Dialoogle has been a great instrument for creating fantastic job satisfaction at the Municipality of Aarhus.

The administration at the Centre for Environment and Energy at Aarhus Municipality is an attractive workplace where about 50 employees are thriving. This is evident from the high score in the job satisfaction survey.

”We provide services internally in the centre, and the higher our job satisfaction, the more resources we will have to provide this service to others. We prioritize creating a good energy and strengthening our internal relationships,” Joy Alrø Steen says, a process consultant working to develop the good work environment further.

One of her methods is a Dialoogle exercise in two steps in which Joy lays out all the picture cards on the floor and asks the participants to choose two cards: One symbolizing something that provides job satisfaction today and one illustrating a potential way to create even more job satisfaction in future. The participants form pairs, and while one present about their card, the other writes down keywords on a post-it note which afterwards is attached to the card. Finally, she lays out all the cards on the floor as an exhibition and the participants take turns talking about their choices.

About a picture of a road in a forest with a far-away horizon, an employee says:

”To me job satisfaction is when we as a municipality service a group of customers “all the way” with a clear sense of an overall objective, and the customers experience a top-notch and effective service, enabling them to take responsibility and contribute actively to their own case.”

When we see a picture again, we connect it with the person who chose it and their story.

About a picture of a sunrise, another employee makes a suggestion for developing the attractive workplace even further: “We can be even better to meet the customers’ needs effectively if we consider their case from new angles and provide new opportunities for them to act themselves, e.g. self-service solutions.”

“Pictures are an effective tool which allows us to reflect differently than we are used to using new words and new details. They are also great at creating a collective memory. When we see a picture again, we connect it with the person who chose it and their story,” Joy says.

“It is quite personal to talk about job satisfaction, and therefore it is important to show each other respect and trust. As a process consultant, it is important to sharpen your ethical awareness and ensure that you take good care of the stories that the participants tell each other.”

After the process, Joy takes a photo of the two cards from each participant with keywords and lets the picture circulate in the group. Next time when the group meets, they can discuss and plan concrete improvements for the workplace.