Transformator Design - Petcha Kutcha Service Design Award

www.service-design-award.com# S D G C 1 6 @ S D N e t w o r k

Award Category:Non-profit/Public Sector,

professional work

Greenhouses Improving the customer and employee experience by prototyping for change in a Governmental Organisation

Transformator Design Client: The Employment Agency of Sweden

Sophie Andersson | @sophioso


Arbetsförmedlingen, the Employment Agency of Sweden, a governmental organization with the mission to maintain and improve the labour market.

For several years Arbetsförmedlingen have been struggling with declining trust among customers.

The organization has 13000 employees, 320 local offices and has more than 27 million customer interactions annually.


The aim was to regain trust by creating a new way of working, where both customers and front line staff were put in charge of the final development of the Employment Agency of Sweden future services.

Front line staff being the designers interacting and developing solutions with the customers.


So we created Greenhouses.

A greenhouse is:• Customer involvement • Employee engagement• Prototyping as a way of working• A iterative way of working

Many local employment offices volunteered to become a Greenhouse.


THE KEY STAKE- HOLDER OF CHANGE WAS CUSTOMERS, THE OFFICES AND FRONT LINE STAFF.

2013


START OF THE GREENHOUSES

Many local employment offices volunteered and 7 were selected withdifferent pre-conditions.

2014


3 day local service design introduction training at HQ with all Greenhouseinvolved employees.

SERVICE DESIGN TRAINING

2014


Concepts co-created with customerswere adapted and prototyped locally.

REALITY CHECK

2014


Local greenhouse work were moderatedand supported by newly formed and trained central competence group.

ENCOURAGEMENT

2014


SUPPORT THE SUPPORTERS

Transformator coached and supportedthe central group who supported local teams.

2015


Experience and knowledge gained at Greenhouses was gathered centrally.

ORGANIZATIONAL OWNERSHIP

2015


SPREADING WIDELY

Guidelines and best practice solutionswas spread to all 300 local offices.

2015


CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION“We have found a mind

changing way of working, there is no turning back.”Employee at Arbetsförmedlingen.

2016


Customers and trustIn October 2015 a new booking system for the first meeting between the jobseeker and Arbetsförmedlingen was implemented throughout the organization.

This service improvement makes the initial contact easier and more relevant to the customer.

More than 74000 job-seekers have benefited from the improvement so far.


Employees and internal trustThe decentralisation of developing new services led to raised engagement among most affected employees. The new way of thinking, acting and doing have empowered employees and improved collaboration between the headquarter and local offices.

New services developed this way, adapted to the everyday conditions, is implemented with a greater buy-in from the front line staff creating a feeling of organisational ownership.


OrganizationThe customer driven development is now seen as an essential part of the organisation’s future way of working and in June 2016 a new support function, with about 10-15 employees is implemented to establish the greenhouse concept throughout the organisation.

Until now approximately 1600 employees including 400 managers have been introduced to customer driven development based on service design methods. The goal is to offer this introduction to all employees.


ResultThe declining trust among customers has been stopped, and a minor improvement was presented during 2015.


Recipe for a successful transformation

Prepare a solid base of Courage Filter it trough SimplicityLet it ripe trough Action learning Practice what you preachMake sure to use a bake tin of PersistenceLet it drizzle of RealityFinalize it trough Organizational Ownership

Do try this at home!