The Association Blog

Didya catch last week’s webinar, “How Can Science Help You Engage Your Workforce”? Here’s a genius idea shared by UNC Charlotte’s Jack Flinchum and Natalie Wilde that can help bring different departments together when organizational silos are an issue.

It’s not uncommon for individual departments to accomplish great things together, with every team member thriving and engaged in their work…all while having very real conflicts and miscommunication with other departments in the organization. “How do we get people to be empathetic towards others?” asks Jack Flinchum of Shelter Employee Engagement & Development Survey (SeeDS), a science-based assessment tool designed to increase employee engagement.

Holding a Show Me How Day is a simple, direct way to get at the root of this issue. Similar to a rotational-type program but not as structured, employees from various departments—animal care, for example, or administration—will shadow someone from a different department. “The idea is that they will really see what it’s like to be in that person’s shoes,” says Flinchum, “and see why they’re making the decisions they’re making, and ultimately build empathy for them.”  And you don’t have to stop at just one day. “Keep on doing it so employees can experience difference sides of the shelter and work being done they may have no idea about.”

Agencies that have hosted Show Me How Days, reports Flinchum, tend to work better together. “This can bring the entire organization forward as a whole.”

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Webinar Recording: How Can Science Help You Engage Your Workforce  
Upcoming Webinar, 6/8: Strategic Talent Development & Succession Planning

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