The seven culture traits to take you to a customer-focused shared services operation

The Seven Culture Traits To Take You To A Customer-Focused Shared Service

Operation

sharedserviceslink.com Summit March 2012

Ian Chambers & David McKenzie

© 2012 Unisys Corporation. All rights reserved. 2

Agenda

• Unisys overview & SSC organisation

• How do we align our organisation to support our CEO’s vision?

• Seven cultural traits

• Planning & launch

• Feedback & lessons learned


UNISYS OVERVIEW AND SSC ORGANISTION


About Unisys

• Major integrator and outsourcer for IT tasks

• Over 100 years of solving business challenges for the most demanding governments and businesses in the world

• 24,000+ employees

• Clients in 80+ countries

• Serving Fortune 500 corporations, national and local governments around the globe


The SSC Today

7 Locations

26 Functions

430+ processes

650+ FTEs


Unisys SSC Journey

• 1992 - First SSC established in Blue Bell , USA

• 1992 – 1998 Creation of Regional SSC Organisation

• 2005 – Creation of Global SSC in Bangalore

• 2005 onwards – Transition to globalised processes to Bangalore

• 2005 onwards – Focus on “value add” activities in regional SSC’s


Unisys SSC Journey

• 2012 – Unisys have a mature and stable SSC Organisation

– High level of customer satisfaction

• “We are largely invisible” - this is a compliment !

– Highly developed concept of value add as well as cost effective transaction processing

– How do we develop to the next stage of the SSC journey?


CEO’s Vision

• ED Coleman – Unisys CEO – Q1 2011

• We are all in sales!

• Every one has an important role to play in achieving our company’s revenue growth objectives.

• For those in sales organizations, that role is clear.

• For those in other departments and functions, contributing to sales success are also vitally important.


HOW DO WE ALIGN OUR ORGANISATION TO SUPPORT OUR CEO’s VISION



What we did

• We wanted a scheme to include all employees

• So we asked for feedback through various mediums on...

• What are the key attributes to support sales ?

• What are the key cultural traits of our SSC organisation ?

• How do we align and encapsulate the two ?

• Feedback was positive ,enthusiastic and creative


What we did

SSC Management team reviewed employee

input and agreed on seven key cultural traits

which encapsulated both the SSC ethos and our

CEO’s vision


SO WHAT ARE THE SEVEN CULTURAL TRAITS


EMPATHY

Able to “feel” another’s emotions and experience the

situation as the other person experiences it.


RESOURCEFULNESS

Knows how to “get things done”. Ingenious, capable and

full of initiative, especially in dealing with difficult situations.


Takes a positive view, no matter what the problem. “Can

do and will do” attitude

OPTIMISM


Sees creative solutions. Not stuck in “that’s the way we’ve

always done it”. Being flexible to make rational decisions

that might violate the letter but not intent of a rule.

IMAGINATION


PASSION

Action oriented with a love for making a difference


ENTHUSIASM

Pleasant, happy, and eager to serve and to help


PROACTIVE / RESPONSIVE

Acts in anticipation of future problems, needs, or

changes. “Runs to the problem”.


Trait Summary

• So to recap the Seven Cultural Traits were

1. EMPATHY

2. RESOURCEFULNESS

3. OPTIMISM

4. IMAGINATION

5. PASSION

6. ENTHUSIASM

7. PROACTIVE/RESPONSIVE


PLANNING AND LAUNCH

OK WHAT NOW HOW DO WE SHARE THESE


• We wanted to create

– Something new that would stimulate and enthuse all and add to employee satisfaction

– A programme which the employees owned and ran which was separate to other forms of recognition –salary increases , promotions etc

– A form of peer recognition not bound by team structure or locati

– And .......SOMETHING THAT WAS FUN !


And so .......

the CULTURE CLUB was born !!


NOT THIS.......


MORE THIS


SO HOW DOES THE CULTURE CLUB OPERATE


Culture Club

Each location created its own club identity

and chose

Symbol/Mascot

Favourite Food Beverage

Motto/Quote

Movie

Theme Song


How does the Culture Club operate ?

• Team members can nominate anyone in the SSC organisation they think have demonstrated one of the seven traits – not location or team specific

• There is no limitation on nominations an individual can make or receive

• There is no significant monetary prize – just peer recognition



How does the Culture Club operate ?

• Quarterly each SSC location holds an event to announce winners

• A winner is chosen for each of the seven traits – these are the Magnificent Seven

• The Magnificent Seven then organise and judge the next quarters event and winners



Cultural Icon

• For each location a quarterly Cultural Icon is chosen from the Magnificent Seven

• The Cultural Icon is the employee in that location who “consistently demonstrates most ,if not all, of the cultural traits”



FEEDBACK AND LESSONS LEARNED


Feedback and conclusions

• Clear communication that this was an employee led initiative has reaped benefits

• Seen as peer to peer recognition without management involvement

• Important that it is not linked to performance plans or salary and career progression discussions

• Still early days but very positive feedback and signs are positive

• Full employee involvement stimulates ownership

• Amazed by the positive feedback

• Still early days to measure results but all signs are positive


QUESTIONS


Thank You

Education

The seven culture traits to take you to a customer-focused shared services operation