Best of CASE District I Award
 

Institution: Dartmouth College

Title of entry: From Silos to Synergy: Reimagining collaboration for engagement and belonging

About this entry: Organizations are struggling to make hybrid work “work,” and Dartmouth Advancement is no exception. Collaboration, information sharing, and culture suffered tremendously under the strains of the pandemic-driven transition to fully remote work and continue to languish in the hybrid work environment.

In an effort to address these and other challenges, a cross-departmental team developed a strategic communication infrastructure that included (1) the development of an internal staff website based in Microsoft SharePoint, (2) training and onboarding of departments, and (3) ongoing coordination and oversight at the division level.

These efforts resulted in division-wide adoption and cultural transformation as evidenced by the following:

- Staff pulse survey ratings of organizational effectiveness for internal collaboration and communication garner exceptionally high ratings (80%+).

- The internal staff website has monthly staff utilization rates of 85%+.

- From 2019 to present, the Gallup employee engagement survey question, “I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right” has increased significantly (+ 0.33).

These successes were hard won. SharePoint, though available, was used inconsistently, with teams largely siloed in their own workflows. According to staff pulse surveys, access to information was inefficient, highly person-specific, and inequitable.

Recognizing access to information as key to not only employee engagement but also diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), the team developed a strategic architecture for SharePoint usage that laid the groundwork for a staff-driven internal website that empowers teams to leverage the platform effectively and ensures user-friendly, equitable access to information.