Frontline Innovators

Frontline Innovators

By frontlineinnovatorsTechnology
Download on the App Store

Frontline Innovators episodes

  • Rising to the Challenge - Frontline Innovators - Episode # 056

    Paul Feikema is the Senior Change Consultant at Pioneer Management Consulting. He is a pro sci certified change management professional. He is also part of the team that was in the book “Big Change at Best Buy Working Through Hyper Growth to Sustain Excellence.” He sits down with host Eugene Signorini to talk about frontline employees and how Best Buy rose to the giant it is today.

     

     

    Takeaways 

     

    • One of the biggest challenges facing the frontline workforce is that they feel like they aren’t being heard. 
  • Maintenance data is important for the organization but it isn’t the solution for understanding how those on the frontline feel about their work. It doesn’t give the nuances of day to day operations.
  • In the last 5 to 8 years, there have been a ton of frontline changes in terms of technology in order to make the jobs easier for deskless workers. 
  • A change in technology is a way of redesigning the way work is done and how quickly work can be done.
  • A lot of companies grow dramatically and they don’t plan too well for the massive upscaling. You have to create standardization.
  • You want the core of your company to be something that you never give up and each person will represent that core. 
  • The more we have the capabilities to teach change leadership skills, the organization is going to come out of that stronger. 





    • Quote of the show

     

    27:14 “The more we have the capabilities in major projects that are driving change in an organization to teach change leadership skills and continue to model and transfer those across the organization. Your organization is going to come out of that stronger.”






    Links

     

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulfeikema/
  • Company Website: https://pioneermanagementconsulting.com/




    • Ways to Tune In:

     

    • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS 
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
  • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/nqkOBqCGGOU
    • 58 min
  • Part of the Puzzle - Frontline Innovators - Episode # 055

    Alanna Roesler is the People Analytics Change Leader at Schneider Electric. She uses her education and experience to better prepare frontline workers for technology changes and makes sure the technology is something that benefits everyone. She sits down with host Justin Lake to go over some of the big topics of change management and how to help frontline employees handle change and adapt to it. 

     

     

    Takeaways 

     

    • The biggest challenge facing the frontline workforce today is the rapid pace of change and technology. This affects not only the people on the frontline but HR as well.
  • Look at different ways of trying to reduce manual tasks or make the lives easier of those on the frontline through the use of technology.
  • It’s important to think about what the technology is and make sure that it is right fro the end users and the deskless workforce. 
  • There are three main focuses to change; Core HR topics, research methodologies, and statistics and utilizing them to get meaningful data-driven outcomes.
  • It’s not all about the analytics and data, you need to also consider the culture in a company and how change is introduced to a company. 
  • You need a welcoming environment that can help frontline workers build their data literacy and make sure that they feel comfortable asking questions.
  • Make sure that technology is easy to adapt to. If you make it too complicated it will never take off with the frontline workers.




    • Quote of the Show

     

    1:58 “Not only are we driving fast innovation to keep up with the technology landscape, but at times our workload and our bandwidth is changing drastically as well. I think that puts our workforce in a really challenging spot and from HRs perspective as well, it's putting our HR folks in a spot of really needing to keep up with our ever-changing workforce.”





    Links

     

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alannaroesler/
  • Company Website: https://www.se.com/us/en/




    • Ways to Tune In:

     

    • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS 
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
  • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/uvkxz1AcrpU
    • 49 min
  • Connecting Through Change - Frontline Innovators - Episode # 054

    Tricia Taylor is the Senior Director, Corporate communications and change management at Coca-Cola Bottlers' Sales and Services. She knows how important change is to a company and also the importance of staying connected with those deskless workers. She sits down with host Justin Lake to talk about some of the biggest challenges facing frontline employees.  

     

     

    Takeaways 

     

    • Staying connected is one of the biggest challenges facing the frontline workforce today. They can do their jobs more efficiently if they receive information in a way that is good for them.
  • You want to know the audience of the message you are trying to send. You need to understand frontline workers and what they need most and what might help them.
  • Everyone takes change differently. You might need to alter how you present change to different individuals.
  • Always check in, have constant feedback points so that you can tell what works for change and what doesn’t.
  • Consider the daily impact of change for those on the frontline. You want the change to be positive, and you need to be able to communicate that.
  • You need to meet other employees where they are. Focus groups allow you to understand where they are coming from and what they need.
  • Use the technology that is most readily available at your workplace. Frontline workers won’t be in desks so you might have to come up with some unique ways to reach them.




    • Quote of the show

     

    1:11 “As a professional communicator, I cannot underemphasize the importance of our frontline workers, our deskless workers staying connected, and that means what information they want to receive, how they want to receive it and in what format they would like to receive that communication.”




    Links

     

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tricia-taylor-388bb680/
  • Company Website: https://www.ccbss.com/




    • Ways to Tune In:

     

    • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS 
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
  • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/AqGJZKueTXU
    • 53 min
  • Measuring Success - Frontline Innovators - Episode # 053

    Michael Dwyer is an Organizational Change Management Analyst at the Lasing Board of Water and Light. Rebecca Rostar is the Supervisor of Organizational Training, Development and Change Management at Lansing Board of Water & Light. They sit down with host Justin Lake to talk about how to overcome the challenges facing the frontline workers today. 

     

     

    Takeaways 

     

    • Communication in terms of talking about change is the biggest challenge facing the frontline workers today. You need to find the best and most effective way to talk with them. 
  • You have to be open to feedback and criticism and be able to let management know how you feel. Nothing will change if you don’t tell them that something isn’t working. 
  • Having boots on the ground is an invaluable resource. Make the trip once a month to spend a day with those on the frontline and see what they are going through and what can be improved to help them. 
  • A Change Manager can help bridge the gap in communication between management and those on the frontline more effectively than through zoom meetings. 
  • Increasing the volume and the quality of communication is a key to success. You want to find a healthy balance where you aren’t overwhelming those on the frontline. 
  • You want to be intentional with the communication you send out. You want to cover all the bases and make sure everyone is on the same page. 
  • Employees should feel safe to open up about if they understand the change they are facing. There needs to be trust and transparency between both management and deskless workers.




    • Quote of the show

     

    15:56 “I try to foster an environment where people feel okay telling me things. Just tell me what you think, because we can't change stuff. We can't make corrections. We can't address issues without you telling us how you truly feel to what's going on and change management is feeling  a lot of it is how you feel about something.”



    Links

     

    • Michael’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dwyer-b9745025/
  • Rebecca’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-rostar-45156615/
  • Company Website: https://www.lbwl.com/




    • Ways to Tune In:

     

    • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS 
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
  • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/b6hdV58D7XE
    • 54 min
  • The Most Important Link - Frontline Innovators - Episode # 052

    Eva Althaus is the Organizational Design and Change Management Consultant at Boeing. She sees the importance of having empathy for employees working on the frontline, especially with the current supply issues. She sits down with host Justin Lake to talk about some of the challenges facing frontline workers and how they can be solved. 

     

     

    Takeaways 

     

    • The lack of empathy is the biggest challenge facing frontline workers today. Everyone needs to be more patient with deskless workers and realize what they go through daily. 
  • Understanding that change management is the key to helping others learn is incredibly important. 
  • Change only works when everyone is working together and is trying to achieve a common goal. 
  • Using an empathy map as a tool can help to understand the needs of those on the frontline and the end users as well. 
  • Employee listening has to be a practice and a habit. You want to make sure the employees know that they are being heard and not ignored. 
  • Design brings new changes to a company, but change brings opportunities for more design areas. 
  • You want to make sure you are training and enabling employees to better navigate through change. 



    • Quote of the show

     

    12:09 “Change can only happen when the right environment and the right players are performing the role effectively and in harmony with the rest of them.”




    Links

     

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-mariana-althaus-9497b485/ 
  • Company Website: https://www.boeing.com/



    • Ways to Tune In:

     

    • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS 
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
  • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/2OHz_KOLBIM
    • 48 min
  • Reflecting on the Frontline - Frontline Innovators - Episode # 051

    On this very special episode of Frontline Innovators, hosts Justin Lake and Eugene Signorini look back on the last 50 episodes and the guests they have talked to. They share some of their favorite moments and go over what they have taken away from some memorable guests.  

     

    Takeaways 

     

    • You want to introduce technology with people. You don’t just want to thrust change upon employees but rather slowly integrate them into the technological change. 
  • There’s plenty of change on a daily basis that it creates a change whiplash effect for employees. It’s important not to overwhelm them with change. 
  • Failing safely and failing fast is ok. It’s a learning curve when on the job and you want to make sure that it is ok to fail at something as long as it is done safely. 
  • Empowering the frontline workers is something that can go a long way. Technology is not a one size fits all solution.
  • The frontline workers should be prioritized and given everything they need. They are the life blood of an organization and without them there is no business. 
  • You want to build a relationship with the frontline workers and make sure that they are aware of the change that is coming down the road. 
  • You need to be transparent with those on the frontline and earn their trust. They are the experts in their job and it’s your job to make their lives easier. 



    • Links

     

    • Justin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelake/
  • Eugene LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenesignorini/
  • Company Website: https://www.skyllful.com/




    • Ways to Tune In:

     

    • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS 
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
  • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/0XUSiiQ-G1c
    • 50 min
  • Change Champions - Frontline Innovators - Episode # 050

    Haris Muhammad is currently Program Manager at PVA Consulting Group. He is a change champion and knows what it takes to make sure that digital transformation is successful for all businesses. He sits down with host Eugene Signorini to talk about how to implement technology change in your company more successfully than most.

     

     

    Takeaways 

     

    • The biggest challenge facing frontline workers today is communication. With everyone working from home and using zoom, it’s been difficult for people to communicate.
  • Working with the frontline employees is important for any business. They are the key to success and the business can’t thrive without them.
  • Take the time to spend a day with the frontline workers and see what they do. Then you will understand the struggles they go through.
  • Awareness is key and making sure you take the time to understand the different learning styles is key to making change successful.
  • There needs to be a fix for the disconnect between the executive suite and those on the frontline. 
  • The most successful change champions are the ones that want to see the company do better.
  • There is a real need for digital transformation and help with that as it can be a large undertaking.




    • Quote of the show

     

    11:47 “You got your steel-toe boots, you got your high vis vest and you follow all protocol at whichever client that you're with. And, just by doing that act alone, a lot of the times you'll hear feedback from those employees saying, wow, even my own supervisor or manager has not spent time with me and figured out what my barriers are to do my job day to day. Those barriers could be technology-base, it could be training based, it could be competency based. All of the above.” 






    Links

     

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harism93/
  • Company Website: https://www.pva.ca




    • Ways to Tune In:

     

    • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS 
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
  • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/vpBhdPtPw24 
    • 47 min
  • Change Curve Management - Frontline Innovators - Episode # 049

    Jason Jackson is the Manager in Change Management North America Lead at Miebach Consulting. Victoria Ma is the Digital and Innovation Lead for North America at Miebach Consulting. They sit down together and join host Eugene Signorini to talk about some of the challenges facing frontline workers today.

     

     

    Takeaways 

     

    • Retention and motivation are big issues facing deskless workers. The news is covering all the issues with frontline workers and they can’t escape it. 
  • It’s hard to keep up with the rapid pace of change and it forces frontline workers to adapt quickly. They will finally learn a new technology and then something else replaces it. 
  • Frontline workers don’t have the option to use different technology they are used to. They need to adapt and it creates a lot of stress among workers. 
  • You want to provide people with the tools to deal with digital transformation but also tips on it as well, so they know how to handle more changes in the future. 
  • Make sure you understand the effect that change will have and who it will affect. That will make it easier to implement so you know who you need to talk with. 
  • Educate people on the importance of change management. If they don’t fully understand it they won’t embrace it.
  • The most influential person at any company is not the person with the biggest title but the person who can rally people to their cause. 





    • Quote of the show

     

    24:25 “We all have different change curves that we go through and the speed by which we go through those changes is different for every individual. When we do our offers, we actually talk about change curve management as one of our opening slides to our clients, because it's important that they understand and appreciate that they may be miles ahead and they may have to slow down a little bit and make sure that the rest of the train, you know, and the caboose has caught up to the engine at the front.”




    Links

     

    • LinkedIn for Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonjacksoncscp/ 
  • LinkedIn for Victoria: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-ma-41607539/
  • Company Website: https://www.miebach.com/en/



    • Ways to Tune In:

     

    • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS 
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
  • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/1ghXGcS4sXk
    • 55 min
  • Vibration Analytics - Frontline Innovators - Episode # 048

    Jason Herman is currently the Enterprise Asset Management Change & Training Lead at Evergy.  He went to work post Air Force in the chemical mfg industry as a maintenance technician. He sits down with host Justin Lake to talk about what some of the challenges facing deskless workers are and how they can be best prepared for change. 

     

     

    Takeaways 

     

    • Learning new technology can be a major challenge for a lot of frontline employees. That’s why change management is so important. 
  • Every piece of rotating technology has a normal signature and frequencies and then you use that as a baseline to understand those numbers over time and what they mean.
  • Making sure that management and the employees are on the same page in terms of change is incredibly important. 
  • Make sure that leaders are equipped to handle change. Workers will always be experiencing different changes more than once so you want to make sure they have the tools to handle it in the right way.
  • You want to have a good relationship with your coworkers because that will help them be more willing to accept change.
  • Take the end user experience into account. This will help to understand what changes need to be made from their perspective. 
  • Take time to engage with people. Making sure that everyone is heard and feels values makes them more engaged in work and production goes up. 





    • Quote of the show

     

    13:35 “We can't do it all. I have a team of just a few people, but really every person has a part in the change. Everybody from our sponsors, our executives behind this project, clear down to that person that end user that's being impacted by this change. They may not know they have a role in this change, but they do.”



    Links

     

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-herman-55b21524/
  • Company Website: https://www.evergy.com




    • Ways to Tune In:

     

    • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS 
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
  • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/8ALYDe0oDY8
    • 46 min
  • Collecting Data - Frontline Innovators - Episode # 047

    Carlee Wolfe is the Director of Organizational Effectiveness at Hyatt Hotels Corporation. She has worked across many different companies of different sizes and she saw the need for digital transformation for those on the frontline. She sits down with host Justin Lake to talk about some of the challenges frontline workers face.  

     

     

    Takeaways 

     

    • Constant change and adaptation for frontline workers creates a struggle for them. The rules and guidelines are always changing which means new ways of doing things must be learned. 
  • Technology can be an enabler to allow us to be more flexible. This can help people complete work faster or make it easier for them.
  • One person won’t have all the answers. Teamwork is the key to success and it can lead to a better outcome. 
  • Every problem has a different solution. There is not a one size fits all solution, so it’s important to talk with frontline workers to see what works for them.
  • Building a team is a lot of work but the basic building block requires the right people and the right chemistry.
  • You want to make sure all team members feel heard. Listen to what those employees have to say as they have different viewpoints and experiences. 
  • Change can plug into most change but you need to think about how it will affect those on the frontline. Corporate employees don’t see the same work as frontline employees so they need to take their opinion on technology change into consideration. 



    • Quote of the show

     

    11:23  “I want to be able to leave a project, a person, a space better than it was when I got there. And that's all through education. I never pretend to be the expert in everything, but I try to do a good job of knowing who is. For example if we were working together and I didn't have an answer, let's go find it together and let's learn together. I think there's power in that.” 



    Links

     

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carleeawolfe/
  • Company Website: https://www.hyatt.com




    • Ways to Tune In:

     

    • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS 
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402
  • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/CDD-0dNBnMM
    • 54 min

About Frontline Innovators

From the publisher's feed

This is Frontline Innovators. Host Justin Lake speaks with experts who are leading the way and driving digital transformation to the frontlines. We explore how to overcome challenges and achieve success when we empower our essential workers.