Listening Architecture
The listening architecture defines the role of each channel so that feedback is coordinated, comparable and action-oriented.
A mature listening framework produces fewer disconnected surveys and data points and more useful decisions.
Employees understand why they are being asked for feedback, leaders know what to do with the insight, and the organisation can see whether actions are improving experience, capability, culture and performance.
Channel architecture
| Layer | Insight objective | Channel | Primary output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise diagnostic | What is the whole-of-organisation picture? | 01 Annual Benchmark Survey | Main survey report, EOF driver analysis, X-Factor scores, demographic or business-unit reporting where thresholds allow. |
| Trends and sentiment | Are experience, intent, advocacy and pride improving, stable or declining? | 02 Pulse Survey | Trend dashboard and priority movement. |
| Lifecycle listening | What are employees experiencing at key moments? | 03 Onboarding Feedback, 04 Exit Feedback, 05 Stay Interviews | Lifecycle themes, retention risks and process improvements. |
| Local dialogue | What is happening at team level and what can managers influence? | 06 Leader-Led Listening | Team themes, local actions and escalation points. |
| Topic-specific insight | What do we need to understand in more detail? | 07 Targeted Micro-Surveys | Focused diagnostic on a specific issue, change or risk. |
| People and risk indicators | What objective evidence helps interpret feedback? | 08 People Metrics and Risk Signals | Integrated people, wellbeing, safety and employee relations context. |
| Action and accountability | What will be done, by whom and by when? | 06 Improvement Register, 03 Channel Scorecards | Action ownership, status, risk and impact review. |
Design choice
The architecture should be stable enough to create trend discipline and flexible enough to respond to emerging issues. A new channel should only be added when an existing channel cannot reasonably answer the question or support the required action.