Like many other companies, Swietelsky is also focusing on the digital transformation. Together with the “Digital Corporate Development” team at Swietelsky, we analyzed the existing ways of working in a pilot project in order to transfer digitalization into practice.
Due to the current situation, a way had to be found quickly to enable employees to work from home, but not let them simply “work on it” without support or simply provide new tools. But how could this be implemented so quickly? And – how do you take your employees along with you on the path of change? The DUE team (Digital Enterprise Development) and we were able to respond quickly to this challenge. In the joint pilot project, 100% of the work is already being done in the cloud. Communication and collaboration there takes place via tools such as Microsoft Teams and KanBo. The employees are prepared for the new working world and way of working. But only the 30 colleagues at DUE. What the DUE team and we already take for granted was completely new territory for most of the employees. Dealing with the tools, reorganizing everyday life, changing the way we communicate and working with transparent tasks required a whole new way of thinking.
The “Digital Work” process
In this project, the aim was not simply to roll out new tools, but to establish “home office support” to help employees adjust to the new situation, ask questions and offer suggestions.
We asked employees what currently prevents them from being able to work in their home office in the best possible way. Our team and the DUE responded to the individual requirements, translated them into new tools and supported them in their use. Within two days, we worked together to get a support process up and running, creating task-based collaboration with real-time data and robust communication from the home office.
Moving forward together
The goal is to integrate these solutions into daily activities, to combine the individual solutions into a new standard and to prepare for a crisis-proof daily routine in a volatile and digital world. Through the roll-out of the “Digital New Work” we were able to create a clear added value that will bring Swietelsky AG and especially the DUE team further forward after the crisis.
Through the successful roll-out of the support, DUE, in cooperation with us, has proven that a Digital Workplace is nothing to be afraid of, but rather something that helps all employees to master their everyday work. Together with the key users, who were involved in setting goals and developing the project from the very beginning, we redesigned communication and information structures and streamlined processes. All internal and external users in the departments were actively introduced to the project through training sessions and became co-creators of the change through communities of practice.
In this project, too, one thing became very clear: the focus of digital transformation must be on people, not tools. After all, it is the people who make it possible for an investment in change to actually result in a change for the better. Processes of internal communication and collaboration, skills and knowledge management are the precursors of digital transformation.
This is the basis for tackling further projects.