Organizations are struggling to make hybrid work “work,” and Dartmouth Advancement is no exception. Collaboration, information sharing, and culture suffered tremendously under the strains of the pandemic-driven transition to fully remote work and continue to languish in the hybrid work environment. To address these and other challenges, a cross-departmental team developed a strategic communication infrastructure that included (1) the development of an internal staff website based in Microsoft SharePoint, (2) training and onboarding of departments, and (3) ongoing coordination and oversight at the division level. These efforts resulted in division-wide adoption and cultural transformation as evidenced by the following: Staff pulse-survey ratings of the effectiveness of internal collaboration and communication garner exceptionally high ratings (80%+); the internal staff website has monthly staff use rates of 85%+; and from 2019 to present, the Gallup employee engagement survey question “I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right” has increased significantly. These successes were hard won. SharePoint, though available, was used inconsistently, with teams largely siloed in their own workflows. According to staff pulse surveys, access to information was inefficient, highly person-specific, and inequitable. Recognizing information as key to not only employee engagement but also diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), the team developed strategic architecture for SharePoint that laid the groundwork for a staff internal website and ensured easy access to information.
From the Judges
The SharePoint Advisory Group was a different idea, one others can replicate, to help employees access information critical to their roles. The fact that this was all done in house and without any outside consultants helped keep it cost effective.
