Mapping Experiences, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3. Employee Experience: Aligning Inside

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

—Peter Drucker

IN THIS CHAPTER

• What the employee experience is and why it’s important
• Mapping the employee experience
• Aligning the customer experience to the employee experience
• Organizational design and customer experience
• Journey management
• Case study: Aligning CX and EX for strategy building

There was a deli around the corner from my previous home in Hamburg, Germany, that had quality meats and specialty items. I used to stop in every so often to get products that were otherwise hard to find. But the service was often rude and abrupt. I sometimes felt nervous interacting with the servers, who might get annoyed if I asked about the different types of salami they had, for instance, as if I should already know all the subtleties.

My wife worked in the area and knew a lot of the neighborhood businesses. When I brought up the abrasive service I had experienced, she immediately said, “Not surprising: the owners are exactly like that too. They are difficult people to deal with.” And to be sure, they had a high employee turnover.

The point is that organizations are often mirrors of the customer experiences they deliver. If employees are treated poorly behind the scenes, how can they be expected to provide good service to customers? If management sets a bad example for interacting with customers, why should employees act any differently?

Melvin Conway, a computer programmer, ...