Context

A multi-national technology corporation built a new office building in South Africa.
The bespoke and fit-for-purpose building was designed between the South African Operation and the UK Facilities’ teams. The intention behind the building’s design and facilities was that the new space would breathe new life into the company culture while fostering increased collaboration among different lines of business in an extremely competitive sales environment.

The tailormade new offices and the change management process leading up to the move, served as a catalyst for renewing the company’s commitment to its employees and to Africa and reigniting the company culture. The benefit on the future workspace design was that it provided improved technology, optimised workspaces and increased cross collaboration opportunities for sales, helping teams work smarter and better together.

Snap Stats

• Impacted Stakeholders: 350 Employees
• Roll-out Duration: 10 Months
• Change Management Duration: 5 Months
• Size of Change: Small Scale
• Change Management Resourcing: Change Consultant, Graphic Designer

The Results: Awareness & Acceptance

• Levels of employee excitement increased from 33% – 72%
• 96% of Employees were aware of the new building and its features
• Employee rationale for the move increased from 19% – 68%
• 88% of Employees understood why they were moving
• 96% of Employees understood the expectations for the move
• Positive impact to perception of employer increased to 92,73%
• 85,45% of Employee gained a positive perception of the brand
• Employees understanding of the value added by the Facilities team increased to 83,64%

The Results: Adoption

• Post the move, 63,64% of employees indicated that they were working more with teams in other lines of business

The Approach

The Triple A model was used to create awareness, acceptance and adoption of the change. This was achieved through:

• Creating excitement & awareness
• Encouraging acceptance of changes & benefits of the new space
• Driving adoption of more desk sharing & eco- friendly policies
• Reducing employee resistance
• Improving levels of readiness
• Improving time to ‘business-as-usual’ stabilisation post the move

Lessons from the Frontline

• Change management should be included from project initiation
• Limited formal communication channels required creativity on how to engage employees in new ways
• Employee perception can be positively influenced through engagement regardless of when these discussions begin
• Face to face employee engagement may not always be possible with dispersed workforces, therefore champion networks and alternative engagement channels are essential
• Gathering quantitative data is important for measuring shifts in culture and perception

Testimonials

“It is our tomorrow, brought to life today.”

“The new environment makes it inviting to spend more time in the office. It allows for collaboration and is refreshing.”

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