When I thought of the title “Unleash the Power of Microsoft Viva,” I’ll admit, I struggled with it. It sounded like classic marketing speak, and I wasn’t sure what “power” Viva actually contained, let alone how to unleash it. But after years of working with clients and seeing Viva evolve, I’ve come to realize that the real power isn’t just in the technology. It’s in how we leverage it to shape the employee experience.
Why Does Viva Exist?
To understand Viva’s potential, we need to start with the employee experience. Just as consumers choose where to shop based on convenience, value, and trust, employees choose to work for us every day. That means organizations must “market” to their own people; engaging, informing, and empowering them to move the mission forward.
Microsoft Viva was launched in 2021 as the “first employee experience platform to bring together engagement, learning, well-being, and knowledge discovery directly into the flow of work.” At first, Viva offered just four modules: Connections, Insights, Learning, and Topics. For many (including myself) this felt underwhelming compared to the ambitious promise of transforming employee experience.
The Evolution of Viva: From Four Modules to a Cohesive Suite
Fast forward to today, and Viva has matured into a suite of seven feature sets, grouped into three clear categories:
- Employee Communications & Communities: Connections, Engage, Amplify
- Workplace Analytics & Feedback: Insights, Pulse, Glint
- Learning & Knowledge Management: Learning
This structure finally makes sense. Connections delivers structured news and updates; Engage fosters enterprise social communities; Amplify helps broadcast communications across Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and Engage. Insights provides analytics on work patterns and well-being, while Pulse and Glint gather employee feedback; quick touchpoints or enterprise-wide surveys. Learning aggregates training resources from Microsoft, LinkedIn, and external LMS platforms, all within Teams.
Real-World Scenarios: How Viva Drives Value
- Communications & Communities: Use Connections for news articles, Engage for community discussions, and Amplify for multi-channel campaigns. For example, you can launch an open enrollment campaign with scheduled messages across all platforms and track who actually reads them.
- Analytics & Feedback: Pulse and Glint let you gather actionable feedback, while Insights helps managers understand work patterns and Copilot usage. The key is to act on feedback. Otherwise, you risk “lack of action fatigue.”
- Learning & Knowledge: Viva Learning brings together training resources, making it easy for employees to access relevant content and grow their skills.
The Licensing Reality
Here’s the truth: some Viva features are included in Microsoft 365 plans, but others (like Amplify and Glint) require add-on licenses. Always check what’s available in your environment before planning a rollout.
The Bottom Line: Unleashing Viva’s Power
Unleashing the power of Viva isn’t about flipping a switch. It’s about intentionally crafting the employee experience. Connect your people, communicate your mission, gather insights, act on feedback, and empower learning. When you do, Viva becomes more than a set of tools. It becomes the engine of your organization’s culture and success.
