Leveraging an Employee Portal to Transform Corporate Communications

ArcamodaStrategy, Process, People & Technology

Using a Portal to Improve G&T Operations

And Make Communications a Strategic Business PartnerMark Gavora, Business Transformation & Change Management Lead, Arcamoda LLC. &

Kevin Osbourn, Communications Manager, East Kentucky Power


EKPC Before the Portal − Background

• Web communications to employees done only via Intranet Web site

1. Limited functionality Does not provide adequate value

2. Static, out-of-date content Supporting roles not defined or staffed

3. One dept. owned the site Not responsive business needs

4. Lacked collaboration Teamwork across functions remained

difficult

5. Accessed only at work Fails to account for evolving user base

• EKPC Launches Business Evolving Initiative in June 2009


Business Evolving Objectives

• Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business operations


Business Evolving Objectives

• Create a portal support organizational structure with well-defined roles

• Enable the business to drive portal development rather than technology

• Leverage on-line collaboration tools to support inter-departmental projects

• Enable employees with any time, any place, any function access


EKPC Adopted Two Formulas

OO+NT=EOOOO is Old Organization

NT is New Technology

EOO is Expensive Old Organization


Our Goal Formula

OO+LT=TOOO is Old Organization

LT is Leveraged Technology

TO is Transformed Organization


Relevant Best Practices: the Elite Eight

1. Corporate Communications coordinates the Portal

2. Emphasize value over content

3. Build content from a defined organizational structure that balances the breadth and depth of content

4. Bring information to the users rather than have the users search for information

5. Sample users to validate your content organization

6. Integrate with a content management system and a highly structured search function

7. Strive for A3: Anytime, Anyplace, Any function access

8. Balance simplicity with functionality, but keep it simple


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Portal Alignment with Key Objectives

Objective

• Improve efficiency & effectiveness of business

• Create a support organizational structure with well-defined roles

• Enable the business to drive portal development rather than technology

• Leverage on-line collaboration tools to support inter-departmental projects

• Enable employees with any time, any place, any function access

Supported by

• Made the portal transactional • Created defined roles for portal

operations, governance and functional management

• Created a Central Governance Committee

• Created multiple collaborative workspaces

• Granted all employees user ID and password


Design and Development Philosophy

• Start simple and build on success• Use a phased-in approach fitting business realities and

culture• Accommodate service demand and client business

needs though collaborative involvement • Manage with a steering team and functional ownership• Work within the IT umbrella• C-Level sponsorship and executive championing• Strong emphasis on communications and marketing


Methodology and Approach

•User reports, user satisfaction survey, ROI

Define a Vision and Metrics

•PeopleSoft ERP

•PeopleSoft Portal and Content Management

Establish a Foundation

•HR Transactions

•Time and Expenses

•Procurement and Inventory

Make Users Want it!

•Surveys

•Posters, success stories, town hall meetings, newsletter articles

Assess Feedback and Share the Joy!

•Portals are like sharks in the water. If they stop moving, they die.

Plan the Next Phase


KEY ISSUES TO MANAGE


Stakeholder Buy-In: Issues and Needs

Issues

• One department ownership • Executives want a solution to

reduce costs without damaging employee satisfaction

• Provide a tool that employees would know how to use

• Cultural readiness for communicating changes to the way employees do work

Needs

• Understand limitation of single departmental ownership

• Demonstrate reduced costs without decreasing satisfaction

• Create simple tools training to fill in gaps

• Release compelling communication without creating burning platform


Communications Painted a Vision


Roles: Issues and Needs

Issues

• Portal management roles did not exist at EKPC

• Staff not allocated for this work• Insufficient resources

Needs

• Position descriptions that list knowledge and skills needed to complete the work

• Hire more staff and/or change responsibilities of staff


Competencies: Issues and Needs

Issues

• Staff has no exposure to portal solutions

• New staff will have to be trained

• Align staff with technology

Needs

• Clear instruction on key activities

• Knowledge transfer to existing employees


WRAPPING UP


Common Value Measures

• ROI – hard• Labor Reduction• Cost Avoidance• Material Reduction

• ROI - soft • Satisfaction

• Usage• Feedback


Lessons Learned

• A business transformation is journey• Be sure you’ve adequately identified deliverables• Allow adequate time and resources to integrate modules• You will know you are successful when people start

asking you for greater functionality


Conclusions

• Portals provide the foundation to transform tactical communications into strategic communications

• Remember: portals are like sharks in the water. If they stop moving, they die


Remaining Questions and Discussion

4


Foundational

Sustaining

Why Change Management Efforts Fail

Compelling Need

VisionExecutive alignment

Steering team commitment

Strategic alignment

Training strategy

Policy updates

Performance management

Recognition programs

Push interventions for laggards

Succession planning

Post Go-live strategy

Post Go-live metrics

Risk mitigation strategy

Organizations tend to only focus here

Regular executive-level involvement

Competencies

Foundational

SustainingReadiness assessment

Training

Communications

Communication plan

Stakeholder analysis

Training needs assessment

Operations impact analysis

Ongoing support strategy

Documents

Leveraging an Employee Portal to Transform Corporate Communications