Over the last few weeks SORCE has been discussing the importance of effective Steering Groups and how they can guide the development of your intranet. In addition to these groups / committees, it is also crucially important to discuss a new intranet with everyone within the business. Intranet stakeholder interviews enable you to identify potential requirements your new intranet might need. By involving everyone within the business you may uncover new innovative ways to enhance productivity in areas you had not even considered. This blog identifies a handful of tips for conducting and managing great stakeholder interviews. For more advice and information, download our Guide to Conducting Stakeholder Interviews.
How do stakeholder interviews work?
Stakeholder interviews are key to understanding your organisation's intranet needs. A central part of reviewing your intranet is to meet with end users and understand their needs and how the current intranet does or doesn’t meet them. These interviews should not consist of pre-prepared questions, instead they should allow for unstructured conversation about the needs of every individual. The following 5 considerations will help you plan your future stakeholder interviews:
1. Who should conduct your interviews?
If possible, a third party is often the most ideal party to carry out stakeholder interviews. There are 2 main benefits to this; firstly, it helps to remove bias from the interviewer as they should be objective and have no political agenda. Secondly, the interviewee is more likely to be open with their answers and help point out the real issues. If a third party option is not viable, ensure that the interviewer is as approachable and neutral as possible.
2. Pre-Interview
Before undertaking any interview, ensure the interviewee understands the purpose of the exercise to ensure thye do not see it as a generic tick-box exercise but as something truly valuable. Additionally, explaining how the collected information will be used helps to put staff at ease.
3. Focus on staff needs NOT functionality
The conversations should be focused on finding out what employees need in order to carry out their jobs more effectively. Discussing the details of potential functionality will cause the interview to stray from the key objectives - identifying current issues and needs. Functionality should only be considered once you fully understand what the requirements of your staff are.
4. Quality not quantity
The number of questions asked is irrelevant, it is the quality of the information collected that is important.
5. Timing
It is important to allow sufficient time for each interview. Avoid scheduling back to back interviews so that you are not rushed and pushed for time.
If you keep all these factors in mind, your interviews are sure to capture all the information you require to advance your intranet. To find our more about conducting stakeholder interviews, download our free guide. If you are interested in hearing more about how SORCE could help your organisation, give us a call or attend one of our Showcase events.
