Operationalization at work

Operationalization is making an abstract idea objectively measurable: “defining a fuzzy concept so as to make it clearly distinguishable, measurable, and understandable by empirical observation”. Why is this important? A lot of the things we do at work are easily explained and measured; other things… not so much. But in order to be systematic about achieving organizational objectives, you need to be able to measure everything that impacts those objectives. 

Operationalizing employee input means systematically and scientifically breaking objectives down into questions and conversation starters that generate opportunities for action. We use these to engage employees, and in return we get information that directly relates to the objective or metric we want to impact. In doing this we also turn what can be slightly fuzzy or amorphous concepts into topics that are well defined and measurable. And we can use the same framework to generate actionable insights on the things we already know how to measure.

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Operationalization in practice - deciding what to measure, and how

‍Objective - What are you trying to achieve? Start with an objective that is important to your organization, and that you want to create some movement on. “We want to reduce call wait times.” “We want to reduce safety incidents.” “We want to improve staff retention.” The most effective feedback campaigns are short and focused on trying to achieve a particular outcome. 

‍Result - How will you know you’ve achieved it? How are you going to measure your performance on this objective? Eg “measure call wait times”, “record the number of safety incidents at each site”,”track staff turnover.” When you know what you’re measuring and how, it’s clear when you achieve the result you’re after. 

‍Importance - Why does this matter? It should be obvious why each objective matters to your organization. “Reducing call wait time directly improves individual customer experience, increases the number of customers we can assist, and results in less negative word of mouth.” You can use the relative importance of objectives to decide what to focus on first.

‍Audience - Who should you talk to about this? Target people who have detailed, first hand, expert knowledge of how to achieve the outcome you want. In a call center, this might include CSRs and call center managers. The more (relevant) people you ask, the more actionable information you’ll get.

‍Questions - How do you ask the right things? For each objective, consider asking different but related questions that come at the topic from different angles. This will help you generate enough data to be sure you’re finding the right themes.

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Joyous uses a combination of rated statement questions and open text conversation starters. Questions are simple and focused, specific and relevant to the audience and objective. Conversation starters are open and action-oriented. 

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Confirm - Are you asking the right things? Will your questions generate information that you can use to positively impact your objective? If you can’t make that connection, then you should refine or reconsider your questions before going out to your audience.

‍Respond - Who should participate in conversations? Depending on the objective and audience, you can have leaders respond to their teams, or nominate responders. Dedicated responders are usually experts on the subject being discussed, and are able to do something with the input they receive. Responders create an important human connection with people giving feedback; thanking, reassuring and supporting. They’re also responsible for encouraging further details or clarification so all input is actionable.

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How does this change the way you’re used to working?

If you’re still using annual surveys to get feedback from your team, then obviously this is a big change. You’ll need to take a closer look at what you’re surveying, decide what will make the biggest impact on objectives, and work to operationalize that input using the framework above.

And if you’re not talking to front-line employees about safety, productivity, or customer experience, then this framework will also help make that happen. Because the people doing the work are usually the best source of information on it, an operational approach to gathering workforce expertise is guaranteed to net some very specific, focused ideas and suggestions that will help you achieve your objectives.

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