“I experienced how valuable it is to think outside the box, and to see that together, we can create something that truly makes an impact in a short amount of time.”
Finances are essential to turn plans into reality, both in the commercial and in the public sector. They enable municipalities to build homes, set up schools, or help care institutions grow. This is exactly what Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten, or BNG, is responsible for, a bank driven by social impact.
To increase that impact even further, BNG is taking a critical look at its own organization, asking itself: how can we shape our way of working so that we create even more value beyond the bank? This question led to the start of the Change Movement, a program in which employees took the lead in shaping change themselves.
Our approach
Through The Change Movement, twenty Change Agents embarked on a 100 day program together with Stay Future Proof. Working across four themes that emerged from the employee engagement survey, they explored how to strengthen internal ways of working and thinking by validating concrete improvements in practice.
It was a journey of discovery, idea generation, experimentation and validation. Guided by Stay Future Proof, the Change Agents learned what a growth mindset is and how to apply this mindset in their work, moving from careful exploration to showing courage, from uncertainty to ownership, and from thinking to doing. For many participants, this also meant personal growth, such as developing presentation skills, experiencing the power of collaboration and learning to think beyond familiar paths. Arnoud Troe, financing specialist at BNG, was one of those Change Agents. “I experienced how valuable it is to think outside the box under time pressure, and to see that together we can create something different in a short time that truly makes an impact.”
After the 100 days, it was time to present the outcomes of the Change Movement. During the showtime moment at Diligentia in The Hague, around 400 colleagues were taken along in an interactive show with a comedian, with the highlight being the Change Agents who pitched their solutions. The audience then voted on which solution would be implemented first.
Results
Following the Change Movement, with the showtime moment as its grande finale, BNG was not only able to implement these four innovative solutions, but something else had been set in motion as well: the Change Agents discovered how to think in terms of solutions rather than problems. Arnoud: “We really learned to think out of the box. When you let go of the existing, normal and organized way of doing things, you come up with highly creative ideas.”
The energy unleashed by the Movement became visible immediately. Many participants could not wait and continued working on the implementation of their ideas the very next day after the showtime event. A shift in mindset emerged, from “this is not possible” to “we have shown that it is possible, and we want more!”. Arnoud’s team developed a solution to make it easy for colleagues to give feedback. “You not only supported us throughout the process, but also visualized our solution in BNG’s brand identity. This allowed us to create a tangible and professional result quickly,” Arnoud said.
That is what the 100 days were all about: new energy, a touch of courage and ownership. In addition to solutions that make a concrete difference for the organization, a movement emerged that reaches much further. A Change Movement showing that change does not have to be complicated, as long as you do it together and dare to try.
We would be happy to discuss how we can also make your organization future proof. Curious?
