Agile Working: A Unilever Case Study
Transcript of Agile Working: A Unilever Case Study
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Agile Working: A Unilever Case Study
Presented by Michelle PattisonGlobal Program Lead for Agile Working Unilever
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Today’s presentation
•Agile Working> Business case
> Design principles
> Case Study: Unilever, UK & Ireland
•Lessons learned
•Q&A
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In the past…
•Organizations have placed boundaries around work
> When (9 to 5)
> Where (the office)
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Today…
•Technology makes working boundaries irrelevant
> Anytime
> Anywhere
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Key questions
•How do we increase productivity while reducing costs?
•How do we gain competitive advantage?
•Which approach best aligns with our strategy?
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Aligning approach & strategy
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Strategic Focus
Game changing
technology innovationFacilities where people
love to be and work
together
Approach
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Aligning approach & strategy
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Strategic Focus
Delivery of effective
communication
systems
Minimization of real
estate footprint;
leveraging technology
Approach
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Aligning approach & strategy
Strategic Focus
Highly efficient
operations for a highly
competitive environment
Singular focus on
results
Approach
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Aligning approach & strategy
Strategic Focus
Global innovation in
partnership with
operational excellence
Enabling truly global
anytime, anywhere
working
Approach
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Agile Working
•An approach to working with
> Maximum flexibility
> Minimum constraints
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Enabler
WorkingPractices
Greater Flexibility;
Accountability forResults
WorkingPractices
Greater Flexibility;
Accountability forResults
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Enabler
Technology
Virtual Collaboration;
Advanced Mobility
Technology
Virtual Collaboration;
Advanced Mobility
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Enabler
Workplaces
Increased Utilisation;
Collaborative Focus
Workplaces
Increased Utilisation;
Collaborative Focus
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Output
Savings
Less Travel & Real Estate
Savings
Less Travel & Real Estate
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Output
Capability
Greater effectiveness in Big Jobs
and Virtual Teams
Capability
Greater effectiveness in Big Jobs
and Virtual Teams
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Output
Environment
Less CO2, Energy & Waste
Environment
Less CO2, Energy & Waste
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Output
Vitality
Increased Balance & Empowerment
Vitality
Increased Balance & Empowerment
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Output
Talent
Attract/Retain the Best;Stronger EVP;
Increased Diversity
Talent
Attract/Retain the Best;Stronger EVP;
Increased Diversity
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Agile Working Model
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Working Practices
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Agile Working practices
•Employees may work anytime/anywhere as long as business needs are being fully met
•Performance is determined by results, not ‘time and attendance’
•Managers assessed annually on how well they support Agile Working
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Practice benefits
•Greater choice around how, when & where work is done
•Supports personal Vitality and work/life balance
•Reinforces results-based performance assessment
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Practice benefits
•Supports diversity by making organizations more accommodating of different people
•Enhances the employee value proposition
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Workplaces
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Traditional environment
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Agile environment
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Office utilization
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60% not fully utilizing their dedicated workspaces
Up to 40% less expensive to operate than traditional offices
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Design principles
•Flexibility
> Mostly ‘free address’ space
•Zones
> Designed for activities, not individuals
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Focus zone
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Connect zone
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Vitality zone
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Agile workplace floor plan
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FOCUS
CONNECT
VITALITY
Café
Quiet work area
Small conference rooms
Huddle
Large conference room
Quiet lounge
Individual workstations
Lounge
Phone rooms Storage
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Cost comparison
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Cost of Office Space for 100 Employees (€)
Traditional Agile % Savings
Required sq ft per Person 125 80 36%
Total sq ft Required 12,500 8,000 36%
Cost per sq ft 110 125 (12)%
Construction 1,375,000 1,000,000 27%
Furniture, IT, etc 667,500 562,000 16%
Total Cost 2,042,500 1,562,000 24%
Maintenance, Leases, Taxes, etc. 10,000 6,000 ~40%
Space reconfiguration/Moves 2,000 200 90%
Bu
ild
ou
t
Co
sts
Sp
ac
e
Ne
ed
s
On
go
ing
Co
sts
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Technology
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Technology principles
•Technology will be implemented that enables people to work anytime and anywhere
•Users will have a choice of tools to best fit their Agile Working style
•We will invest in training to ensure users have the skills and confidence to use Agile Technology effectively
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Agile workstyles
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OffsiteMobileResident
Works at the same
facility most of the time.Works in a variety of
locations – company
offices, customer locations,
at home, while travelling,
etc.
Works at a fixed, non-
company (such as a
business partner facility
or home office).
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Technology types
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Virtual Collaboration Advanced Mobility
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Telepresence
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Telepresence footprint
• 50 key locations connected via Telepresence
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Case study
• Unilever UK & Ireland
• - An Agile Workplace
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Business change
• Unilever’s UK & Irish businesses
were officially integrated in
November 2007 as part of the
global ‘One Unilever’ programme
• Three UK head office sites
(Ice-cream, Home & Personal
Care & Foods businesses) co-
located to a newly built office in
Leatherhead from November
2008
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Approach
• Set the principles>Leadership set the objectives
>Understood the issues
>Clearly communicated the principles
• Consult and engage>Major change – made sure employees had input
>Were clear about the non-negotiables
>Aligned with business plans and activities
>Developed clear and focused communications plan
• Establish new behaviours>Leaders led from the front
>Honesty and fairness
>Applied workstyles to meet individual needs
>Clear about the compromises and benefits
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Team deep dive feedback
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•Team of 35, based across 2 locations
•Team took a structured approached to agile working which has worked well for them
•We spoke to the Team Leader and team members to understand their journey
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What worked well
Team Leader
- Equipping people to work anywhere effectively has great benefits and balance to working longer hours
- Retained more people who would have resigned due to office relocation
- Softphones – one number service works really well
- Team Assistant became the knowledge lead on technology; team became more effective users
- People feel more in control of their work pattern and hours
Team members
- Laptops allow freedom of
movement, much easier to work
with colleagues and saves on
printing
- People feel empowered
- Lots of time spent planning how
we would work as a team before
we moved, this was a worthwhile
investment
- I didn’t realise it would work as well as it does today
- Value the communication in the
office. When in the office make an
effort to talk more to people
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Challenges and learnings
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Team Leader
Challenges
- Retaining a sense of team when
not in the office
- Agile working requires
investment in manager time
especially for the start-up phase
and sporadically thereafter
Learnings
- New starters for the first 3
months are full time in office to
train them; they need a cultural
and work related immersion first
- Watch out for those trying agile
work and childcare
simultaneously…A big no
Team members
Challenges
- Accept that IT is a challenge and
work with what you have
- Isolation – if I work two days out of
the office I feel out of touch
- I need to make sure I stay
connected
Learnings
- Ensure we make better use of
time in the office
- It’s a journey! Need to persevere
and have structure
- It’s not easy at first to get used to
working alone
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Other comments
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Investment in the team is
really important to maintain team spirit
Clarity on rules of
engagement is key
Need really clear aligned
visible leadership
Everyone needs to
buy-in for it to be a
success
It’s crucial to trust people!
You need the right
technology & good support
Continue to share best
practice of agile working with new starters
It’s important to agree ways of working up
front
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The overall feedback
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66% the workplace positively
impacts my vitality
66% the workplace positively
impacts my vitality
62% the workplace is
energising and motivating
62% the workplace is
energising and motivating
65% the workplace is a
high vitality environment
65% the workplace is a
high vitality environment
81% Leatherhead is a good place
to work
81% Leatherhead is a good place
to work
44%44%
Pre-move score
Pre-move score
36%36%
34%34%
63% positive work-life
balance scores
63% positive work-life
balance scores
55%55%
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Leadership view & learnings
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Lessons learned
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Are there trade-offs?
•Yes…
> Less “personal space” in the office
> Less “face to face” time with colleagues
> Potentially harder to manage boundaries around personal time
•But…
> The trade-offs can be worth it
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3 Agile Working killers
•Improper balance—judgment is the key
> Always virtual/never available
> Always in office/never flexible
•Using space inappropriately
> Wrong activities in wrong zones
> Discourtesy to colleagues
> Camping in free address areas
•Unsupportive culture
> Inappropriate comments about how others work
> Pressure to violate Agile Working principles
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Three success drivers
•Willingness of senior leaders to personally adopt
•Training on technologies, HR policies, etiquette, and virtual working skills
•Willingness to continually assess and adjust to ensure optimal performance
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Your questions