{"id":16203,"date":"2025-04-03T09:11:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T16:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/insidetrack\/blog\/?p=16203"},"modified":"2025-05-01T12:06:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T19:06:59","slug":"how-microsoft-hr-is-using-viva-and-copilot-for-microsoft-365-to-empower-our-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/insidetrack\/blog\/how-microsoft-hr-is-using-viva-and-copilot-for-microsoft-365-to-empower-our-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"How Microsoft HR is using Viva and Microsoft 365 Copilot to empower our employees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Microsoft<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Technology is about people, and no Microsoft organization understands that better than Human Resources. When our HR team started rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot to the global HR organization, a human-centered approach was a natural fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what better way to focus on the human side of adoption than Microsoft Viva?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story shares how our HR team used the Viva suite to communicate, provide opportunities for skilling and development, and measure success. As a result, they\u2019ve been able to craft and disseminate effective adoption content through several different channels, provide both centralized and peer-led learning opportunities, and effectively track their progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applying HR expertise to Microsoft 365 Copilot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Individual
David Spahr (left to right), Chris Owen, and Liz Friedman are helping lead Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption efforts at Microsoft HR.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

AI represents the greatest workplace shift in a generation, so Microsoft 365 Copilot<\/a> adoption has been a priority across the company. The HR team has an especially important role in that process: They\u2019re both practitioners supporting AI transformation across the rest of Microsoft and professionals who use this technology in their own roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cAs champions for Responsible AI at Microsoft, we have a special duty to learn, experiment, and apply Copilot to the space where we work,\u201d says Liz Friedman, senior director of HR AI Transformation. \u201cTo support the rest of the company on this journey, we have to understand it ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Copilot brings an unprecedented solution to the table, so we\u2019re applying new technology in innovative ways as we experiment with fresh approaches to adoption. And new technical capabilities aren\u2019t the only aspect of Copilot that affects its rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cIn some ways, the adoption challenge with Copilot is flipped on its head,\u201d says Caribay Garcia, a principal people scientist on the Microsoft Viva product team. \u201cIt\u2019s not as much about building momentum as it is about guiding excitement to create effective usage and long-lasting change.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Driving AI adoption is about harnessing the optimism and energy of employees. With its human-centered suite of apps designed for employee engagement, Microsoft Viva<\/a> has been a natural fit for agile Copilot adoption efforts that respect how people assimilate new tools and processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Accelerating Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption with Viva<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Viva Connections<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sharing key news related to deployment and enablement, generating \u201cbuzz,” and tying Copilot to Microsoft culture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Viva Amplify<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Producing and efficiently distributing employee communications to build awareness and excitement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Viva Learning<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Courses and training for our employees on how to maximize value from Copilot, inclusive of building effective prompts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Viva Engage<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Actively engaging employees, providing leader updates, listening to feedback, and enabling Champs community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Viva Insights<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Using the Microsoft Copilot Dashboard to identity actionable insights and usage trends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Viva Pulse<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Instant feedback from employees on their Copilot experience to fine-tune our landing and adoption approach.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Viva Glint<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Understanding employee sentiment and gauging the overall effectiveness of our Copilot deployment effort.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

With support from our team at Microsoft Digital, the company\u2019s IT organization, HR is leaning into Viva as a vehicle for change. Their team recognizes its value across every component of the adoption journey, from communication and learning to engagement and feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUsing Viva for our promotion, awareness, skilling, and reinforcement process is tremendously useful,\u201d says Anand Shah, senior business program manager with Microsoft Digital. \u201cIt\u2019s critical at scale because it captures so many more people than we could ever manage with just instructor-led trainings or other centralized efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR and people science: A powerful pairing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Images
Caribay Garcia (left) and Carolyn Kalafut are principal people scientists on the Microsoft Viva product team.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As their Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption unfolds, HR is taking a highly specialized approach that keeps Microsoft\u2019s culture and priorities at its center. The team also benefits from the expertise of people science professionals in the Viva product group who have a background in organizational psychology, behavioral science, data science, and employee experience. These experts take a research-based and people-focused approach, infusing the Viva suite with insights from their discipline and ensuring every app effectively supports employee needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cPeople science helps us understand what\u2019s important to employees to help them feel happy and successful,\u201d says Carolyn Kalafut, a principal people scientist in the Microsoft Viva product group. \u201cWhen employees experience rapid changes like AI transformation at work, our research shows that we can ease the process by encouraging them to share their voice, addressing their concerns, keeping them informed with key updates, and providing relevant skilling opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To support their efforts, Microsoft Digital provides technical and change management expertise based on our experience with repeated deployment and adoption cycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HR AI Transformation team built a strategy to address key challenges associated with AI adoption in HR that include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n