"As a bank, we do not only want to think about the world we live in today, but also about tomorrow's world"
With more than 34 million customers in over 40 countries, ING is not only the largest bank in the Netherlands, but also plays an important role in the industry internationally. Given this size, it goes without saying that its business activities have a significant impact on society and the environment. Therefore, the bank believes it must take responsibility in this area and has made sustainability a part of its strategy. As a major bank, you are an important player for both consumers and businesses in making a sustainable future possible. ING does this by supporting private and corporate customers in making investments and by enabling various financing options. ING also takes a critical look at the internal choices the organization makes.
Leontien de Haan is the Director of Building & Industry within Business Banking North-West at ING. Together with her team, she assists customers that are active in the construction and industry markets in implementing their sustainability strategy. This support includes providing financing, guiding investments and assisting with any inquiries they have. Leontien: "As a bank, we do not only want to think about the world we live in today, but also about tomorrow's world". Therefore, our focus on sustainability is essential in helping our customers."
In a conversation with Stay Future Proof colleague Eefje Jonker, both noted that many organizations face the challenge of designing a sustainable future business model. They saw the opportunity to join forces and explore how they could help organizations in the industry. A combination of the qualities of ING and Stay Future Proof could create magic. Leontien said, "We see many challenges in the banking industry concerning sustainability. With Stay Future Proof's expertise in business models, we wanted to map out the importance of Sustainable Business Design across the entire industry. How can organizations learn from each other, how can we as a bank assist them and come up with solutions together?"
Our approach
ING and Stay Future Proof decided to jointly organize a strategic input session for organizations in the construction and industry markets. Leontien mentioned, "You really work in co-creation with Stay Future Proof. Together, we conceived what we wanted to do during the session and how we would organize the day." Leontien and Eefje first decided on the participating organizations. These came from the network of both ING and Stay Future Proof. The aim was to bring together a diverse group of people from different organizations, with varying numbers of employees and from different stages of the entrepreneurial lifecycle. Leontien said, "Bringing together different perspectives adds value. The participants found it valuable that we brought together large parties, scale-ups and start-ups. They can learn a lot from each other." All participants were called prior to the session to map and to be able to tap into their expectations. Subsequently, everyone received a digital invitation and a visual introduction booklet, introducing all the participating organizations.
The topics that would be worked on during the session were also thoughtfully considered. The day started with analyzing the context of the construction and real estate industry. What changes are occurring in the industry, what are new trends or developments? And how do these affect the organizations? With these insights, the participants then proceeded to formulate a vision for the industry as a whole. What does success look like? What is the vision or goal that they collectively want to work towards? Finally, the changes that need to take place to achieve this vision were considered. The participants formulated the current situation and the desired situation.
All exercises were conducted using a pressure cooker approach. In tight time boxes of about 1.5 hours, Stay Future Proof presented a brief keynote, participants worked on the exercises and the insights were then presented back. This was all done under the guidance of visual presentations and canvases. Leontien: "Working with Stay Future Proof is very hands-on. They also use dynamic presentations. These consist of many slides, but with lots of visuals and little text. The Strategy Designers really engage with you through storytelling. It's much less model-based and much more visual. It's somewhat of an 'I have a dream' philosophy."
Results
Organizing Building Real Estate United has led to several great results. The participants were enthusiastic and expressed interest in participating again. The session was a fun and accessible way to share knowledge within the industry. Challenges within the industry were discussed and found to be experienced by various organizations. This dialogue made the participants feel supported, not isolated. It instilled confidence to collectively make a difference. For the participants, it was very valuable to do this on an industry-wide basis. Leontien said, "The feedback we received from the participants was very positive. They found the session educational and appreciated meeting different organizations. The diversity in the size of the organizations, their histories and stages of growth facilitated valuable discussions."
ING also looks back positively on Building Real Estate United. Its goal was to embark on a journey of discovery with its clients, exploring how ING can better assist them in the future regarding sustainability. Leontien: "During the session, we sat down with our clients, which provided us with a lot of insights. We have achieved our intended goal!".
We would be happy to discuss how we can also make your organization future proof. Curious?
