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The Signal System™

Formerly known as Art of the Nudge

The Signal System™ is a norms-based toolkit and facilitated process that helps frontline staff and supervisors build cultures where people feel safe, valued, and able to do their best work, free from bullying, harassment, or discrimination. Grounded in behavioural science and tailored to each organization, it creates change where it matters most: in everyday interactions.

And it works. A university -backed evaluation in a policing organization found that The Signal System created measurable shifts in workplace behaviours and culture, and we’re seeing those same positive results emerging in hospitality and tourism.

How it Works

Employers often rely on policy and training to strengthen workplace culture and reduce violence and harassment. While both matter, they don’t change behaviour on their own—social norms and networks do.

Behaviour follows what people see as acceptable. The Signal System shifts those social expectations by collaborating with trusted frontline staff to create small, practical signals—everyday cues that fit their world. Because they’re grounded in staff experience, they catch on and spread, resetting what’s considered normal and gradually reshaping the culture itself.

The Process

The Signal System can be adapted to your needs and budget, but the process usually involves:

  • Conducting consultations with frontline employees and leaders to understand their priorities, needs, frustrations, and concerns
  • Engaging key influencers – people within the network or team who are liked and respected
  • Working with them through a series of interactive, customized, evidence-based workshops to build the will and skill to shift workplace culture
  • A series of follow-up emails with tips, tools, and reminders

Proven Effective

Findings from an evaluation of The Signal System in law enforcement showed that a majority of participants (over 85%) came away with:

  • Increased capacity to positively influence team dynamics
  • Increased capacity to manage diversity in the workplace
  • Increased understanding of how discrimination shows up in the workplace
  • Increased capacity to disrupt problematic behaviours
  • Improved capacity to provide feedback and manage conflict in ways that signal safety and belonging
  • Greater ability to self-regulate, model pro-social behaviours, and disrupt problematic behaviour six months post-intervention

Early results from tourism and hospitality indicate that The Signal System has been effective in that environment as well, suggesting that it can be adapted to a variety of workplace settings.

The Signal System in Hospitality
The Signal System in Policing

Frequently Asked Questions

Feedback on The Signal System has been incredibly positive. Here’s what staff and leaders have said:

“Incredible value. […] There has been a change [here] that is just about palpable. Not only did our folks value the training, but they also actually use the tools.”

[It] strengthened the group internally. You know you are okay to speak out and say ‘Hey man, that stuff’s not good, […] that’s not cool. So please, you know, stop doing it.’ So, it really strengthened not just my team, but the whole district.”

“[We’ve seen] a shift from blaming and criticizing to learning … people feel more included and [can be] vulnerable.”

“The fact that it was actually tailored to [our organization] specifically, that's what had the impact. It was honestly probably the best management training I've ever had.”

The Signal System was implemented in a large policing organization in Canada, as well as in a company that operates hotels and restaurants. It is currently being applied in a municipal organization.

In addition to developing ways of signaling different norms, we build participants’ capacity to address the workplace issues they’ve identified. Common development areas include:

  • Giving and receiving feedback
  • Accountability
  • Managing conflict
  • Reducing gossip
  • Communicating within diverse teams
  • Managing bias and discrimination
  • Preventing and addressing bullying and harassment

  • Self-regulation skills
  • Communication skills
  • Active listening skills
  • Recognizing & managing bias
  • Cross-cultural awareness
  • Perspective-taking
  • Managing assumptions
  • Taking responsibility
  • Intervening to address problematic behaviours
  • Signalling healthy norms and behaviours

  1. Bottom-up culture change: While leadership plays an important role, workplace culture is ultimately shaped through everyday interactions on the front lines. The Signal System™ focuses on equipping those closest to the work with practical skills to model and reinforce pro-social behaviours, where culture is actually lived.
  2. Activating ~25% of the network: Research on social norms and networks shows that when approximately a quarter of a group consistently models new behaviours, those behaviours begin to spread through the wider network. This allows organizations to create meaningful culture change without needing to engage everyone at once, by focusing on key influencers, change becomes contagious.
  3. Key influencers: We work with frontline staff and supervisors who are trusted, respected, and well-connected because these are the individuals others look to when deciding how to behave.
  4. Starting with employees’ priorities: We begin with the issues employees care about most, building trust and relevance before engaging in more sensitive topics such as bullying or harassment.
  5. Custom, not cookie-cutter: Content is tailored to each workplace’s unique context, culture, and challenges, ensuring the approach is practical, relevant, and grounded in real experiences.

This approach was developed through Shift, a research hub at the University of Calgary that focuses on stopping violence, harassment, and discrimination before they start – which means that we focus on supporting workplaces to build the skills and norms that promote safety, belonging, and healthy interactions. The Signal System is based on:

  • Over a decade of research
  • A three-year collaborative involving researchers and experts
  • Real-world testing in a policing workplace
  • Ongoing testing in other workplace contexts
LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THE SIGNAL SYSTEM WAS DEVELOPED

Interested in learning more?

For more information, please contact: shift.training@ucalgary.ca. We would be glad to better understand your needs and answer any questions you might have.

 

Shift: The project to end domestic violence