In 2018 the decision was made to merge two public organizations. Both organizations had established clear but different ways of working. Together these two organizations where to create a common strategy and find new ways of working prior to the merger by utilizing the broad knowledge from both organizations. This required open dialogue between future colleagues, sharing knowledge, and involving employees in the merger process committing both organizations to the change ahead.
The challenge was involving a group of over 150 employees, all with limited amount of time. This is where the use of LOGE came in.
Why we chose LOGE
As in any organization, time is at stake and resources increasingly limited during a merger process requiring effective time and change management to succeed. This case was no exception. Moreover, arranging a series of common events to all employees at the same time was impossible since some of the operations
needed to be running at given service hours. Nonetheless, both organizations were committed to involve all employees in the strategy process as committing employees was seen vital to success.
How we used LOGE
The purpose was to create an inspiring strategy that both organizations and their employees could stand behind and feel committed to. To achieve this, employees were involved in the process right from the beginning; evaluating requirements set by the operating environment, re-evaluating organizational values and purposeful mission, as well as identifying important future strategic targets and vision for the new organization. This was enabled by monthly sessions using the digital platform LOGE. Considering employees’ tight working schedules, the sessions were offered daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during pre-agreed weeks. Each session lasted for 1 hour at a time and the number of participant in one session was limited to small groups. Participants were randomly chosen and consisted of employees from both organizations. Session discussions and group answers were analyzed anonymously and further processed in different forums such as steering group workshops in an iterative manner.
Small group discussions were not only effective for gaining insightful information but created continuous encounters and collective learning possibilities to members from both organizations. Participants had a chance to learn and participate in the strategy process, as well as and learn from each other and the other organization.
”The fact that employees have a possibility to participate in the strategy process is fantastic.” – LOGE session participant
The engagement of employees in the strategy process has been perceived positive in both organizations. In each session participants were asked to evaluate their possibility to participate in the strategy process and the results reveal that this perception has improved overall during the process. Additionally, the further the process proceeded, the richer the discussion results became indicating improvement in common strategic understanding and conversation activity.
Next steps
As the strategy process proceeds, the sessions with employees will continue. Based on the common strategic targets, the following step in the process include
creating an effective framework for the organization’s activities to which employees will set up criteria ensuring effective implementation later on in the process.
Stay tuned for the final results and more comments from session participants!
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