How might we use strategic design methodologies to identify and solve key organizational challenges?
Context
A leading organization faced challenges with employee engagement and retention, impacting operational efficiency. The lack of integrated processes and actionable insights weakened their HR strategies. To address this, the company implemented a transformative approach focused on digital transformation and organizational diagnosis within HR. By concentrating on people, tools, and processes, the project used service design methodologies to map activities and create a collaborator-centered design process to enhance the employee experience.
Role
As a strategic design consultant, I:
- Led workshops to co-create personas, journey maps, and service blueprints.
- Designed and implemented tools to visualize employee experiences across different touchpoints.
- Collaborated with HR and operations teams to integrate People Analytics into decision-making processes.
- Developed actionable insights that informed process redesign and technology adoption.
I participated in this project together with a multidisciplinary team of data, design, and innovation consultants.
Scope
The project focused on:
- Mapping and diagnosing critical points in the employee journey.
- Leveraging Organization Design and People Analytics to uncover actionable insights.
- Redesigning processes to improve the overall employee experience and enhance retention, performance and satisfaction
Approach
1. Discovery
- Conducted stakeholder interviews to identify pain points and align on project goals.
- Mapped existing processes using service blueprints to visualize inefficiencies and opportunities.
- Used insights from the blueprint to prioritize areas for intervention, such as simplifying onboarding processes and improving communication flows.
2. Co-Creation Workshops
- Workshops with HR, specialists, and cross-functional teams to:
- Develop employee personas that represent diverse experiences.
- Create journey maps highlighting key moments of engagement and disengagement.
- Prototype solutions focused on streamlining processes and enhancing the employee experience.
3. Strategic Recommendations
- Delivered a detailed diagnosis, based on cultural, technology, and process maturity
- Delivered a detailed list of actions and expected outcomes.
- Ensured alignment between recommendations and organizational objectives.
Expected Results and Impact
- Enhanced Retention Potential: The redesigned processes and recommendations were expected to significantly improve employee retention rates by addressing key pain points identified during the diagnostic phase.
- Improved Operational Efficiency: Simplified workflows and suggested digital tool integrations aimed to reduce onboarding time and administrative overhead.
- Actionable Insights: People Analytics dashboards provided HR with the foundation for technology architecture, data-driven decision-making and future strategy adjustments.
- Strategic Alignment: The project fostered collaboration and clarity among stakeholders, setting the stage for a culture of continuous improvement.
Reflection and Learnings
This project highlighted the importance of a robust diagnostic phase in uncovering opportunities for organizational transformation. The use of service design methodologies ensured that recommendations were both actionable and aligned with employee needs. Key takeaways include:
- Early integration of stakeholder feedback accelerates alignment and adoption of new processes.
- Visualizing data through diagrams enhances understanding and decision-making and transparency.
- Delivering a strategic roadmap empowers organizations to implement meaningful change at their own pace.
Looking ahead, incorporating predictive analytics and integrating insights from employee support systems could further enhance outcomes.