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Robert Barner

June 2011 - TD Magazine

The 5 Hidden Roles of the Managerial Coach

Enablement The Key to Empowerment

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Robert W. Barner

How do you brush up on your skills—or get started in developing mobile learning assets?

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Robert Tobias teaches courses in public sector leadership in the Key Executive Leadership Programs. He also teaches facilitation and team development, conflict management and alternative dispute resolution, and managing labor management relations. Finally, he is the Director of the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation which brings together members of Congress, political appointees, career federal executives, union leaders, consultants, and academics for the purpose of resolving difficult public policy implementation issues. President Clinton nominated and the Senate confirmed him for a five-year term as a member of the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board. Tobias received the Paul P. Van Riper Award from the American Society for Public Administration “In recognition of his outstanding contributions to both the theory and practice of public administration” and the Warner Stockberger award from the International Public Management Association for Human Resources for “outstanding contributions in the field of public sector personnel management at the federal level.” He has also been elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Tobias was selected by Thomas Ridge, secretary, Department of Homeland Security, and Kay Coles James, director, Office of Personnel Management to the Human Resource Management System Senior Review Advisory Committee.

Robert Tobias

A modern intranet is a vital component of any effective culture strategy in today's distributed work landscape. It’s often how new employees first experience a company’s culture (during onboarding), and it remains a key connection point for a growing virtual workforce.When built thoughtfully, your intranet helps communicate core values, encourages open dialogue, and fosters a sense of belonging, all of which are key elements in driving mindsets and behavior. Here’s how to establish your digital ecosystem as a powerful tool for shaping and reinforcing your organization’s culture.Embed Core Values Into the IntranetYour intranet should reflect your organization’s identity and values. It’s more than a functional platform; it should visually and practically integrate the behaviors and principles you want to encourage.Consider dedicating sections of your homepage to highlighting your organization’s values. For example, visually appealing banners or callout boxes can remind employees of the values the organization celebrates, recognizes, and strives to live by. Go a step further by featuring stories of “values in action”—real-life examples of employees who demonstrate these values in meaningful ways. Not only does this make your values tangible, but it also shows your team that living the values is recognized and appreciated.Provide a Leadership Communication HubLeaders play a critical role in shaping and communicating an organization’s cultural vision. An intranet that’s designed to promote leadership visibility and transparency can help drive culture transformation.Creating a dedicated leadership communication hub offers employees direct access to leaders’ thoughts, plans, and visions. This could include regular blog posts, video or podcast updates, or live Q&A sessions that support sharing ideas and asking questions.It’s important to provide spaces for leaders across business units and departments to deliver messaging that reinforces strategic perspective and makes it tangible for their teams. When employees feel they have a direct line to leadership, it builds trust and helps align the entire organization around a shared vision. These communications should be authentic, relatable, and align with the organization’s values. Whether it’s a heartfelt video about the company’s future or a blog post reflecting on recent successes, these touchpoints help reinforce the cultural direction in an approachable way.Foster Community and CollaborationA thriving organizational culture is one where employees feel connected—not just to leadership but to each other. The intranet can be a powerful tool for fostering that sense of community and collaboration.Interactive features, such as discussion forums, virtual team spaces, or recognition walls, allow employees to engage with one another beyond their immediate teams. These features encourage cross-departmental collaboration and provide a space for employees to share their thoughts, challenges, and successes in real time. Doing so creates moments where culture can flourish organically.Recognition walls, for example, can act as a social center where employees highlight peers for outstanding contributions or living the company’s values. This not only boosts morale, but it also reinforces a sense of belonging—critical components of a strong organizational culture.At TiER1, we strive to ensure that our culture is clear throughout our Microsoft365 digital ecosystem in the following ways:Our main intranet home on SharePoint has highlighted pages that articulate our core values and aspirations.Our TiER1 Matters Weekly newsletter includes insights from our president and is published via SharePoint News, so it’s automatically archived and searchable.We use Forms to capture peer-to-peer nominations for our Values in Action Awards, which trigger automated posts to our Viva Engage community.Our Pulsecast Power App provides a mechanism for leaders to publish podcasts around quarterly priorities, personal growth reflections, and “whole-self stories” to create an inclusive environment.We regularly publish key metrics around our business and employee experience leveraging Power BI to reinforce transparency and accountability.Embrace Human-Centered Design and Continuous ImprovementTo truly be a driver of culture transformation, your intranet must be designed with employees at the center. The best intranets are built through a process that considers the needs, behaviors, and pain points of the people who will use it every day. A human-centered design approach ensures that the intranet is intuitive, easy to use, and genuinely helpful.The design process starts with understanding user needs. By collecting feedback from employees, conducting usability tests, and refining features based on real-world use, the intranet becomes more than a static tool—it evolves into a living platform that adapts to users’ needs.Continuous improvement is key. As your organization grows and changes, so will your employees’ needs. Regular updates based on user feedback help ensure that your intranet remains relevant and engaging. Focusing on ongoing refinement creates a dynamic space that reflects the pulse of the organization, evolving alongside your company’s culture.Intranets can be powerful drivers of transformation when they are intentionally designed and continuously improved. After all, culture lives in the interactions between employees, their leaders, and the tools they use to connect with one another. When your digital ecosystem becomes a space where values, communication, and community thrive, you’re not just building a platform—you’re building a culture.

How to Use Your Intranet to Amplify Your Culture

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