CENTERING EMPLOYEE VOICES: A TRANFORMATIVE APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY

The author, a Harvard lecturer and founder of Future Forward Strategies, writes about her concept of “centering employee voices,” the roots of which go back to her childhood observing the management treatment of her grandfather in an auto manufacturing plant. His suggestions for workplace improvements and efficiencies were not sought by management, and the author contends that the same thing plays out in organizations today. “Beyond retention,” she writes, “the implications of centering employee voices extend to innovation.” She provides a number of practical strategies that leaders can implement; which in her words are: Implement Pulse Surveys for Real-Time Feedback; Leverage Cross-Training to Broaden Expertise and Perspective; Build Psychological Safety to Encourage Feedback; Embed Employee Voice in Strategic Decision-Making; and Monitor and Measure Impact. She presents the “Win-Win Workplace Framework,” in her words: 1. Centering employee voices; 2. Cultivating Mutualistic Working Relationships; 3. Implementing Intersectional Inclusion Strategies; 4. Reimagining Employee Benefits; 5. Frontline Leader-Driven Strategies; 6. Hiring STARs vs. Prioritizing Credentials; 7. Developing Deep Talent Benches; 8. Using Human-Capital Reporting as a Competitive Strategy; 9. Distributed Leadership-Entrepreneurial Structures. As she concludes, “Centering employee voices isn’t a soft skill; it’s a strategic advantage.”