SpeakUp
Challenge
In 2016, BNP Paribas Fortis launched an internal communication campaign aimed at introducing their new corporate vision, "One Step Beyond 2020," to their employees. The campaign's primary goal was to facilitate discussions about this vision in an interactive manner. A significant challenge identified was the existence of "knowledge silos" within the organization. These silos were areas where knowledge and expertise were predominantly confined within individual teams, which limited the scope for innovation across the bank.
Problem Definition
Drawing inspiration from the ZWERM project, which enhanced social cohesion and interactions in urban settings, BNPPF explored the use of gamification to stimulate face-to-face discussions on the work floor. We hypothesized that a system built around shareable and discussable "conversation topics" could foster meaningful interactions across various divisions and teams.
Ideation & Validation
We conducted a series of interviews and surveys to affirm that employees not only recognized the benefits of increased cross-organizational exchange but also desired deeper interactions with their colleagues.
Our team developed a multi-modal system that included a mobile application, a website, and RFID-enabled tablets ("SpeakUp hotspots") located in social areas like water coolers. Employees could initiate conversations by scanning their badges at these hotspots with one to three colleagues. The mobile app facilitated conversations in areas without hotspots, while the website provided features for adding and discussing topics, tracking discussions, and highlighting the most debated topics within the company.
Two trials were executed prior to the company-wide rollout. The first trial assessed the system's technical functionality, and the second evaluated user engagement and content relevance.
Conclusion
Technically and from a user interface perspective, the project was successful and garnered interest among a core group of early innovator users. However, during this period, BNPPF was undergoing internal restructuring, making anonymity and discretion critical for employee participation. One key insight from this project was that support from upper management does not necessarily translate into middle management buy-in. More extensive and ongoing user testing and validation could have identified this misalignment earlier, potentially allowing for adjustments that would better meet the needs of middle management and their teams.
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