Basic Listening
What your result means
At the basic stage, your practices are likely to be:
Voice
Rare or occasional, reactive, siloed
Understanding
Surface-level, monitoring trends
Action
Patchy actions, weak accountability
Communication
Minimal and/or inconsistent updates
3 steps to move from Basic Listening to Structured Listening
At this stage, listening is well-intentioned but fragmented.
Feedback may be gathered occasionally through surveys, forums, or informal conversations, but it is inconsistent and heavily reliant on individual champions rather than senior leadership.
Organisations at this level often focus more on what was said than on the underlying meaning or patterns. Leaders may lack confidence in their own decision-making, sometimes overemphasising consensus or reacting defensively to criticism. As a result, action is patchy, communication back to stakeholders is rare, and trust remains fragile.
To move towards Structured Listening, organisations typically focus on:
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#1 Establishing regular feedback mechanisms
Move from ad hoc listening to planned, predictable cycles.
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#2 Clarifying ownership of listening
Ensure senior leaders are responsible for reviewing insights and overseeing follow-through, rather than leaving the listening to individual teams.
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#3 Making listening part of planning cycles
Use feedback to inform improvement priorities and report back clearly on what will change as a result.