When the international insurance conglomerate RSA set out to sharpen the focus on its Nordic strategy a complex organisational change process begun. The strategic goals were to be implemented into the organisation as five must-win battles. The ensuing change process entailed a change in work procedures, organisation, culture and daily focus not to mention implementations of new IT systems. Workz then assisted RSA in building a an implementation and anchoring process in three steps:
STEP #1 – SHARED DIRECTION – MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP
The Nordic top management was gathered for an intensive workshop, where the five must-win battles were meticulously worded and connected to concrete goals, deadlines and specific change projects. The process created clarity concerning responsibility, roles and prioritisations. It also established a platform for composing a core story and a "one-pager" which created a meaningful visualisation of the strategy including interplay between goals, initiatives, deadlines and management support.
This one pager was a pivotal point in the following change communication and the ongoing follow-up on the implementation.
During the start-up it was a great help to have a neutral and professional partner to assist the new team in completing its core story
STEP #2 –LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
The next step in the process was a two-day kick-off leadership conference, where the Nordic top 135 leaders within operations were gathered. The conference was designed to enable active involvement of the participants thereby creating ownership for the strategy and its goals within the entire leadership tier.
On the second day of the conference, we focused on leading the change by using the change management simulation Wallbreakers. The simulation allows the participants to share experiences and test options in a fictitious framework. Through the three phases of the game – start-up, implementation and anchoring – the participants' own work practice was put into perspective and closely correlated to the five must-win battles.
Throughout the conference the participants collected central points in an individual notebook – a so-called reflection journey – that supported the personal reflection during both days and ensured a close connection to the future actions.
STEP#3 – FOLLOW-UP
The output of the days was documented, processed and used in the subsequent implementation work. Parallel to this, Workz assisted in producing an internal strategy movie, which was used at local meetings involving the employees across the organisation. In order to further support the strategy a training seminar for the key employees and managers was subsequently held in Stockholm. At this seminar we used the leadership simulation Gamechangers focusing on handling stakeholders and creating and maintaining momentum for the necessary changes.
"We had a really good process with Workz. Their help to conceptualise the five must-win battles stands out as particularly valuable to me. During the start-up it was a great help to have a neutral and professional partner to assist the new team in completing its core story. After the conference we had a story and a visual concept that we can link communication and involvement to in the following years" says Caroline Mørck Jensen, Business Communication Partner for Operations, who was project manager for RSA.
