Strategic ES as an effective management tool

Positioning and design

Whether or not a strategic ES is successful depends on a large number of prerequisites and aspects. However, our view is that it depends primarily on whether or not the ES delivers reliable and valid data that impact managerial and employee behavior in the right way – just like key figures about processes, financial data or market research data.

In this context, we believe that a consistent, incisive framework design is absolutely crucial. The framework design describes the concrete objectives of the ES in a language that everyone is able to understand and is suitably positioned and therefore convincing.

Building on the objectives and positioning, we go on to develop the other design elements: e.g. project architecture, questionnaire, information and communication, anonymity and data protection, data collection, reporting of results and follow-up processes.

However, before we start to design the ES, we take full stock of the company’s current situation. This sheds light on the circumstances in which ES will be taking place, as well as the management’s general objectives and expectations.

On the basis of proven models, we then tailor the separate design elements to these contextual specifics and bundle them into an optimum overall package.

Last but not least, the central aspects of the design have to have the support of the relevant stakeholders – the management, employee representatives and management representative bodies. Here too, we provide support for our customers by taking the requisite steps with these bodies.