Joint meeting of ESF PAG, INTERACT and Commission 23/10/2018 Staff engagement initiatives – two case studies COMM CN network presentation of “The SG we want to be" The idea of this project was born after the Commission staff survey of 2016 revealed room for • improvement in the way senior and middle managers of the SG communicate and engage with their people. Colleagues asked for better • two-way communication, ◦ guidance about the mission of the SG, ◦ encouragement for innovation and cross-functional cooperation, ◦ support of individual career developments. Additionally, many new colleagues, including (senior) managers, have arrived to the SG recently. This situation emphasized the need to focus on management-staff communication. The Secretary General initiating this project, Alexander Italianer has considered this project as a high personal priority. End-2016 He launched a comprehensive consultation process involving all SG staff aiming to find concrete ways to improve communication and to find solutions to the other shortcomings identified. This was done via various management forums, two sounding boards with staff from across the SG, various unit/diretorate level meetings and finally, in the summer of 2016 an all SG reflection day. Viktória Kovács, European Commission, Secretariat-General, Directorate for Transparency, Efficiency & Resources

…and to be made available to all staff Video messages with colleagues from all-over the Commission produced for the management seminar of the Secretariat-General … …and to be made available to all staff Show that the (top) management is interested in ideas from staff from all-over the Commission Independently from the formal function or grade Video produced for Commission Secretariat General management seminar By Secretariat-General together with DG HR Objectives: 1st level objective: show (top) management of SG some feedback from colleagues from around the Commission around three areas and give some inspirative thoughts for their further reflections How to better work together within the organization How to better work together for more innovation How to work better together to better deliver for the citizens Video was first shown during the mid-September seminar to a circle of about 90 people 2nd level objective: publish video on the Commission’s intranet visible to all staff with the objective to: Show that the voices and ideas of staff matter to the (top) management of the Commission The collleagues in the video were experienced colleagues but except one person, with no formal managment functions (we avoided to mention the formal job-title, as it is about the individual and the ideas and not the title) Attempt to show the potental of collective intelligence Encouragement to colleagues to aim to improve the organization Assumption that ideas for collaboration that are up to the individuals coming from peers, and not from top down, are more effective Show the potential of collective intelligence Encourage to aim to improve the organisation Both by having ideas, as well as better collaboration, listening to suggestions from colleagues/peers

SG we want to be initiative Bottom up approach Strong senior management support Empowerment of ’Just do it’ reforms Focus on people Use of different tools SGS WWTB / why Bottom up approach Staff survey results Intial study of results Discussion in various management meetings 2 Sounding Boards Reflection Day Senior management support Focus on people Different tools

SG We want to be how SG Talks Encouraging and showing bottom up improvements Material and explanations to help breaking the silos within the organisation Help improve the working spaces to make them more collaborative and creativity boosting Make the most out of digital communiation technologies A dedicated series of talks to help to build individual careers With a focus on those who are not often in the lime-light Give all a voice – also trainees Newsletter as a carrier of these messages