And you’re well on your way to learn from your employees and tap into their best thinking.
Times of crisis are also breeding grounds for innovation. These techniques can help your managers learn from employees and work together to build a brighter, bolder future.