Methodology for managing personnel engagement

A device and software method for tracking and improving employee satisfaction and engagement is described. By improving employee satisfaction and engagement, employees are inspired to contribute to the growth of the entire organization. The device and method prompt for answers to questions and observations on each employee and these answers are analyzed to determine the employee's Maslow Hierarchy score, Flow Map level, Hero's Journey stage, and Purpose Venn Diagram score. These scores for each employee are aggregated for teams and for an entire organization. The answers and scores may be stored over time to provide a view of the improvements in employee satisfaction and engagement over time. Furthermore, the employee scores may be used to generate a specific action plan to improve employee satisfaction and engagement.

This is a priority patent application.

FIELD OF THE INVENTIONS

The present inventions relate to workforce management, and more particularly, to the management of personnel engagement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS

According to the Harvard Business School, “The most important asset at your company isn't something you can put your hands on. It isn't equipment or the physical plant, and it isn't data, technology, or intellectual property. The most valuable part of your company is the people-the human capital.” Yet for all of the importance of human capital in the operation of a business, there is insufficient focus on optimizing the productivity of a workforce. In the 1940s, efficiency experts used stopwatches to measure how fast a worker could create a widget, but these efficiency experts focused on the mechanisms of the operation, almost viewing the worker as a robotic machine. Little work was done on how to practically motivate the worker to excel in his own job. Mihaly Csikszentmihalui, Abraham Maslow, and others described frameworks for explaining human motivation, but there is a strong, unfelt need for tools to analyze an employee and provide tools for motivating the employee to excel in the job.

There are many software packages for the administration of human resources and the tracking of employees. Other software programs track the efficiency of an employee and how productively the employee works. However, few software packages analyze each employee and the factors that affect the motivation of the employee. Japanese patent JP6553935 teaches a “Human resources risk management system” that evaluates the stress of employees and their likelihood of departing an organization. However, this Japanese patent looks at a narrow view of employee stress and does not look at moving an employee to excel in their job. Furthermore, the Japanese patent uses inefficient data structures for storing employee data. The present inventions provide improved data collection and data storage structures, as well as improving the analysis of employee data to provide a more comprehensive view of employee behavior.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a computing device with a memory and a display device, the memory including machine-readable non-transitory instructions to instruct the computing device to: prompt a user through the display device for periodic data on a plurality of employees; accept the periodic data on the plurality of the employees, where the periodic data includes answers to the prompts; store the periodic data in an employee data record, the employee data record storing an employee identification, a date, and the periodic data; process the employee data record to determine an employee Maslow Hierarchy score, an employee Purpose Venn Diagram score, an employee Flow Map rating, and an employee Hero's Journey stage; aggregate the employee data records into a team Maslow Hierarchy score, a team Purpose Venn Diagram score, a team Flow Map rating, and a team Hero's Journey stage; aggregate the employee data records into a company Maslow Hierarchy score, a company Purpose Venn Diagram score, a company Flow Map rating, and a company Hero's Journey stage; display on the display device a representation of an organizational chart of the company, including the company Maslow Hierarchy score, the company Purpose Venn Diagram score, the company Flow Map rating, and the company Hero's Journey stage; accept input from the user on the display device to display the employee Maslow Hierarchy score, the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score, the employee Flow Map rating, and the employee Hero's Journey stage; accept input from the user on the display device to show details of the employee Maslow Hierarchy score and trends of the employee Maslow Hierarchy score; and present, on the display device, actions for the employee to improve the employee Maslow Hierarchy score.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a computing device with the memory and the display device where the display device operates a web browser.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a computing device with the memory and the display device where the answers to prompts are free-form text.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a computing device with the memory and the display device where the determination of the employee Maslow Hierarchy score includes instructions to parse the free-form text.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a computing device with the memory and the display device where the determination of the employee Maslow Hierarchy score includes instructions to lemmatization of the free-form text into a word table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a computing device with the memory and the display device where the determination of the employee Maslow Hierarchy score includes instructions to look up a weight of each word in the word table and to sum the weights.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a computing device with the memory and the display device where the determination of the employee Maslow Hierarchy score includes instructions to compare the sum of the weights with a predetermined level for a specific Maslow Hierarchy score.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a computing device with the memory and the display device where the determination of the employee Maslow Hierarchy score includes instructions to assign the employee Maslow Hierarchy score to a highest Maslow Hierarchy level with at least half of the answers being affirmative for a specific Maslow Hierarchy level.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a computing device with the memory and the display device where the determination of the employee Maslow Hierarchy score includes instructions to look up a weight of an answer in an answer table and to sum the weights.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a computing device with the memory and the display device where the determination of the employee Maslow Hierarchy score includes instructions to compare the sum of the weights with a predetermined level for a specific Maslow Hierarchy score.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method including: prompting a user through a display device for periodic data on a plurality of employees; accepting the periodic data on the plurality of the employees, where the periodic data includes answers to the prompts; storing the periodic data in an employee data record, the employee data record storing an employee identification, a date, and the periodic data; processing the employee data record to determine an employee Maslow Hierarchy score, an employee Purpose Venn Diagram score, an employee Flow Map rating, and an employee Hero's Journey stage; aggregating the employee data records into a team Maslow Hierarchy score, a team Purpose Venn Diagram score, a team Flow Map rating, and a team Hero's Journey stage; aggregating the employee data records into a company Maslow Hierarchy score, a company Purpose Venn Diagram score, a company Flow Map rating, and a company Hero's Journey stage; displaying on the display device a representation of an organizational chart of the company, including the company Maslow Hierarchy score, the company Purpose Venn Diagram score, the company Flow Map rating, and the company Hero's Journey stage; accepting input from the user on the display device to display the employee Maslow Hierarchy score, the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score, the employee Flow Map rating, and the employee Hero's Journey stage; accepting input from the user on the display device to show details of the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score and trends of the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score; and presenting, on the display device, actions for the employee to improve the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method where the display device operates a web browser.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method where the answers to prompts are free-form text.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method where the determination of the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score includes parsing the free-form text.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method where the determination of the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score includes lemmatizing of the free-form text into a word table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method where the determination of the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score includes looking up a weight of each word in the word table and summing the weights.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method where the determination of the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score includes comparing the sum of the weights with a predetermined level for a specific Purpose Venn Diagram score.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method where the determination of the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score includes assigning the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score to a highest Purpose Venn Diagram level with at least half of the answers being affirmative for a specific Purpose Venn Diagram level.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method where the determination of the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score includes looking up a weight of an answer in an answer table and summing the weights.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method where the determination of the employee Purpose Venn Diagram score includes comparing the sum of the weights with a predetermined level for a specific Purpose Venn Diagram score.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONS

In this set of inventions, we focus on a workforce and the need to, the methods to, and the tools to motivate the workforce to excel in its performance. The workforce is viewed from a macro view, looking at the entire organization and the performance of the entire employee population. Next, the organization is broken down into subparts, with a study of the performance of that subpart. Finally, the individual employees are viewed to see the motivation of the individual, studying where the employee is at, and how to motivate the employee to excel. According to Maslow's hierarchy, there are six levels of engagement: safety, security, belonging, importance, self-actualization, and transcendence. The goal is to get employees to the transcendence level, with their safety, security, belonging, importance, and self-actualization needs fulfilled. This involves solving for a lack of purpose, a lack of drive, a lack of engagement, and overcoming feelings of being overwhelmed. This is the primary obstacle faced in the workforce that prevents working from excelling. This leads to an exponential rise in anxiety, suicide, and depression in the workforce. It is not possible for employees with their heads barely above water to excel at work.

The tool described inFIG.1addresses this issue of employee motivation.FIG.1shows a functional view of the presentation of the data is seen. This may be the highest-level screen100for a user interface. The macro view101shows an organizational chart of an organization, with each node on the chart showing the meso view102, in some embodiments. The meso view102comprises the four pillars of employee satisfaction and engagement: Maslow Hierarchy, Purpose Venn Diagram, Flow Map, and Hero's Journey. The micro view103shows the details of each pillar.

The four pillars of employee satisfaction and engagement are measured and improved for adaptation and growth as they relate to agreed-upon objectives and goals. Employee motivation and drive are most closely related to the Purpose Venn Diagram. Actual growth is measured by the Hero's journey map. Their psychological needs are measured by Maslow's hierarchy, and the Flow Map is leveling the employee up and growing the employee to reach their fullest potential. Employee satisfaction and engagement is a critical piece but this method goes beyond motivation, in that it yields growth in the material towards the highest human potential per Maslow and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

In one embodiment, a moving screen pointer shows a screen position based on a mouse1307location over the macro view101. As the mouse moves, it highlights an element in the organization chart under the mouse1307pointer and displays the meso view102for that element. Moving the mouse1307pointer to a different area of the screen could leave the last highlighted element highlighted, and the meso view102displayed. If the mouse1307pointer glides over one of the four squares of the meso view102, then the details of that pillar of the meso view102may be displayed in the micro view103. In the meso view102and the micro view103, the employee or organizational unit name could be displayed. Each element of the macro view101hierarchy could include the employee or organizational unit name in the box.

In some embodiments, selecting an element of an element of the macro view101could cause the display of suggestions to improve the organizational element. In other embodiments, the improvement suggestions could be displayed for meso102or micro103elements.

In one embodiment, the selection of an employee box could allow the user to enter data regarding the employee or organizational unit. One possible embodiment of a user input screen200is seen inFIG.2. The organization's unit or employee's name201as well as the date202when the information is recorded are recorded and displayed on the user input screen200. A number of questions203and observations are then presented for the user (typically a supervisor, manager, or human resources analyst) to enter. In some embodiments, the employee also provides self-analysis via questions and self-observations.

The questions could be as in Table1(these questions relate to a Maslow Hierarchy analysis):

TABLE 1Transcendencelooks for issues relating to the entireorganization and beyond, seeks and solvesindustry issuesself-sacrifice for the entire organization,puts everyone's needs above their ownSelf-Actualizedcomes in early, stays late without beingasked, Engagement is Level 5, ConstantlyProactive, Constant Positive Attitude,Influences others to do their best, Comes upwith projects and asks for things to do for thebusiness, Inspires every Customertaking charge of responsibilities (i.e.everything is in check; duties will becompleted on time)constantly helping others; firing up the teamImportanceproactive, Usually Positive Attitude, is aPositive Example to other artisans but doesn'tlead them, willing to take on projects butdoesn't ask for them/come up with them,Uplifts every customer, Level 4Engagementartisan may be here after being out of workfor a whileartisan is trying to “catch up” (i.e. keepingthemselves busy; stressed)artisan is delivering on missionBelongingnew artisans begin hereoutside circumstances may be affecting workperformancemeets expectations (doesn't exceed them),comes in “early” for their shift, stays late ifasked but doesn't offer, then the engagementlevel is at least 2-3artisans who are not experiencing careerdevelopmentartisan not fully bought in; going through themotionsSecuritywants to switch shifts/get shifts coveredconstantly, only talks to one or two artisans,barely meets expectations engagement levelis 1-2artisan has more sick days than they shouldartisan forming silo (only focused on thecustomer in front of them; not engaging withthe team; lacking communication)Survivalisolates themselves, doesn't stay to assist theteam, doesn't come in if asked to if the storeneeds it, comes in right before their shiftstarts, always wants to leave right on timeartisan is only there to get paidartisan not satisfied with the work they do;seeking other jobs

Further questions could be as in Table2(these questions relate to a Purpose Venn Diagram analysis):

TABLE 2Ikigaimotivating force; artisan gives others a senseof purpose or reason for livingartisan creates to inspiregenuinely happy serving othersLoveartisan is not Good At their job yet but haspotential (i.e. KPIs are red)artisans need to build confidence in theirskills/abilitiesPassion (Love & Good At)shows any strong, controlling, oroverpowering emotiona preferred sense of devotionThe artisan loves what they do and they aregood at itartisan is almost self-fulfilled but seekingother areas of fulfillmentGood Atartisan is confident in skills/abilities but notserving others or loving their roleartisans getting used to challenges &challenging themselvesProfession (Good At &an occupation in which a professedPaid For)knowledge of some subject, field, or scienceis applied, especially one that involvesprolonged trainingthe artisan has the drive but does not lovewhat they doartisan is Good At their job & paid for theireffortsPaid Forartisan not engaging/connecting withteam/customersartisan does not want to be thereVocation (Paid For &a strong conviction that it is one's duty orNeeds)destiny to follow a particular way of life,course of actiongetting paid for what the world needsthe artisan does not love their role but servesothersNeedsartisan has more sick days than they shouldfocused on serving others but not good at itdoesn't lovepay needs not metMissionthe enterprise or purpose for which a body issent or establishedshooting for being what the world needs (i.e.providing an unforgettable experience)artisan is self-fulfilled & skills mastered

Similar questions can be asked for the Hero's Journey and the Flow Map view of an employee. In another embodiment, the questions may be in the form requiring free-form text answers.

FIG.3shows a macro view101of the organization in the form of an organization chart. The performance of the entire organization can be seen by selecting or mousing over the top node301. The next node down could show the motivation factors for the top manager302of the organization. The top manager's302direct reports311,312,313,314are seen in the next layer of the organizational chart. The next level321,322,323of managers in below the direct reports311,312,313,314. There could be additional layers based on the organizational structure. Finally, there is the layer of employees331,332,333,334,335,336,337. In some embodiments, scrolling is used to navigate through the width and depth of an organization. In some embodiments, zooming may be used to view the organization from different levels of depth. Selecting a node provides information on that node of the organization on the employee residing at the node.

The overall view of an employee's motivation in their work is the combination of four pillars of employee satisfaction and engagement as shown in the meso view102on a window of the web browser1306a,1306b,1306c. As seen inFIG.4, in the upper left corner of the window could be the Flow Map401diagram based on the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. This upper left section of the window may contain an image of the Flow Map401diagram. A section of the Flow Map401diagram may be highlighted to reflect the employee's status on the Flow Map401diagram. Further details of Flow Map401can be found inFIG.7.

The upper right corner may be a Hero's Journey402diagram. This section of the window may contain an image of the Hero's Journey402diagram. A section of the Hero's Journey402diagram may be highlighted to reflect the employee's status on their journey in the organization/role on the Hero's Journey402diagram. Further details on Hero's Journey402can be found inFIG.11.

The bottom left corner of the meso view102in the window could be a Purpose Venn403diagram. This section of the window may contain an image of the Purpose Venn403diagram. A section of the Purpose Venn403diagram may be highlighted to reflect the employee's status on the Purpose Venn403diagram. Further details on the Purpose Venn403diagram can be found inFIG.9.

The bottom right corner of the window could be a Maslow Hierarchy404diagram. This section of the window may contain an image of the Maslow Hierarchy triangle, with one of the six levels highlighted to reflect this employee's rating on the Maslow Hierarchy scale. Further details of the Maslow Hierarchy404diagram can be found inFIG.5.

In other embodiments, the placement of the four pillars could be changed without detracting from the present inventions.

The meso view102screen shows a particular employee or organizational unit's enthusiasm, needs, growth, health, purpose/drive, and may be updated dynamically based on a mouse over or mouse selection.

FIG.5shows a detailed view of a team or organizational unit including a Maslow Hierarchy404diagram along with the status of19employees.

According to the work of Abraham Maslow, his theory of human motivation has human behavior classified into five levels. Survival501and Physiological Needs, Security502, and Safety, Belonging503and Social Needs, Importance504and Esteem Needs, and Self-Actualization505. Some embodiments of the Maslow Hierarchy chart include a sixth level, transcendence, above Self-Actualization505. The embodiments described herein are modified by adding the transcendence layer, but the five-layer Maslow model could be used.

The physiological needs include those that are vital to survival501. Some examples of physiological needs include food, water, breathing, homeostasis, shelter, and clothing. In a workplace, this also includes a safe environment, and pay that meets their base needs.

At the second level of Maslow's hierarchy, the needs start to become a bit more complex. At this level, the needs for security502and safety become primary. People want control and order in their lives. Some of the basic security and safety needs include financial security, health and wellness, and safety against accidents and injury. Finding a job, obtaining health insurance and health care, contributing money to a savings account, and moving to a safer neighborhood are all examples of actions motivated by security and safety needs.

The social needs in Maslow's hierarchy include love, acceptance, and belonging03. At this level, the need for emotional relationships drives human behavior. Some of the things that satisfy this need include friendships, romantic attachments, family relationships, social groups, community groups, and churches and religious organizations. In order to avoid loneliness, depression, and anxiety, it is important for people to feel loved and accepted by others. Personal relationships with friends, family, and lovers play an important role, as does involvement in groups-such as religious groups, sports teams, book clubs, and other group activities.

At the fourth level in Maslow's hierarchy is the need for importance504, appreciation, and respect. Once the needs at the bottom three levels have been satisfied, the esteem needs begin to play a more prominent role in motivating behavior. At this level, it becomes increasingly important to gain the respect and appreciation of others. People have a need to accomplish things, and then have their efforts recognized. In addition to the need for feelings of accomplishment and prestige, esteem needs include such things as self-esteem and personal worth. People need to sense that they are valued by others and feel that they are making a contribution to the world. Participation in professional activities, academic accomplishments, athletic or team participation, and personal hobbies can all play a role in fulfilling the esteem needs. People who are able to satisfy esteem needs by achieving good self-esteem and the recognition of others tend to feel confident in their abilities. Conversely, those who lack self-esteem and the respect of others can develop feelings of inferiority.

The next level of Maslow's hierarchy is Self-actualization505. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others, and interested in fulfilling their potential. “What a man can be, he must be,” Maslow explained, referring to the need people have to achieve their full potential as human beings. Maslow's said of self-actualization: “It may be loosely described as the full use and exploitation of talents, capabilities, potentialities, etc. Such people seem to be fulfilling themselves and to be doing the best that they are capable of doing. They are people who have developed or are developing to the full stature of which they are capable.”

The peak level of Maslow's hierarchy is Transcendence506. Transcendence includes spiritual needs that differ from other types of needs in that they can be met on multiple levels. When this need is met, it produces feelings of integrity and raises things to a higher plane of existence. Maslow tells us that by transcending you have a set of roots in your current culture but you are able to look over it as well and see other viewpoints and ideas. By these later ideas, one finds the fullest realization in giving oneself to something beyond oneself-for example, in altruism or spirituality. Maslow equated this with the desire to reach the infinite. “Transcendence refers to the very highest and most inclusive or holistic levels of human consciousness, behaving and relating, as ends rather than means, to oneself, to significant others, to human beings in general, to other species, to nature, and to the cosmos.”

InFIG.5, Security502and Survival501are seen as demotivators, as employees in these classifications are working to meet their own needs. They often pull down others who are aiming to be high performers in the workplace. They may have low skills and not want others to succeed because of it. New hires511often arrive at an organization at the Belong503level. In this exemplary figure, there are three employees512at the Security502level.

The Belonging503, Importance504, Self-Actualization505, and Transcendence506levels are motivators, and as employees move up these levels they are increasingly motivated to excel in their employment. In the example inFIG.5, there is one employee513at the Belonging503level, and seven employees514are at the Importance504level. Eight employees515are at the Self-Actualization505level, and two516are at the Transcendence506level.

FIG.6shows the details, the micro view103, of the Maslow Hierarchy404diagram. The weekly data601has the rating of the employees in a team along with the percentage of the team that are in the optimal Maslow Hierarchy level, Transcendence. Each of the Maslow Hierarchy levels are on the left of the table, with the lowest level on the top and the highest level on the bottom. This shows the team's psychological profile over time from the perspective of the Maslow Hierarchy levels.

The personalities over time chart602shows the number of employees on the left axis and the date on the bottom axis. Each line represents one Maslow Hierarchy level. The goal is to show few if any employees at the Survival or Security level, and more Self-Actualization and Transcendence employees than Belonging or Importance rated employees.

In other embodiments, the weekly data601and chart602could be accompanied (or replaced) by windows detailing an individual employee's performance. One screen could list the specific questions that lead to the determination of the employee's level. Another screen could show the employee's Maslow Hierarchy level over time. Still another screen could show recommendations on how to improve an employee's level.

FIG.7is a Flow Map diagram used to show an employee's motivation status on a Flow Map diagram. The optimal state is Flow708where the employee has high ability, is challenged, and is thus focused and happy to perform the task at hand. The goal is to move the employee from lower states into the Flow708state to optimize performance. This is based on the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who breaks up the work into eight segments: apathy701, worry702, boredom703, anxiety704, relaxation705, arousal706, control707, and Flow708.

Apathy701is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something. It is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical, virtual, or physical life and the world. Apathy can also be defined as a person's lack of goal orientation. The apathetic may lack a sense of purpose, worth, or meaning in their life. In the workplace, this apathetic has low skills and low challenge, leading to low productivity.

Worry702is a category of perseverative cognition, i.e. a continuous thinking about negative events in the past or in the future. As an emotion “worry” is experienced from anxiety or concern about a real or imagined issue, often personal issues such as health or finances, or external broader issues such as environmental pollution, social structure, or technological change. It is a natural response to anticipated future problems. In the workplace, an employee reaches the worried702state when they have low abilities but challenges that they have trouble achieving. This state leads to lower productivity, more mistakes, and rework.

Boredom703is an emotion characterized by uninterest in one's surroundings, often caused by a lack of distractions or occupations. It is not simply another name for depression or apathy. Boredom is a specific mental state that people find unpleasant-a lack of stimulation that leaves them craving relief, with a host of behavioral, medical, and social consequences. In the workplace, the bored have abilities by insufficient challenge. The bored achieve the limited challenges before them, but could be significantly more productive with additional challenges.

Anxiety704is an emotion that is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response to a real threat, whereas anxiety is the anticipation of a future threat. It is often accompanied by nervous behavior such as pacing back and forth, somatic complaints, and rumination. In the workplace, an employee reaches the anxiety704state when they have low abilities but high challenges that they have no ability to achieve. This state leads to lower productivity and high frustration. In a team situation, the anxious employee cannot provide the results in spite of high expectations.

Relaxation705is the opposite of Anxiety704. Relaxation705is the emotional state of low tension, in which there is an absence of Arousal, particularly from negative sources such as anger, anxiety, or fear. In the workplace, the relaxed have high skill abilities but insufficient challenge. The relaxed achieve the limited challenges before them with ease, but could be significantly more productive with additional challenges.

Arousal706is the physiological and psychological state of being awoken or of sense organs stimulated to a point of perception. It involves activation of the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) in the brain, which mediates wakefulness, the autonomic nervous system, and the endocrine system, leading to increased heart rate and blood pressure and a condition of sensory alertness, desire, mobility, and reactivity. The aroused have high challenges and moderate skill levels, creating an alert and focused approach to work tasks. The aroused tend to be as productive as their skill level allows.

Control707is a person's ability or perception of their ability to affect themselves, others, their conditions, their environment, or some other circumstance. Control over oneself or others can extend to the regulation of emotions, thoughts, actions, impulses, memory, attention, or experiences. In the workplace, Control707reflects the employee with a high level of skill and moderate challenges. The control employee achieves all that is asked but could increase productivity if more challenges are presented.

Flow708is the desired state for an employee so that productivity can be maximized. Flow708is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, Flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does and a resulting transformation that can be measured in one's sense of time. Flow708is the melting together of action and consciousness; the state of finding a balance between a skill and how challenging that task is. It requires a high level of concentration. Flow is used as a coping skill for stress and anxiety when productively pursuing a form of leisure that matches one's skill set.

In the Flow Map401diagram screen, the employee or set of employees are placed in one section of the Flow Map401diagram. For instance, see Jane and Mary's placement on the chart. Based on the placement, Mary could benefit by being offered additional challenges in her work, moving her to the Flow708section. Jane is being challenged beyond her abilities, and additional training may increase her job satisfaction and her performance.

FIG.8is the micro view103of the Flow Map401diagram. This computer window shows the specific performance of a team over time using the Flow Map401methodology in a chart801. The left column has the eight levels of the Flow Map401methodology. Next to each level is a number in parentheses. This number is a quantification of the motivation, or productivity, of an employee at that level. For instance, an employee at the Apathy level may only produce 20% of their potential, whereas someone at Flow may produce 150% of their normal productivity.

In chart801, the number of employees at each level in the Flow Map401chart is shown across various dates. In this chart801, there is one employee at Relaxation on Jan. 22, 2022, three employees at Arousal, ten at Control level, and one at Flow. The next cell shows that there are 15 employees in this team, and 6.67% are in Flow.

Chart802shows the personalities of the team over time, as a line chart. The lines in the chart reflect the eight levels of the Flow Map401methodology. The x-axis shows the dates of each sample, and the height of the line reflects the number of employees at that level.

In other embodiments, chart801and chart802could be accompanied (or replaced) by windows detailing an individual employee's performance. One screen could list the specific questions that lead to the determination of the employee's level. Another screen could show the employee's Flow Map level over time. Still another screen could show recommendations on how to improve an employee's Flow Map level.

FIG.9shows a Purpose Venn403or Ikigai diagram. Ikigai is a Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living, or in this case, a purpose in their employment. The Purpose Venn403diagram can be viewed as four major sections: what an employee can be Paid For901, what an employee is Good At902, what an employee Loves903, and what the world Needs904. These circles overlap, and the area where all four major sections converge is Ikigai909, where an employee is doing what the world Needs904, doing what the employee Loves903, where the employee is Good At the work902, and doing work that they can be Paid For901. Ikigai is a Japanese term that blends two words: “iki” meaning “to live,” and “gai” meaning “reason,” which translates to “a reason to live.” It's a concept that encourages people to discover what truly matters to them and to live a life filled with purpose and joy.

At the intersection of what is Paid For901and what the employee is Good At is the employee's Profession905. The intersection of what the employee is Good At902and what they love is Passion906. The intersection of what the employee Loves903and what the world Needs904is Mission907. The intersection of what the world Needs904and what can be Paid For901is Vocation908.

As the employee approaches Ikigai909, there are four sections where three of the major sections are present, but one is missing. The employee could be comfortable but feeling empty910because they are doing something that they are Good At, that the world Needs, and that they are Paid For, but do not Love doing the work. In another section, they could feel satisfaction but feel useless911, because the world does not Need what they are doing, even though they are Good At it, Love doing it, and are Paid For it. In another section, the employee could feel delighted and fullness in their work, but achieve no wealth from the work912because it is not a task that can be Paid For, even though the word Needs it, they are Good At it, and they Love doing it. The final section has excitement and complacency, with uncertainty913, because the employee is not Good At the task, even though they Love doing it, the world Needs it, and they are Paid For it.

Moving an employee to peak performance involves moving the employee to Ikigai909(sometimes called Purpose), but adjusting tasks to something that the world needs, that the employee is Good At, and that the employee Loves doing, while Paid For the work. The Purpose Venn403diagram shows employees Mary and Jane on the chart, providing the employer with information on what adjustments need to be made to move each to Ikigai909.

InFIG.10, the micro view103of the Purpose Venn403diagram is seen. This computer window shows the specific performance of a team over time using the Purpose Venn403methodology. The left column of chart1001has the eight levels of the Purpose Venn403methodology.

In chart1001, the number of employees at each level in the Purpose Venn Diagram403chart is shown across various dates. In this chart1001, there are two employees at the Ikigai level on Jan.22,2023, four employees at Passion, two at the Good At level, four at Profession, one at Paid For, two at Vocation, and four at Mission. The next cell shows that there are nineteen employees in this team, and31.58% are in the Mission category.

Chart1003shows the purpose of the Purpose Venn Diagram403methodology. The x-axis shows the dates of each sample, and the height of the line reflects the number of employees at that level.

In other embodiments, chart1001and chart1003could be accompanied (or replaced) by windows detailing an individual employee's performance. One screen could list the specific questions that lead to the determination of the employee's Purpose Venn Diagram score. Another screen could show the employee's Purpose Venn Diagram score over time. Still another screen could show recommendations on how to improve an employee's score.

FIG.11shows a Hero's Journey402diagram, with eight sections. This diagram represents a continuum, with the employee moving through the circle to the next level of improvement. The employee starts with a Need or Desire1101while in a controlled state of relaxation. This Need or Desire1101pushes the employee into an Unfamiliar Situation1102, causing anxiety, worry, and arousal. This leads to Adaption1103, and arousal. Following this state, the employee Gets What They Want1104, and achieves a level for Flow. But there is a price to pay1105for the change, creating control or arousal. The next stage is a return to comfort1106, with control and arousal. Then the employee moves to a Having Changed1107state, with Flow. And finally, the employee enters Comfort Zone1108, a state of control and relaxation.

The theosis chart1100is a different view of the Hero's Journey402diagram over time1111. As the employee (or organization) improves, they cycle through s Journey402for each improvement. To move to the next level of Purpose Venn Diagram403or Maslow's Hierarchy404, the employee needs to move through desire1101to move out of the Comfort Zone1108. They then need to travel through Unfamiliar Situation1102, adaption1103, get what they want1104, price1105, comfort1106, having changed1107, and back to Comfort Zone1108. This is seen in the Theosis line1111in the theosis chart1100as the employee moves to a higher level.

The horizontal axis1113of the theosis chart is a Purpose Venn403or Ikigai diagram, showing the employees status as they grow through the Hero's Journey402diagram1111. Alternatively, or simultaneously, the Maslow levels404could be used on the horizontal axis.

A separate comfort chart1112is also shown inFIG.11. This shows that the employee is uncomfortable as they traverse the Unfamiliar Situation1102, adaption1103, get what they want1104, and pay the price1105levels on their way to better times in the comfort1106, having changed1107, and Comfort Zone1108levels.

InFIG.12, the micro view103of the Hero's Journey402diagram is seen. This computer window shows the specific stage of change of a team over time using the Hero's Journey402methodology. The left column of chart1201has the eight levels of the Hero's Journey402methodology.

In chart1201, the number of employees at each level in the Hero's Journey402chart is shown across various dates. In this chart1201, there are two employees at the Need or Desire1101level on Jan.22,2023, one employee at the Unfamiliar Situation1102stage, three at the Adaption1103level, two at Get what they want1104, three at Pay the price1105, two at Return to comfort1106, one at Having Changed1107, and one in the Comfort Zone1108. The next cell shows that there are fifteen employees in this team, and6.67% are in the Comfort Zone1108category.

Chart1202shows the stage over time of the Hero's Journey402methodology. The x-axis shows the dates of each sample, and the height of the line reflects the number of employees at that level.

In other embodiments, chart1201and chart1202could be accompanied (or replaced) by windows detailing an individual employee's performance. One screen could list the specific questions that lead to the determination of the employee's Hero's Journey402stage. Another screen could show the employee's Hero's Journey402stage over time. Still another screen could show recommendations on how to move an employee out of their comfort zone to make a change.

Looking atFIG.13, we see one possible embodiment of the hardware components to implement the software functionality described herein. In one embodiment, the employee data (seeFIG.15) is stored in data structures1500on a disk1301. The disk could be any type of data storage device, from a RAID disk array to a hard drive to optical storage to a solid state drive to tape drives to other data storage devices. The disk1301is connected to one or more processing units1302. The disk1301could be local or remote, accessible through the network interface1304over a network, such as Internet1305. In some embodiments, the disk1301is distributed across different storage units either locally or remotely. The connection could be optical, electrical, wireless, or similar type of connection. The processing units1302could be microprocessors, ASIC, processing cores, or similar. The processing units1302could be connected (electrically, optically, or wirelessly) to a memory1303and a network interface1304. The disk1301could store the data structures1500inFIG.15. The memory1303could be random access memory, EEPROM, PROM, NVROM, etc. The network interface1304could be any interface to a computer network. The network interface1304could be an optical connection, an electrical connection, or a wireless connection. The network interface1304could connect to an Ethernet network (IEEE 802.1, 802.3), to a WiFi network (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth, Broadband through cable modems, mesh network, cellular network, or other network protocols. The processing units1302may also connect directly to a computer screen. The computer screen may have a mouse, touch screen, touchpad, keyboard, haptic device, or other input device.

In one embodiment, the network interface1304could connect to the Internet1305and through the Internet1305to web browsers1306a,1306b,1306c. Web browsers1306a,1306b,1306ccould have various input devices, such as a computer mouse1307, touch screens, touch pads, keyboards, haptic devices, or similar. Web browsers1306a,1306b, and1306ccould have screens, monitors, projection devices, or similar display technology.

One embodiment of a high-level software architecture can be seen inFIG.14. The Data input module1401gathers data to fill the data structures1500seen inFIG.15. The data input module1401may operate on a web browser1306a,1306b,1306cand may gather information from an employee, a manager, a human resource professional, or similar. The data collected relates to the personality, emotions, moods, and stages of changes that the employee is experiencing. SeeFIG.2for a sample of questions that may be asked. In some embodiments, one person answers the questions for each employee; in other embodiments, questions may be answered by other employees, managers, the employee themselves, and others, and the data aggregated into the data structures1500inFIG.15. In some embodiments, free text observations replace the questions. In still other embodiments, both questions and free text observations are used.

Once the data is collected (in some embodiments, this is done in parallel with data input module1401), the data may be analyzed in a Data analysis module1402. The data analysis module1402converts the data for an individual employee into a Maslow Hierarchy404score, a Flow Map401rating, a Purpose Venn Diagram403score, and a Hero's Journey402stage. The data analysis module1402algorithm is described further inFIG.16.

After or in parallel with the data analysis module1402, the data is aggregated with the data aggregation module1403. The data aggregation module1403loops through each employee in each team throughout the organization, combining the individual employee scores into a team score.

A similar score could be created for the Flow Map401ratings, the Hero's Journey402stages, and the Purpose Venn Diagram403scores. The team scores at each level of the organization could be calculated and stored in the data structures1500shown inFIG.15.

The data is presented to the user through a Data display module1404. The data display module1404reads the data from the data structures1500inFIG.15and provides this data to the user. The user could be a manager or senior executive looking to determine the characteristics of the employee base. In other embodiments, individual employees may look at their performance and improvements over time, and some embodiments may allow an employee to see the performance of the overall organization and their team, perhaps with aggregated data so that other individual employees' information is not readily visible. The display may be on the web browsers1306a,1306b,1306cor on a local display device. Examples of the display can be seen inFIGS.1,3-12.

An additional module, the Employee action module1405, may be present in the system to provide feedback to employees and managers on actions that can be taken to improve the employee's Maslow Hierarchy404score, Flow Map401rating, Purpose Venn Diagram403score, and Hero's Journey402stage. In some embodiments, this module takes an individual score profile and does a database lookup of suggestions for improvement.

For instance, if an employee is in the Flow Map Anxiety704state, the Employee action module1405could suggest a box breathing tool or a releasing statement tool. If the employee is having difficulty completing tasks or reaching goals, the Employee action module1405could suggest a tool to break down the mountain. The Employee action module1405could suggest the glowing choices game if the employee has difficulty with the unpredictability of the environment, a 3G debrief game if the employee is having trouble with empowerment, or a follow the leader game if the employee is having trouble feeling accomplished.

The Employee action module1405could make similar suggestions to make improvements in the employee for their Maslow Hierarchy404score, Purpose Venn Diagram403score, and Hero's Journey402stage. For further example, to improve a Maslow Hierarchy404score from Survival501to Security502, the Employee action module1405may suggest finding commonalities within their Ikigai to apply and call forth; having discussions around what brings them fulfillment; encouragement; giving badges that reinforce positive behavior. The Employee action module1405may suggest asking questions such as: What do they need from a leadership standpoint? Are they building positive relationships?

To move an employee from Security502to Belonging503, the Employee action module1405may suggest finding commonalities within their ikigai to apply and call forth; having discussions around what brings them fulfillment; encouragement; and giving badges that reinforce positive behavior. The Employee action module1405may suggest asking questions such as: What do they need from a leadership standpoint? Are they building positive relationships?

Moving from Belonging503to Importance504may lead to suggestions to have the employee connect on a larger scale with customers and encouragement to create to inspire in everything they do; give goals leading to mastery of skill; Google reviews/customer testimonies; and tie examples of what they are doing to the higher purpose.

To transition from Importance504to Self-Actualization505, the Employee action module1405may suggest inspiring others to do their best around mission, vision, and core values; finding Flow; modeling behavior and calling for the mission, vision, and core values; and encouraging the employee to call forth their higher self worth and recognizing positive behavior around the mission/vision.

In another embodiment, a machine learning algorithm, such as random forest, K-means, Densicube (see U.S. Pat. No. 11,416,713), or neural networks are used to suggest courses of action. Feedback in the following weeks after a suggestion can be used to tune the model to improve the results.

In one embodiment, the employee data may be restricted due to the General Data Protection Regulations in the European Union. In this situation, the data needed to perform the training of the machine learning algorithms needs to be kept separate to ensure compliance with the regulations. For instance, personally identifiable information can not be sent out of the European Union. This creates a problem when building and maintaining data models. Paul Green and Jerzy Bala solved this problem with U.S. Pat. No. 11,609,971 (incorporated herein by reference) by creating a machine learning engine that operates in different countries and only creates the overall machine learning model from the parameters separately determined in separate locations.

FIG.15shows one embodiment of a data set1500for storing the employee data in the disk1301. This structure could be a single database or a distributed database. The data structure1500could have three layers, the organizational data structure1501, the team data structure1502, and the employee data structure1503. Additional layers between the organizational data structure1501and the team data structure1502may be implemented for larger, more complex organizations.

The organizational data structure1501is the top-level data structure. It contains fields for the company name and other information about the organization, a count of the employees, and a count of the teams. These counts could be calculated by traversing the team data structure1502and summing the employee counts. The data aggregation module1403maintains the fields for Maslow Hierarchy, Purpose Venn Diagram, Flow Map, and Hero's Journey, as described above. In some embodiments, the Maslow Hierarchy, Purpose Venn Diagram, Flow Map, and Hero's Journey are stored with a date code and are periodically (or randomly) preserved in the organizational data structure1501, perhaps through a linked list. The data display module1404uses this data to show the highest-level screen100and other screens off of that screen. The organizational data structure1501also has a pointer to the team data structure1502. In one embodiment, this pointer is a link to a linked list of a plurality of team data structures1502.

Each of the team data structures1502could contain fields with the team name and other information about the team, information about the team leader, and a count of the employees. The team data structure1502has fields for Maslow Hierarchy, Purpose Venn Diagram, Flow Map, and Hero's Journey as maintained by the data aggregation module1403. In some embodiments, the Maslow Hierarchy, Purpose Venn Diagram, Flow Map, and Hero's Journey are stored with a date code and are periodically (or randomly) preserved in the team data structure1502, perhaps through a linked list. The team data structure1502also could contain a link to a linked list of a plurality of employee data structures1503.

The employee data structures1503could each contain fields with the employee's name and other information regarding the employee. The employee data structure1503has fields for Maslow Hierarchy, Purpose Venn Diagram, Flow Map, and Hero's Journey as maintained by the data aggregation module1403. In some embodiments, the Maslow Hierarchy, Purpose Venn Diagram, Flow Map, and Hero's Journey scores are stored with a date code and are periodically (or randomly) preserved in the employee data structures1503, perhaps through a linked list. In addition, each answer to each question that is used to determine the employee's Maslow Hierarchy404score, Flow Map401rating, Purpose Venn Diagram403score, and Hero's Journey402stage may be preserved in the employee data structures1503. In some embodiments, each answer to each question may be periodically (or randomly) preserved with a data code in the employee data structures1503, perhaps through a linked list.

FIG.16details the steps that the data analysis module1402undertakes to determine the various scores. Each takes the data from the employee data structures1503questions, using the most recent data. The data came from the data input module1401.

The first step in the data analysis module1402is to determine the Maslow Hierarchy level1601. In some embodiments, the answers to the questions are pointed and directed to a specific level. For instance, the questions in Table1are sorted and directed to specific levels. If three of the questions for Self-Actualization are affirmatively answered, the Maslow Hierarchy level1601determination is made that the employee is in the self-actualization level. In some embodiments, two of the three affirmative answers are required to make the determination.

In another embodiment, each answer in the entire set of questions listed in TABLE 1 is given a weight, and the weights are multiplied by the answer, and the products are summed. In some embodiments, all of the weights are equal. In other embodiments, the weights are different. The product is then compared to a table of levels; all products over the value of a level are assigned to that level. For example, see TABLE 4 for the questions in TABLE 1.

In another embodiment, the questions asked require free-text answers. These answers could be interpreted through natural language processing. First, the test of the narrative is parsed into a table of words. This could use traditional parsing techniques of searching for delimiters such as spaces, periods, tabs, commas, and other punctuation types. The strings between the delimiters are stored in a table. In some descriptions, this is called tokenization.

The words in the table are next analyzed to convert the word into its stem by removing parts of speech that are attached to the word, such as plurality. Some descriptions call finding this process lemmatization-figuring out the most basic form or lemma of each word in the sentence. For some models, the word is categorized as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, etc.

Next, each word stem is looked up in the model's database of stems, and the corresponding weight of the word in the database is copied into the narrative's table of words. In a simple model, the weights are averaged to create a Maslow-level score. More complicated models could use other statistical methods to determine the Maslow-level score. For instance, verbs could be given more weight than adverbs, or a mean could be used rather than an average. The Maslow Hierarchy level score could then be compared to a level to determine the Maslow Hierarchy level, similar to the levels in TABLE 4.

The data analysis module1402then determines the Purpose Venn Diagram score1602. One of the three methods described for the Maslow Hierarchy level1601determination could be used, but based on the questions in TABLE 2.

Similarly, the Flow Map rating1603and the Hero's Journey stage1604are calculated as described above, with different questions.

Once each of the Maslow Hierarchy scores, the Flow Map rating, the Purpose Venn Diagram score, and the Hero's Journey stage are determined, the scores are stored1605in the employee data structures1503, and the data analysis module ends1606.

It is to be understood that the configurations and/or approaches described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies.

The foregoing devices and operations, including their implementation, will be familiar to, and understood by, those having ordinary skill in the art. This specification contains numerous dimensions, all of which could be changed without deviating from the inventions herein.

The above description of the embodiments, alternative embodiments, and specific examples, are given by way of illustration and should not be viewed as limiting. Further, many changes and modifications within the scope of the present embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present inventions include such changes and modifications.