Engagement Technique: Role Swap

Most teams work with other departments every day, but fewer truly understand what those teams actually deal with. That’s where Role Swap comes in.

It’s a light-touch, practical way to build cross-functional empathy by giving people a short window into someone else’s working world. Presentations can be good, but what better than wearing the shoes!

How it works

At its simplest, Role Swap pairs people from different teams. You can make it random – wheel spin, name picker, or spreadsheet works fine, but a more strategic approach is to create combinations that wouldn’t normally interact. Each pair then does one of two things:

• Swap one small task, or

• Shadow each other for 30 minutes

This isn’t about doing the job “properly”. It’s about seeing the pressures, priorities, interruptions, and hidden work that don’t show up in meetings. You need to make sure you can afford the time/commitment to it. But think of it like a short sharp work experience, from those within the business already!

Sales might sit with Finance during month-end. Marketing might shadow Customer Support on a busy shift. Tech might see how Ops handles last-minute changes.

Almost always, the reaction is the same: “I had no idea that’s what your day looked like.”

Role Shadowing

If you want to go further, you can turn this into Role Shadowing. Something quite common in businesses for new starters to get them used to different departments, but not always done with tenured employees. Instead of a short swap, team members sit with another department for half a day or a full day. The focus here is observation and curiosity rather than an expectation to contribute though.

Encourage people to; Ask questions, Take notes, Spot friction points, Notice what slows work down, Understand what “a good day” actually looks like for that team

The whole exercise works especially well for new starters, but it’s always good to get fresh eyes from different departments, including Managers. But then also – a great way to bring together teams that frequently clash or misunderstand each other

Why it works

Role Swap removes assumptions. It replaces “they’re being difficult” with “ah… now I get it”. Plus, if those conversations aren’t happening already, it still humanises work. People see effort, context, and constraints rather than just outputs, which can dramatically improve collaboration.

What to watch out for

• Keep it short and safe – it’s engagement you’re after, it’s not about re-skilling the workforce with this (or taking up too much business time)

• Make it clear this isn’t an assessment. It may be helpful to get employee feedback to understand value, but you’re not testing people on team knowledge.

• Be respectful of confidential or sensitive work!

The takeaway

Role Swap is a reminder that empathy isn’t built in meetings, presentations or org charts. It’s built by seeing work as it really happens. A short swap or shadow can change how teams communicate for months afterwards.

This post is part of our Engagement Techniques series of practical, low-cost ideas to bring more connection and meaning into work. Find the rest here

👉 Want to explore techniques like this in more depth? I run interactive employee engagement workshops where we bring these ideas to life.