Our Solution

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dragonfish partnered with OS on its Brand and Culture Transformation Programme. Following the facilitation of a Leadership Culture Lab in 2019, we explored the existing culture strengths and barriers, alongside conducting immersion into the existing employee experience.

dragonfish initially engaged several OS stakeholders to better understand and appreciate the desired starting point: for the project to evolve the OS Employee Experience in particular. Culture was described as ‘an opportunity’ within OS to improve performance, productivity, and behaviours. Without a clear, concise and compelling culture narrative people had their own interpretations of culture and many viewed it as ‘abstract’. There was an evolving desire to make culture more tangible, more pragmatic, and more actionable. It was felt that beginning with reimagining the OS Employee Experience would act as a pivot by which a new culture narrative and framework can be achieved.

We identified that mapping the ‘as is’ employee experience would establish the current state of alignment and engagement, shining a light on some quick wins and improvements to drive immediate engagement, customer experience targets, and understand the key moments that matter. This work would also form solid foundations to support the future culture development. The first step was to facilitate a discovery and alignment session to build the business case and define the culture and employee experience aspirations. This included a mix of key stakeholders across the organisation. The objectives were to:​

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• Reach a shared understanding of how culture affects behaviours, performance, and the employee experience

• Uncover the key components of the OS culture (vision, values, behaviours, etc.) and the key drivers for culture evolution. As well as the moments of matter to help prioritise immediate improvements in the experience whilst strengthening the longer term cultural opportunities

• Identify the future culture ambition – what good would look like for OS, what needed to be different

• Surface any challenges, risks, barriers, and opportunities​

• Align everyone around the best way to evolve the culture and develop the roadmap for evolving the culture to enable transformation and a new target operating model

 

With insights gathered from the sessions, as well as an understanding of the direction set by their new strategy, we worked with the leadership team to shape a new target Culture Blueprint consisting of vision, purpose, business unit missions, values and behaviours. 

Our methodology to design the culture blueprint was collaborative and inclusive, connecting with leadership, employees, customers and users. This consultative approach helped us to truly understand the connection between people, culture and the brand. 

A 12-18-month holistic and transparent brand and culture roadmap detailed the journey from awareness to advocacy, mapping embedding activities, communications, processes, and symbols of change. 

A two-phased launch:

Our approach enabled focus, inspiration and energy around each of the culture elements. It gave people the time and space to connect with them and explore ways to embed them practically into their everyday thinking, decision-making and actions. 

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• Phase 1: Vision and (Business Unit) Missions 

• Phase 2: Purpose, Values and Behaviours 

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Activities that followed the launch included a simple and compelling brand and culture narrative bringing to life the culture blueprint, motivating employees and inspiring new talent. A new brand and culture hub contained materials and tools to encourage team conversations and ways to practically embed the culture into everyday actions. To support the embedding process, a grassroots movement of ambassadors (Action Teams) were established to embed the new culture through communications, activities, processes, experience and measurement. 

The great things leaders do:

With the culture narrative launched and understood, we shifted our focus to one of the key enablers (or barriers) of successful culture transformation – people leaders. 

Working with the exec, employees and trustees we defined a set of leadership principles that would support bringing the culture to life, equipping leaders with the skills, competencies and tools needed to be successful and create the right environment for the new culture, values and behaviours to thrive. These leadership principles were rolled out across the organisation with opportunities to strengthen a learning culture at all levels.