Practitioners often view their role as one that influences an individual, group, or organization to a more desired change. The change agent plays a significant role in leading the change effort or collaborating with the team initiating change. Trying to create a measurement-friendly environment also involves a change agent – someone to lead this effort and manage the change process within an organization. It is important to remember that building a measurement system should be a strategic change. The change agent must set the stage with the “why” behind building a measurement culture, ensure the change effort is in sync with what’s important for the organization, and include action planning and feedback to keep the momentum building. It is also helpful to involve people who are senior in the organization because they have the clout necessary to pave the way for building a measurement system.
Identify a System to Routinely Review Measures
Adopting a systematic way to plan, collect, analyze, and report on programs in the organization, such as the ROI Methodology®, begins the process of communicating and reinforcing what is important to the organization while sending a clear message to key stakeholders as to what needs to change to improve outcomes. This is particularly true when measurement has been planned in advance to collect data points that tell the story in a comprehensive way. The old “if you build it, they will come” mentality can be challenged through a series of filtering questions:
- Is this initiative aligned with business impact or organization effectiveness outcomes?
- Is there an assessment of performance that shows a gap in performance?
- Is the work environment prepared to reinforce the implementation of engagement?
- Have partnerships been established with key stakeholders to support this initiative?
- Are there specific, measurable objectives for expected behavior change and business impact?
When employee engagement programs are aligned with results-based initiatives or what’s important to the organization, engagement programs are more likely to be easily measured and supported. The adage rings true in this context: What gets measured gets done.
Sustaining the Use of ROI
Practitioners may resist the ROI process and it may take evidence of tangible and intangible benefits for change agents to convince them that it is in their best interest to make the engagement program a success. Although most clients want to see the results of the program, they may have concerns about the information they are asked to provide and about whether their personal performance is being judged while the project is undergoing evaluation. Participants may express the same fears. The challenge is to implement the methodology systematically and consistently so that it becomes normal business behavior and part of a routine and standard process built into projects.
While resistance to any new process or change can be expected, it is highly probable when implementing a process as comprehensive as ROI. To implement ROI and sustain it as an important accountability tool, change agents must minimize or remove resistance. Here are four reasons to have a plan:
- Resistance is always present. Sometimes there are good reasons for resistance, but often it exists for the wrong reasons. It is important to sort out both kinds of resistance and try to dispel the myths. When legitimate barriers are the basis for resistance, the challenge is to minimize or remove them completely.
- Implementation is key. As with any process, effective implementation is key to its success. This occurs when a new technique, tool, or process is integrated into the routine framework. Without effective implementation, even the best process will fail. A process that is never removed from the shelf will never be understood, supported, or improved. Clear-cut steps must be in place to design a comprehensive implementation process that will overcome resistance.
- Implementation requires consistency. Consistency is an important consideration as the ROI process is implemented. With consistency comes accuracy and reliability. The only way to make sure consistency is achieved is to follow clearly defined processes and procedures each time the ROI Methodology is used. Proper, effective implementation will ensure that this occurs.
- Implementation requires efficiency. Cost control and efficiency will be significant considerations in any major undertaking, and the ROI Methodology is no exception. During implementation, tasks must be completed efficiently and effectively. Doing so will help ensure that process costs are kept to a minimum, that time is used economically, and that the process remains affordable.
Even the best model or process will fail if it is not used and sustained properly. If not approached in a systematic, logical, and planned way, the ROI process will not be an integral part of the employee engagement evaluation efforts, and accountability will suffer. If change agents can show executives the return on investing in engagement, it reinforces their commitment to make the process work, and it often improves their relationship with those involved in engagement, as well as their respect for the entire talent management and human resources function.
