Ahold Delhaize approached us to organise an online JAM session with HR professionals around their Inclusive Leadership ambition. This ambition is to create an environment where all voices are heard, everyone is valued for their uniqueness, and where all associates can reach their full potential.
A JAM session takes this almost literally by giving all participants a voice and soliciting their personal opinions and ideas. JAMs are pre-planned, online co-creation events bringing a select group of people together to work on a very specific topic, over a short period of time, with a clearly defined deliverable.
In this one-hour JAM session in Microsoft Teams, we explored the Inclusive Leadership ambition with Ahold Delhaize’s Global HR Community. The JAM was a moment for everyone to connect with the D&I ambition, give their inputs, and align on what was coming up.
Preparation is king
From the many JAM sessions we organised for various clients, we learned that excellent preparation is essential for success. A good invitation strategy maximises the number of participants; an effective division of tasks makes for a smooth execution; a well-briefed ambassador group ensures high levels of participation.
But perhaps the most important preparation is the crafting of the questions. With the right questions, we can maximise the diversity of inputs, create positive energy, and make sure the JAM delivers real business value.
In this JAM, participants were first asked to share good examples of inclusive leadership, within Ahold Delhaize or elsewhere. We then asked them to look five years ahead and describe success. Finally, we co-created success factors for this project.
The result
The outcome was a vibrant JAM session with over 300 answers in just one hour. The session allowed participants to further align with the D&I ambition and to be proud of their work as HR professionals within Ahold Delhaize.