Building manager capability at scale: an integrated approach

Over the years, The Google Learning Advisors Program has shed invaluable light on the challenges facing Google managers, as well as their attitudes, needs, and concerns.

For example, they uncovered that it’s very important to managers to be addressed in a way that conveys trust, partnership, and makes them feel “seen.” This insight has since influenced everything from Learning & Development program names to internal slogans to the design of manager-specific communications.

Intentional activities and synthesis also helped The Google School for Leaders recognize that managers want more help tackling the ambiguous aspects of their roles. While scenarios taught in manager trainings often have clear “right” and “wrong” solutions, real life is rarely so straightforward. Now, the team tests practice scenarios for manager development programs with Google Learning Advisors to help ensure we’re reflecting the challenging nuances managers are likely to face.

Another valuable takeaway from Google Learning Advisors was the reminder that managers arrive in their roles for a variety of reasons, impacting what they find motivating, rewarding, and challenging. For example, when researching how managers think about hard performance conversations, the team noticed that some managers view giving tough feedback as necessary for employee growth, while others believe they have a responsibility to safeguard their team members’ feelings. Recognizing how different managers may approach this subject helped The Google School for Leaders build a learning product that incorporated a breadth of perspectives and approaches around hard conversations.

Although the specifics of a manager advisory program will vary depending on the needs of your organization and the type of business landscape you operate in, here are a few guiding principles to keep in mind.

• Be intentional about your participants

  While your advisory group might not perfectly represent the entire organization, try to actively seek out members with a wide range of backgrounds, roles, and experiences to mirror your larger population as closely as possible. You should also seek input from cohorts that you rarely hear from, or that are not necessarily your biggest supporters.

  At Google, we reboot the program periodically, bringing in new, energetic voices. Our first Learning Advisors cohort had around 60 participants; now in our fifth iteration, we have about 130 participants.

• Be clear about “the contract” from the start

  Managers are busy. To gain the trust of your advisory group and promote strong engagement and participation, it’s important to be clear about the monthly time commitment, the length of the program, and what their feedback can, and cannot, influence. In our program, interested managers complete an application process where they learn about and agree to the participation expectations from the start.

  We also make it clear what’s in it for them. In our call for volunteers, we present The Google Learning Advisors Program as a chance to join a global network of people passionate about the culture of learning at Google and as an opportunity to influence programs that will touch managers across the company.

• Keep them engaged

  To maintain the rhythm and drive of the group, reach out on a regular, frequent cadence – every two weeks or at least once a month. And keep the group members interested by changing up the format of the activities. Some of the creative activities we’ve used include:

  • Having managers select images to represent their feelings or reactions.

  • Hosting focus group discussions to surface feedback on early stage programs still in development.

  • Asking group members to fill out a Mad Lib-style “Postcard from your future self.”

• Focus on them, not their peers

  When you ask questions of your advisory group, place the focus squarely on them. You’re looking for genuine reflections about their personal, lived experience, not what they think others might be feeling or what conventional wisdom might say. Personalize your questions and creative activities as much as possible. For example, instead of asking a generic question like, “What would make X most impactful to managers?” rephrase it to say, “If you were in charge of X, what would you do?”

• Go in ready to learn

  Qualitative research of this nature is intended to be exploratory. Don’t go into it trying to prove a point or validate a hypothesis, but instead to learn more about your audience. Expect to come away with new ideas and directional insights, not assertions like “70% of Advisors said X” (the smaller n-count means percentages are rarely statistically significant anyway).

• Co-create with feedback loops

  Treat your advisory group as an ongoing collaboration. Once you make changes and iterate based on their feedback, go back to the group to ask if you are moving in the right direction. These feedback loops act like a compass, allowing you to draft, test, iterate, and test again!

• Use their stories

  A powerful quote or story can often break through to an audience in a way statistics or reports cannot, with an emotional appeal that deeply resonates. Don’t hesitate to quote your advisors and make full use of their stories – with their permission, of course, and in accordance with any anonymity assurances you’ve given.

The Google Learning Advisors program helps The Google School for Leaders understand managers in a more human way, so they can design for them and their needs through products, processes, and strategies. Together with quantitative methods like surveys and company-wide research initiatives, advisory groups like this enhance our understanding of the manager experience. As you seek to foster a culture of effective management at your company, consider starting your own advisors program to gather feedback and co-create solutions for managers, ultimately leading to a more engaged and effective workforce.