User Manual for HR

Welcome to Blended Leading!

This guide gives you a clear overview of what Blended Leading is, what role you play as an HR Admin, and how the platform supports leadership development at scale.

What is Blended Leading (from an HR perspective)?

Blended Leading is a data-driven leadership enablement system that delivers personalized, AI-supported nudges to leaders directly in Microsoft Teams.

Instead of relying only on training, coaching, or workshops, Blended Leading helps leaders apply what they have learned in their daily work – continuously and at scale.

It connects:

  • Your leadership model and strategy
  • Your existing HR data sources (e.g. 360 feedback, psychometrics, performance data)
  • AI-supported analysis and nudging

The result is ongoing behavioral reinforcement, not one-time learning.

What problem does it solve?

Most organizations already invest in leadership development: – Trainings – Coaching – Development programs

But in reality:

  • Learning is often not applied consistently
  • Leaders fall back into old habits
  • HR lacks visibility into behavioral impact

Blended Leading closes this gap by:

  • Bringing development into the flow of work
  • Providing continuous, bite-sized guidance
  • Creating data-driven insights on leadership behavior

Your role as an HR Admin

As an HR Admin, you are not managing daily usage—you are enabling the system.

Your role typically includes:

  • Configuring the workspace and organizational structure
  • Defining data sources (e.g. 360 reports, values, leadership principles)
  • Maintaining the leadership model
  • Managing users and permissions
  • Monitoring usage and aggregated insights

You are shaping the context and quality of the nudges, not the nudges themselves.

Individual vs. organization-managed setup

Blended Leading can operate in two modes, depending on your organization:

1. Individual-managed model

  • Leaders upload and manage their own data
  • HR configures the framework and monitors aggregated insights

2. Organization-managed model

  • HR or L&D provides data centrally (e.g. 360 reports, leadership inputs)
  • Leaders receive nudges without needing to upload data themselves

Both models:

  • Use the same AI logic and Nudge Drivers
  • Respect strict privacy and GDPR requirements

Your organization decides which approach applies.

What you don’t need to do

With Blended Leading, you don’t need to:

  • Manually coach or follow up with each leader
  • Create individual development plans for everyone
  • Manage complex learning journeys
  • Track individual behavior or performance

The system supports leaders automatically, based on the setup you define.

What you gain as HR

Blended Leading enables you to:

  • Increase ROI on leadership development investments
  • Align leadership behavior with strategy and values
  • Scale personalized development across the organization
  • Gain aggregated insights without evaluating individuals

It transforms leadership development from a one-time intervention into a continuous system.

How Blended Leading works (in simple terms)

Blended Leading follows a clear logic:

  1. You configure data sources and leadership context
  2. The system generates Nudge Drivers from different perspectives
  3. Leaders receive personalized nudges in Microsoft Teams
  4. Feedback (ratings & actions) improves relevance over time
  5. You see aggregated insights at organizational level

A note on trust and privacy

Blended Leading is designed with strict privacy principles:

  • No monitoring of chats, emails, or behavior
  • No individual-level reporting to managers or HR
  • Aggregated and anonymized insights only
  • Full GDPR compliance

Your role is to enable development – not to evaluate individuals.

Understanding Your Role as HR Admin

As an HR Admin in Blended Leading, your role is to enable and shape the system, not to manage day-to-day usage.
This article clarifies what you control, where your impact is highest, and what you don’t need

The core idea

Blended Leading is designed to work autonomously once configured.

Your responsibility is to:

  • Define the framework and data context
  • Ensure quality and relevance of inputs
  • Monitor aggregated outcomes

The system then:

  • Generates insights (Nudge Drivers)
  • Delivers nudges to leaders
  • Adapts over time based on feedback

What you control as HR Admin

1. Organizational context

You define how the system reflects your organization:

  • Organizational structure (e.g. divisions, departments, locations)
  • Leadership levels
  • Additional filtering dimensions

This determines how you can later analyze and interpret results.

2. Leadership model

You configure or import your leadership framework:

  • Clusters, competencies, and behaviors
  • Structure (2-level or 3-level model)
  • Mapping to the generic model (for AI interpretation)

This is the foundation for all nudges and insights.

3. Data sources

You define which inputs are used to generate insights:

  • 360° feedback reports
  • Psychometric tools
  • Corporate values and leadership principles
  • Performance or other development data (if used)

The quality of nudges depends directly on the quality of these inputs.

4. User setup and access

You manage:

  • User roles (HR Admin, Corporate Admin, Local HR, Participants)
  • User creation and updates
  • Permissions and visibility

You can also:

  • Pre-load data (e.g. 360 reports)
  • Define individual settings where needed

5. Governance and permissions

You decide:

  • Who can view or modify participant data
  • How data is managed (central vs individual)
  • How the system aligns with internal privacy policies

This ensures Blended Leading fits your organizational governance model.

Where your impact is highest

Not all actions have equal impact. Focus on these areas:

Data quality
Well-structured and relevant data sources lead to better nudges.

Leadership model clarity
Clear, behavior-based competencies improve AI interpretation.

Consistent setup
Aligned structure and configuration improve reporting and insights.

Adoption support
Communicating purpose and value increases engagement.

What you don’t need to do

Blended Leading is designed to reduce HR workload.

You do not need to:

  • Monitor individual leaders
  • Interpret or validate every nudge
  • Follow up on each user’s activity
  • Create manual development plans
  • Track completion or compliance

The system handles continuous development automatically.

What the system does automatically

Once configured, Blended Leading:

  • Processes data and extracts insights
  • Generates Nudge Drivers
  • Sends personalized nudges in Microsoft Teams
  • Adapts based on ratings and action feedback

This allows HR to focus on strategy, not administration.

How to think about your role

A useful way to frame your role:

You design the system → Blended Leading runs it → Leaders benefit from it

Your influence is indirect but powerful.

Setting Up Your Workspace (General Settings)

The General Settings section is where you define the core setup of your Blended Leading workspace.

This is your starting point for configuring how the system represents your organization and how users will experience it.

Why this matters

Your workspace setup determines:

  • How your organization is presented in nudges
  • Which languages are available to users
  • How permissions and access are controlled

A clear and consistent setup ensures a smooth rollout and a better user experience.

What you can configure

1. Organization name and branding

You can define:

  • Organization name (used in nudges and communication)
  • Logo (visible in the interface)

This ensures that all nudges and interactions feel native to your organization.

2. Languages and localization

You can select:

  • Active languages for your workspace
  • Default language for the organization

Available languages may include:

– English
– German
– Bulgarian
– Arabic
– Romanian

Users can later choose their preferred language based on this setup.

3. Participant settings & permissions

This section allows you to control who can access and modify participant data.

You can define:

  • View permissions (who can see participant information)
  • Modify permissions (who can change settings or data)

This gives you flexibility to align Blended Leading with your:

  • Internal governance
  • Privacy policies
  • HR operating model

How to approach setup (recommended)

To get the best results:

Keep it simple at the start

  • Use your standard organization name and branding
  • Activate only the languages you actually need

Align permissions early

  • Decide who manages users and data
  • Define clear responsibilities (HR Admin vs Local HR)

Think ahead about scaling

  • Choose settings that will still work when adoption grows

Common pitfalls to avoid

  • Activating too many languages without translations
  • Giving broad modification rights without clear governance
  • Changing core settings frequently after rollout

Setting Up Organizational Structure & Hierarchy

The Organizational Structure & Hierarchy setup defines how your organization is represented inside Blended Leading – and how you will later analyze and interpret results.
This is one of the most important configuration steps for HR.

Why this matters

Your structure determines:

  • How you can filter and segment data in reports
  • How you can compare groups (e.g. departments, locations)
  • How insights can be used for organizational decisions

A well-designed structure enables meaningful analytics, not just data.

What you can configure

You can activate and define different organizational dimensions.
 
Each active field becomes:
  • A selectable attribute for users 
  • A filter in reporting and analytics

1. Core organizational fields

You can activate and define:

  • Division
  • Department
  • Location
  • Position

Once activated:

  • These fields appear in user profiles
  • They can be used to filter reports and insights

2. Leadership levels
You can define different hierarchy levels, such as:

  • Executive
  • Senior leadership
  • Mid-level management

This is especially important if:

  • Your leadership model differs by level
  • You want to analyze development across levels
3. Additional leadership areas

You can define additional Leadership Areas beyond your formal competency model.

This allows you to:

  • Highlight strategic focus topics
  • Introduce new development themes
  • Complement your existing framework

These areas can later be selected by users or assigned centrally.

4. Report versions
If you use multiple report formats (e.g. different 360 templates), you can define report versions.

This helps ensure:

  • Correct data processing
  • Accurate interpretation by the system
How to approach setup (recommended)

Start with what you need for analysis

Ask yourself:

  • How do we want to segment our leadership population?
  • What comparisons will be meaningful later?

Only activate fields that support these goals.

Keep it consistent with HR systems

Align your structure with:

  • HRIS
  • Existing reporting frameworks

This avoids confusion and simplifies adoption.

Avoid unnecessary complexity

More fields ≠ better insights.

Too many dimensions can:

  • Complicate reporting
  • Reduce clarity
  • Slow down decision-making

Example setups

Simple setup

  • Department
  • Location

→ Good for smaller organizations or pilots

Advanced setup

  • Division
  • Department
  • Location
  • Leadership level

→ Enables deeper analysis and segmentation

How this connects to reporting

All active fields become available in:

  • Usage analytics
  • Nudge metrics
  • Competency and behavior insights

You can use them to:

  • Filter results
  • Compare groups
  • Identify patterns across the organization

Configuring Data Sources (Core Setup)

The Data Sources section is the core of Blended Leading.

This is where you define what information the system uses to generate insights, Nudge Drivers, and ultimately the nudges leaders receive.

Why this matters

The quality and relevance of nudges depend directly on your data sources.

Better inputs lead to:

  • More accurate insights (Nudge Drivers)
  • More relevant nudges
  • Stronger alignment with your leadership strategy

In simple terms: > Your data defines the intelligence of the system

What you can configure

Blended Leading allows you to define multiple types of data sources.

Each source contributes to how the system understands leadership behavior from a different perspective.

1. Corporate Values

You can define your organization’s corporate values.

Each value includes:

  • A title
  • A detailed description

Why this matters

Values provide context for nudges.

They ensure that recommendations are:

  • Aligned with your culture
  • Reflective of your expectations

Tip: Describe values with specific behaviors, not abstract statements.

2. Leadership Principles

You can define your leadership principles or guidelines.

Similar to values, each principle includes:

  • A title
  • A detailed description

Why this matters

Leadership principles:

  • Shape how leadership is interpreted
  • Influence how nudges are framed
  • Reinforce your leadership philosophy

3. 360° Feedback (High Impact)

360° feedback is one of the most powerful data sources in Blended Leading.

You can use it in two ways:

Option 1: API integration

  • Direct connection with your 360 platform
  • Automatic data flow

Option 2: PDF upload

  • Upload existing 360 reports
  • Configure templates for AI extraction

Configuring 360 templates

When using PDF uploads, you define how the system reads your reports:

You can configure:

  • Competencies
  • Behaviors
  • Top & low items
  • Open text questions

You also define:

  • Page ranges
  • Scales
  • Aggregation logic

You can test templates by uploading sample files and previewing results.

Why 360 data is critical

360 feedback enables:

  • Individual Results Drivers (based on scores and patterns)
  • Text Analysis Drivers (based on open comments)

This makes nudges:

  • Highly personalized
  • Grounded in real feedback

4. Psychometric Tools

You can enable supported personality tools, such as:

  • MBTI
  • DISC
  • Insights Discovery
  • 16 Personalities

Why this matters

Psychometric data helps:

  • Add depth to personalization
  • Adapt nudges to individual styles

This is optional but can enhance relevance.

5. External Learning Resources

You can define which learning sources are available when users click “Learn more”.

Supported options may include:

  • Google search
  • Bing
  • LinkedIn Learning

Why this matters

This connects nudges with:

  • Deeper learning
  • Existing learning ecosystems

6. Performance or Additional Data Sources (Optional)

You can also integrate:

  • Performance reviews
  • Other HR development data

These can contribute additional signals for:

  • Individual Results Drivers
  • Broader leadership insights

How Data Sources connect to Nudge Drivers

Each data source feeds into one or more Nudge Drivers:

  • Individual Results Drivers → scores, structured data
  • Organizational Benchmark Drivers → aggregated comparisons
  • Text Analysis Drivers → open comments and qualitative feedback

Different sources strengthen different drivers.

How to approach setup (recommended)

Start with high-impact sources

  • 360 feedback
  • Leadership model
  • Values & principles

Ensure quality over quantity

  • Clear structure
  • Consistent formats
  • Meaningful content

Test before scaling

  • Use sample files
  • Validate extracted results
  • Adjust configurations early

Align with your strategy

  • Include only data that supports your leadership goals

Common pitfalls to avoid

  • Using poorly structured or inconsistent reports
  • Adding too many data sources without clear purpose
  • Skipping template testing
  • Using generic descriptions for values or principles

How Nudge Drivers, Results & Nudges Work Together

Blended Leading is designed to be transparent and easy to understand.

This article explains how Results, Nudge Drivers, and Nudges are connected – so you always know why you are receiving a specific nudge.

The big picture (in simple terms)

Blended Leading follows a clear flow:

  1. Leadership data is available (from you and/or your organization)
  2. Nudge Drivers analyze this data from different perspectives
  3. Results visualize the drivers so you can understand them
  4. Nudges are generated based on each driver
  5. Nothing happens in the background without being reflected in the Results area.

Step 1: Leadership data (the input)

Depending on your organization’s setup, leadership data may come from:

  • Your individual leadership results
  • Centrally provided reports (e.g. 360° feedback)
  • Open text responses in reports
  • Other leadership development inputs defined by the organization

This data is the starting point, not a judgment.

Step 2: Nudge Drivers (the logic)

Blended Leading uses three independent Nudge Driver types.
Each driver looks at the data from a different angle and works on its own.

1. Individual Results Drivers

These drivers focus only on your individual leadership results.

They look for:

  • Repeated patterns
  • Strong or emerging signals
  • Areas where small changes could have impact

Nudges from these drivers are about your personal leadership profile.

2. Organizational Benchmark Drivers (if enabled)

These drivers compare your individual results with anonymized organizational benchmarks.

They help highlight:

  • Where your patterns differ from typical organizational trends
  • Which leadership behaviors may be especially relevant in your context

Important:

  • Benchmarks are always anonymized and aggregated
  • There is no ranking or scoring of individuals

Nudges from these drivers focus on context and alignment, not performance.

3. Text Analysis Drivers (if available)

These drivers analyze open text feedback in leadership reports.

They look for:

  • Recurring themes
  • Emotional tone (positive, neutral, challenging)
  • Links between comments and leadership behaviors

These nudges address how leadership is experienced, not just measured.

Step 3: Results (the transparency layer)

The Results area shows you:

  • Which Nudge Drivers are active
  • What patterns or signals they detect
  • How insights evolve over time

Results help you understand:
“Why am I receiving this type of nudge right now?”

Step 4: Nudges (the action)

Each Nudge Driver generates its own nudges, independently of the others. This means:

  • You may receive nudges from different drivers
  • Nudges may focus on different aspects of leadership
  • Multiple nudges can coexist without conflict

Leadership focus areas do not control which driver generates nudges. Your preferences (timing, language, frequency) apply to all nudges equally.

Why this separation matters

This separation ensures that:

  • Insights are not mixed or oversimplified
  • Different perspectives stay clear
  • Nudges remain specific and relevant
  • You can trust the logic behind recommendations

What this is NOT

This process is not:

  • A performance evaluation pipeline
  • A ranking or scoring mechanism
  • An automated decision-making system about you

It is a support loop designed to help you reflect and act.

In summary

  • Data provides the input
  • Nudge Drivers interpret it from different perspectives
  • Results make this interpretation visible
  • Nudges translate insights into small, practical actions

Blended Leading keeps this loop open and understandable – so support never feels like a black box.

Setting Up Your Leadership Model

The Leadership Model is the foundation of Blended Leading.

It defines how leadership is understood, structured, and interpreted across the system – and directly influences how Nudge Drivers and nudges are generated.

Why this matters

Your leadership model determines:

  • How leadership behavior is defined
  • How data is interpreted by the system
  • How insights and nudges are structured

A clear and well-structured model leads to:

  • More precise insights
  • More relevant nudges
  • Stronger alignment with your leadership strategy

What you can configure

You can create or import your leadership model using:

  • A custom model (your own framework)
  • A generic model (provided as a starting point)

You can also define the structure of the model.

Model structure options

Blended Leading supports two structures:

1. 3-level structure
Clusters → Competencies → Behaviors

Example:

  • Leading Self (Cluster)
  • Resilience (Competency)
  • Stays calm under pressure (Behavior)

2. 2-level structure
Competencies → Behaviors

Simpler structure, suitable for: – Smaller organizations – Less complex frameworks

Key elements of the model

Clusters (optional)
High-level grouping of competencies.

Used to:

  • Organize your model
  • Improve clarity in reporting

Competencies

Core leadership capabilities.

These are:

  • The main structure for analysis
  • Visible in results and reporting

Behaviors

Specific, observable actions.

These are the most important level because:

  • They are directly linked to nudges
  • They are used in text analysis
  • They define what “good leadership” looks like in practice

Tip: Write behaviors as clear, observable actions, not abstract descriptions.

Mapping to the Generic Model (critical step)

Blended Leading includes a Generic Competency Model with predefined behaviors and keywords.

You can map your behaviors to this model.

Why mapping is important

Mapping enables:

Better interpretation of open text feedback

  • More accurate Text Analysis Drivers
  • Stronger connection between qualitative data and leadership behaviors
  • Without mapping, text-based insights may be limited.

How mapping works

You can map behaviors using:

  • AI-assisted mapping (recommended starting point)
  • Manual selection in the interface
  • Excel export/import for bulk mapping

Each behavior from your model is mapped to one corresponding behavior in the generic model.

Translations

You can manage translations for all elements of your model:

  • Clusters
  • Competencies
  • Behaviors

This ensures:
– Consistent user experience across languages
– Accurate localization of nudges and insights

How the leadership model connects to the system

Your model influences:

  • Nudge Drivers (how insights are structured)
  • Nudges (what behaviors are suggested)
  • Results & analytics (how data is displayed)

It acts as the interpretation layer between raw data and actionable guidance.

How to approach setup (recommended)

Start with your existing framework

  • Use your current leadership model if available
  • Avoid creating a new model from scratch unless needed

Focus on behavior clarity

  • Ensure behaviors are specific and actionable
  • Avoid vague or abstract wording

Use mapping early

  • Apply AI-assisted mapping first
  • Review and refine where needed

Keep it manageable

  • Avoid overly complex structures
  • Prioritize clarity over completeness

Common pitfalls to avoid

  • Using unclear or overly generic behaviors
  • Skipping the mapping step
  • Overcomplicating the model structure
  • Misalignment with actual leadership expectations

Managing Users & Roles

The Users & Roles section allows you to control who has access to Blended Leading, what they can do, and how users are configured within the system.

This is where you ensure the platform aligns with your organizational structure, governance model, and rollout strategy.

Why this matters

User management determines:

  • Who can access Blended Leading
  • What each role is allowed to do
  • How data is managed (centrally or individually)
  • How consistent the user experience is across the organization

A well-managed user setup ensures:
– Smooth onboarding
– Clear responsibilities
– Strong governance and data control

User roles in Blended Leading

Blended Leading supports several roles with different levels of access.

1. Participants (Leaders)

  • Use the app in Microsoft Teams
  • Receive nudges
  • Can rate nudges and select action statuses
  • May upload or manage their own data (depending on setup)

2. HR Admin

  • Full access to workspace configuration
  • Manage users, data sources, leadership model, and reports
  • Define governance and permissions

3. Corporate Admin

  • Similar to HR Admin
  • Typically used for system-wide or IT-level administration

4. Local HR

  • Limited administrative access
  • Can manage users and data within assigned scope (e.g. location or division)

Creating and managing users

To add a new user, you provide basic information such as:

  • Role
  • Email (Office 365 login)
  • First and last name
  • Language (UI localization)
  • Gender

Additional fields may include:
– Division
– Department
– Location
– Position
– Leadership level

These fields depend on your organizational structure setup.

Pre-configuring users (central setup)

Blended Leading allows you to pre-configure users centrally.

This is especially important in organization-managed setups.

You can:

  • Upload 360° feedback reports
  • Upload performance reviews
  • Assign leadership focus areas
  • Define general settings (timing, language, channels)

Why this matters

Central configuration allows you to:

  • Ensure consistency across users
  • Reduce effort required from leaders
  • Enable immediate value from day one

Leaders can start receiving personalized nudges without additional setup.

Individual vs. centralized user management

You can choose between two approaches:

Individual-managed approach

  • Leaders manage their own data and settings
  • HR provides the framework

Organization-managed approach

  • HR configures data and settings centrally
  • Leaders receive nudges with minimal setup

Both approaches are supported and can be adapted to your organization’s needs.

Managing existing users

You can:

  • Edit user details
  • Update roles and permissions
  • Modify settings and uploaded data
  • Remove users and their data

You can also review each user’s configuration via the settings interface.

Best practices

Align roles with responsibilities

  • Limit admin roles to necessary users
  • Use Local HR roles for decentralized management

Use central configuration strategically

  • Preload key data (e.g. 360 reports)
  • Reduce onboarding friction

Keep user data consistent

  • Use standardized naming for organizational fields
  • Align with HR systems

Plan for scale

  • Structure users in a way that supports reporting and filtering later

Common pitfalls to avoid

  • Assigning too many admin roles
  • Inconsistent user data (e.g. different naming conventions)
  • Over-relying on manual user setup

Understanding Reports & HR Analytics

The Reports & Analytics section helps you understand how Blended Leading is used across your organization – and what impact it is creating.

It provides aggregated, anonymized insights to support HR decisions, without evaluating individuals.

Why this matters

Blended Leading is not just a delivery tool – it is also a learning and insight system.

Reports help you:

  • Track adoption and engagement
  • Understand how leaders interact with nudges
  • Identify patterns in leadership development
  • Support data-informed HR decisions

What you can see (at a glance)

The Reports section typically includes:

  • Usage & adoption metrics
  • Nudge effectiveness metrics (ratings & actions)
  • Leadership insights (competencies & behaviors)

All data is:
– Aggregated
– Anonymized
– Non-evaluative

1. Usage & Adoption Analytics

This section shows how widely and actively Blended Leading is used.

You can track:

  • Number of invited participants
  • Number of active users
  • Users with uploaded data (e.g. reports, profiles)
  • Distribution of preferences (e.g. days, times)

Why this matters

It helps you understand:

  • Adoption levels
  • Engagement trends
  • Where additional communication or support may be needed

2. Nudge Effectiveness

This section focuses on how nudges are received and used.

Key metrics include:

  • Total number of nudges sent
  • Number of rated nudges
  • Average rating
  • Distribution of ratings
  • Number of selected actions
  • Distribution of action statuses

Action statuses include:

  • Not Needed Right Now
  • Thinking About It
  • Planning To Do It
  • Working On It
  • Already Done

Why this matters

This helps you understand:

  • How useful nudges are perceived
  • How leaders engage with suggested actions
  • Which types of nudges drive the most interaction

These insights are always aggregated and anonymous.

3. Leadership Insights (Competencies & Behaviors)

This section provides insights based on leadership data.

You can see:

  • Performance trends across competencies and behaviors
  • Changes over time
  • Distribution of strengths and development areas

Why this matters

It helps you:

  • Identify organization-wide patterns
  • Understand where development is progressing
  • Align initiatives with real needs

Filtering and segmentation

You can filter reports using your configured organizational structure, such as:

  • Division
  • Department
  • Location
  • Leadership level

This allows you to:

  • Compare different groups
  • Identify specific trends
  • Focus on targeted interventions

How to interpret the data (important)

Blended Leading reports are designed for directional insights, not precise measurement.

They should be used to:

  • Identify patterns
  • Guide decisions
  • Support discussions

They should not be used to:

  • Evaluate individual leaders
  • Rank or compare individuals
  • Make performance decisions

What you cannot see

To ensure privacy and trust:

  • You cannot see individual nudges
  • You cannot see individual ratings or actions
  • You cannot track specific user behavior

All insights are aggregated across groups.

Data, Privacy & Governance for HR

As an HR Admin, you play a key role in ensuring that Blended Leading is used in a way that is secure, compliant, and trusted by leaders.

This article explains how data is handled, what your responsibilities are, and how governance is applied in practice.

Why this matters

Blended Leading works with sensitive leadership data.

A clear governance approach ensures:

  • Trust from leaders
  • Compliance with GDPR and internal policies
  • Responsible use of insights

Core principles

Blended Leading is built on the following principles:

  • No monitoring of chats, emails, or behavior
  • Explicit data usage only (no hidden data collection)
  • Aggregated and anonymized reporting
  • No individual evaluation or ranking

As HR, your role is to maintain and communicate these principles.

Data ownership and control

Your organization remains the owner of all data used in Blended Leading.

As HR Admin, you:

  • Define which data is used
  • Control how it is managed
  • Ensure it aligns with internal policies

Individual vs organization-managed data

Blended Leading supports two data governance models.

1. Individual-managed model

  • Leaders upload and manage their own data
  • HR configures the system framework
  • HR sees only aggregated insights

2. Organization-managed model

  • HR or L&D uploads data centrally (e.g. 360 reports)
  • Data is used to generate personalized nudges
  • Leaders are not required to upload data themselves

What stays consistent in both models

  • Nudges remain personal
  • No individual-level reporting to managers or HR
  • Insights are aggregated and anonymized

What HR can and cannot see

HR can see

  • Aggregated usage and adoption data
  • Aggregated ratings and action statuses
  • Leadership trends across groups

HR cannot see

  • Individual nudges
  • Individual ratings or action statuses
  • Individual behavior or usage patterns

This separation is essential to maintain trust and psychological safety.

Consent and GDPR compliance

Blended Leading follows EU GDPR standards.

As HR Admin, you should ensure that:

  • Users provide explicit consent for personal data (where required)
  • Data is used only for clearly defined purposes

Users can:

  • Withdraw consent
  • Remove uploaded data
  • Stop using the system

Data security

Blended Leading ensures:

  • Data storage and processing within the EU
  • Secure handling of sensitive information
  • Encryption of relevant data

Your role is to ensure alignment with your internal IT and security policies.

Responsible use of insights

HR analytics in Blended Leading are designed for:

  • Identifying patterns
  • Supporting development initiatives
  • Guiding strategic decisions

They should not be used for:

  • Performance evaluation
  • Individual assessment
  • Ranking or comparison of leaders

Communicating governance to leaders

To ensure adoption and trust, it is important to communicate clearly that:

  • Blended Leading is a development tool, not a monitoring tool
  • Individual data is not visible to managers or HR
  • Participation is safe and controlled

Clear communication reduces resistance and increases engagement.

FAQ – HR Admin Perspective

This FAQ answers the most common questions from HR Admins, HR Business Partners, and L&D leaders.

It focuses on governance, impact, and practical rollout considerations.

General & Strategic Questions

Can Blended Leading be used for performance evaluation?

No. Blended Leading is designed strictly as a development tool, not an evaluation system.
• No individual scores are created
• No rankings are generated
• No data should be used for performance reviews
Using it for evaluation would undermine trust and reduce effectiveness.

What makes Blended Leading different from training programs?

Blended Leading does not replace training – it extends it into daily work. Instead of one-time learning events, it provides:
– Continuous nudges
– Contextual support
– Reinforcement of learned behaviors
This increases the application and retention of learning.

How does Blended Leading create impact at scale?

It combines:
• Existing HR data (e.g. 360 feedback)
• Leadership models and values
• AI-supported Nudge Drivers
This enables personalized development for many leaders simultaneously, without manual effort from HR.

Data & Privacy

Can HR see individual leader data?

No. HR can only see aggregated and anonymized insights. HR cannot access:
– Individual nudges
– Individual ratings or actions
– Individual behavioral data

Can managers access individual data?

No. Managers have no access to:
– Individual nudges
– Ratings or action statuses
– Results data

What data is used by the system?

Only explicitly provided data, such as:
– 360 feedback reports
– Leadership models
– Psychometric profiles (if enabled)
No hidden or passive data collection takes place.

Is Blended Leading GDPR compliant?

Yes. It follows EU GDPR standards, including:
– Explicit consent
– Data minimization
– User control over data
– Secure EU-based processing

Setup & Configuration

Do we have to upload data for every user?

No. This depends on your setup:
• In organization-managed setups, HR can upload data centrally
• In individual-managed setups, users can upload their own data
Both approaches are supported.

What happens if data is incomplete?

• Blended Leading will still work.
• Nudges will be generated based on available data
• Additional data improves relevance over time
You can start simple and expand later.

How important is the leadership model?

Very important.
The leadership model defines:
– How data is interpreted
– How insights are structured
– What nudges are based on
Clear, behavior-based models lead to better results.

Adoption & Engagement

How can we increase adoption?

Key success factors include:
• Clear communication (what it is and what it is not)
• Strong emphasis on privacy and non-evaluation
• Simple onboarding
• Visible leadership support
Adoption improves when leaders feel safe and supported.

Do leaders need training to use Blended Leading?

No formal training is required.
The system is designed to be:
– Simple
– Intuitive
– Embedded in Microsoft Teams
Short introduction materials are usually sufficient.

What if leaders don’t rate nudges?

That’s not a problem.
• The system still works
• Ratings help improve faster, but are not required

Insights & Reporting

How should we interpret the reports?

Reports provide directional insights, not precise measurements.
They help you:
– Identify patterns
– Understand trends
– Support strategic decisions
They should not be used for individual assessment.

Can we compare departments or regions?

Yes. You can use filters such as: - Division - Department - Location - Leadership level
This allows you to identify differences across groups.

What do ratings and action statuses tell us?

They provide insight into:
• How useful nudges are perceived
• How leaders engage with suggested actions
Examples:
– High ratings → relevant nudges - “Already Done” → behavioral adoption signals
All data is aggregated and anonymous.

Technical & Operational

Do we need IT support to run Blended Leading?

Initial setup may involve IT (e.g. Teams deployment), but ongoing operation is HR-driven.

Can we scale gradually?

Yes.
You can:
– Start with a pilot group
– Test configurations
– Expand step by step

What happens if we change our setup later?

You can update:
– Data sources
– Leadership model
– Organizational structure
Changes will be reflected in future nudges and insights.