Drei: Building a culture of feedback & self-leadership with Eletive

With 1,600 employees across Austria and headquarters in Vienna, Drei has spent more than 20 years growing through acquisitions and innovation as part of the international Hutchison Group.

But while the business was moving fast, employee feedback was still collected in a very traditional way. Surveys were fully outsourced, run once or twice a year, and slow to deliver insights. By the time results arrived, the moment for action had often passed. 

“It just wasn’t giving us what we needed,” recalls Patrick Thom, Teamleader Organisational & Personnel Development at Drei. “Our environment is too dynamic for static surveys. We wanted to listen more often, react faster, and empower people to take ownership of their own development.”

That search for a more flexible and empowering way of working with engagement data led Drei to Eletive.

Flexibility, usability, and self-leadership

When Drei explored the market for a new engagement platform, usability and flexibility were top of mind. The HR team wanted a tool that managers and employees alike would find intuitive — one that could support quick pulses as easily as large-scale surveys, and make insights easy to act on.

“What I liked most was the look and feel. The platform is very intuitive,” says Patrick.

The way Eletive presents the data makes it easy for everyone to understand. That’s a big difference compared to what we had before.

Beyond usability, Eletive also introduced a cultural shift. Instead of feedback being something managed centrally by HR, every employee at Drei now has access to their own profile and results.

“That was new for us, and it really supports self-leadership,” Patrick explains. “Before, HR or managers would tell people what to do. Now, individuals can see their own results, get personalised tips, and even access links to relevant training in our Academy. It invites everyone to take ownership of their own development.”

A strong launch and 80% participation

Rolling out a new platform across the organisation was a big step for Drei, and Patrick knew that building trust would be key. The HR team invested significant effort in communication and preparation to make sure employees felt confident in the new system.

“We started with the managers,” Patrick explains. “Every manager went through mandatory training, got early access to the platform, and had the chance to ask questions. That way, they understood the benefits before introducing it to their teams.”

Once the managers were onboard, the launch was announced in a company-wide town hall meeting, and even the Works Council was involved early in the process. “That helped a lot,” says Patrick. “Trust in our managers is very high at Drei, so when they were confident in the platform, employees followed.”

The result was an 80% participation rate in the very first survey — a clear sign that the effort paid off. “That was a huge success,” Patrick says.

With Eletive, we were able to move from assumptions to data-driven decisions.

From insights to action

The first survey with Eletive not only delivered strong participation — it also gave Drei a clear picture of where things were working well, and where attention was needed. Compared to Eletive’s benchmarks, the company scored above average in nearly every area. But two topics stood out: feedback and stress.

“This was incredibly valuable information,” Patrick says. “We were able to move from assumptions to data-driven decisions.”

Concrete actions followed:

• Feedback training

  for managers, directly addressing the lower scores on feedback.

• 360° feedback

  for senior and middle management, tied to Drei’s updated company values.

• Mental health training

  rolled out after survey results highlighted stress as a concern.

These measures came directly from the survey results. That’s exactly the kind of impact we were looking for — to turn insights into action.

A cultural shift in progress

While it’s still early days, Patrick sees Eletive as a key driver of cultural change at Drei. The platform is helping HR and managers move from static, top-down surveys to a more continuous and empowering approach.

“The biggest value will come when we get to the point of running more frequent surveys – every three or four weeks – so managers and individuals are constantly invited to reflect, prioritise, and take action,” he says.

Already, though, Eletive has made a difference in three ways:

• Empowering managers

  with regular reminders to focus on culture and team dialogue.

• Involving individuals

  by giving them ownership of their own results and linking them directly to learning opportunities.

• Adding depth with 360° feedback

  helping managers align with company values and build development plans.

360° feedback surveys360-degree reviews are a valuable tool in employee development, and 360 feedback processes are becoming increasingly popular.Read more

Looking ahead

With a strong start, high participation, and clear actions already underway, Drei is on a journey toward a more feedback-driven and self-led culture.

As we continue, I believe Eletive will help us keep our values alive, make feedback a natural part of leadership, and strengthen our culture overall.