When five become one. Bringing employees together behind a new single brand

Problem

KCOM needed to unite 2,500 employees as it merged five distinct brands
Action

Using robust change management principles, we involved employees every step of the way
Impact

By launch day, employees had embraced the new values, vision and purpose

Engaging a new workforce with the vision

Problem

Overview

Employees were very brand-loyal. And the merger would significantly change the way they worked.

We knew that called for a sensitive, phased approach. We brought employees into the change process, sparking up their neurons to show the benefits of the new brand. And how they, too, would gain from new opportunities.

Action

Making it happen

We had just four months to engage and unite employees before the external launch. But the decision about the brand identity hadn’t yet been made!

So, we developed a temporary look and feel for the early phases of the engagement programme. Simply called ‘One’. We focused on communication and emotional outcomes – rather than simply information – to influence attitudes, behaviours and acceptance.

Set out the rationale with an interim brand identity

While brand development continued behind the scenes, we demonstrated the power of a strong, unified identity. And found out, through early dialogue, what made employees tick.

Create a mix of visual, auditory and kinaesthetic strategies

To appeal to different learning styles, we developed graphically rich publications, animations, e-learning and surgeries. Making ‘what’s in it for me’ relevant to each individual.

Use interaction and influencers to spark support for change

Gamification, metaphors and scenarios encouraged exploration around the ways of working and brand promise. And a change network of 60 employees built momentum among their peers.

Impact

The outcome

When the new brand went live to customers, employees felt fully involved, up to speed and ready to go.

They understood the need for change and the nuances of the new brand – then played their part in making it happen. Analysis from the 298 teams involved showed they were making deep connections about what the change meant to them in their role. Take a look at these average scores from the post-programme survey …

8/10

‘I understand what our ways of working mean to me’

8.1/10

‘I understand how I can deliver our new brand promise’

8/10

‘I’m excited about the opportunity for change a new brand creates’

Crafting a culture from scratch for 1,000s of employees

Siemens