Culture Model Design (Media)

Designing an operating model and culture that would realise the vision

The Client

An internal communications team within a leading multinational telecommunications company.

The Engagement

To define a new operating model that would enable the successful delivery of the client’s vision, while simultaneously helping to pioneer, build and maintain a culture that would respond to the fast-moving demands of the sector.

The Complexity

The new vision and strategy for change cross their organisation was vital if our client were to stay a step ahead in an industry facing fast-paced evolution and strong competitive pressures.

The internal communications function would be instrumental in disseminating this vision and driving it forward on both a local and international level, but this was a huge addition to their remit, demanding unprecedented levels of creativity, innovation and adaptability.

Operational changes were unavoidable, but could also be seen as an exciting catalyst for the team to re-evaluate the overall effective- ness of its processes, culture and ways of working.

Design and Delivery

Our scoping with the client’s leadership team revealed a level of complexity and urgency best served by a three-day bespoke DesignSession.

This collaborative process, meticulously co-designed over several weeks prior to execution was to challenge the status quo, set out a burning platform and drive out breakthrough thinking and co-creation of innovative solutions.

Before participants would be allowed to approach solution-building, the groundwork was laid through extensive framing of the issues and detailed visioning of the future state. Through back-casting activities, the use of metaphors and a series of design and visual challenges run in parallel, the team drew inspiration and learning from diverse systems. Our accelerated approach also included referencing and analysing leading practices in the field, assessment of wider stakeholder impact and defining and challenging several possible operating model designs.

The team was led by experienced facilitators throughout, and supported by project managers and a talented team of scribers. The building momentum over the first two days facilitated the emergence of what we call ‘group genius’ on the third day, where the teams’ learnings and new desire and ability to collaborate, coupled with a sense of urgency, drove out breakthrough solutions.

Results

An agreed strategy for supporting the CEO and senior team in bringing the vision and strategy to life.

• A series of detailed operating models to be taken forward for iteration and alignment with the wider team.

• Guidelines to ensure output and operating model standards.

• A renewed sense of team cohesiveness that would provide a solid foundation for meeting the challenges ahead.

Deliverables

An exhaustive intranet site containing the participants’ journey and decisions made over the three days.

This included all rich pictures and scribes from the session, plenary documentation and outputs as well as the participant/event photography that would enable the client to share their intellectual processes and rapidly align others to the decisions taken.

We have been able to distill lots of disparate thoughts into a coherent project plan. This is an iterative - not a linear - process which has helped to expand minds.”- Sponsor Comment