Allier Gruppen: Developing both people and organisation through employee conversations
Eirin Eriksen Horvei
October 14, 2026
– In the past, an employee appraisal could be very general and at times a bit too far off the agenda. People stuck to the obvious and steered clear of the real challenges, says Thomas Tennebø, Sales Manager responsible for business development, projects and key accounts at Norengros in Bergen, and elaborates:
– Now we've become good at “cutting the crap”, so the conversations are more constructive – and much more useful for both the employee and me as a manager.
Norengros has used Motivati's leadership tool since 2016. Before that, the conversations were usually summarised on a piece of paper and put in a drawer, without any form of follow-up.
Now they have all the information stored in the cloud, and managers get a starting point that makes it clear how the employee experiences their working day.
– We know that satisfied employees both perform better and are more likely to want to stay with the company, says Cecilie Lycke, CEO and founder of Motivati.
Ahead of the conversation, the employee answers a survey that results in the Motivation Analysis™. The analysis gives a picture of how satisfied the employee is with their work situation, and it becomes clear to both what the conversation should be about.
The Motivation Analysis™ makes it easier for the manager to create the right conditions, so that the employee can understand their role and tasks, take responsibility for their own work, and thereby succeed and thrive.
It is well known that one of the big challenges with the employee appraisal is a lack of follow-up.
– That is why the tool makes it easy to create an action plan, define competence goals, add reminders and create notes that make good follow-up and development easier, says Cecilie.
Thomas and his colleague Borghild Marie Midttun, Sales Manager for health products at Norengros, are enthusiastic about the tool:
– Our experience with the tool has been very good, and so has the feedback from employees. The functionality is self-explanatory, and it is incredibly useful to have everything gathered digitally in one place, says Borghild.
Thomas points out that the method has taught him to get to know his employees in a whole new way.
– Thanks to Motivati, we dare to tackle the important things. What comes out of the conversation becomes so tangible. The action plan we arrive at together means we are both committed, in both directions. This way I become a better manager too, he says.
– When the Motivation Analysis™ is ready and the starting point for the conversation is on the table, it gives a good picture of the employee's situation, says Borghild.
She adds that many people have an “aha” moment when they see the analysis.
– They say “yes, that's exactly how it is, but I couldn't quite put it into words”, she explains.
For the sales managers, the employee appraisal is a useful arena for airing things big and small, good and bad, and it is important to use the time well.
It has been proven through recent researchby BI Norwegian Business School that the Motivati method works considerably better than other methods for employee appraisals.
Mads Nordmo Arnestad at BI Norwegian Business School, Campus Bergen, carried out the impact study evaluating the Motivati method.
– Among other things, we found that participants in the Motivati group felt they received significantly more recognition for the positive things they do in their job. That is something we know is very important for motivation, work engagement and learning, says the BI researcher.
When Borghild started at Norengros as a manager, the tool helped her get started quickly with her management tasks.
– As a newly hired manager, I took over the access rights of my employees' previous manager. This meant I could read up on their work situation and history and be as well prepared as possible for the employee appraisal. This also ensured good continuity for the employees, says Borghild.
As a newcomer to Norengros, Borghild received close follow-up with good support from the tool. After two weeks, she received a survey that mapped whether she had got the practical support she needed when starting. In the following months, the Motivation Analysis™ for new employees was used to map how she had settled in with her new tasks and the new working environment.
– We could take stock, and that gave us a better opportunity to correct things along the way if something was missing, says Borghild.
Motivati's tool also gives the company access to several modules that are useful for HR. A bank of surveys can be used as inspiration and a starting point for following up new employees, working environment surveys, leadership evaluations and competence mapping.
Head of Administration Linda Juliussen says the Motivati tool is used by everyone at Norengros. This is despite the workforce consisting of everyone from warehouse workers to drivers, cleaners, salespeople and office staff.
– The questions asked in the surveys are the same for everyone, which makes it easy to take the temperature of the whole organisation, she says.
