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Driving Change
Heather Prime, ABC Manager of Employee CommunicationsBritish Columbia Automobile Association
Getting your employees out of gridlock and your business into the fast lane
IABC International Conference - Vancouver, 2006
Every road trip generates a good story…
1. Why BCAA needed to engage its employees like never before
3. How we used face-to-facecommunications to engage them
3. Our results and 10 tips worth driving home
BCAA Today … much more than an auto club
B.C.’s largest member services organization:
• Road Assist & Member Services, Travel Agency, Insurance Agency
• 755,000-plus members
• 24 Sales Centres & 2 telephone centres
• $2.9-million operating profit in 2005
• Consistently rank #1 or 2 in B.C. for “overall favourable impression”
• 69% employee engagement (within “Best Employer” range) in 2005
BCAA’s people are diverse
BCAA’s people are diverse
• 1,000-plus employees: 70% women & 60% in Sales Division
• 22% unionized & 6% management
• 41% aged 45 to 64 years
• Average length of service: 9 yrs – staff & 11 yrs - management
• Diverse professional “personalities” & mixture of readiness to accept change, but …
BCAA’s people share …
• A strong sense of pride in working for a “good corporate citizen”
• A preference for interactive face-to-face communications
• A learning style — visual and experiential
We thrive on teamwork and fun!
BCAA turned the corner in 2001
• Car-focused to customer-focused
• Reactive service to proactive sales
• Not-for-profit to profit-driven
• But … it was time to pick up speed
Vision 2010. A new vision for a new century.
Growth — Bold, Aggressive, Smart
750,000-plus members > 890,000-plus members
24 Sales Centres > 35 Sales Centres & more
50 savings partners > 100 savings partners
No financial services > Consumer loans & more
$3-million profit > $15-million profit
We begin our journey …
Management Council in Spring 2005
• Storytelling and “just imagine” skits
• Break-out groups to tackle heart & head issues
• Q & A with senior management
• Followed by a period of “leaking” the Vision to staff
This is great but …
• Does bigger really mean better?
• Is this too much, too fast? Can we really achieve this?
• Is this just about the $$$? Will this compromise our values?
• What is my role?
• What’s in it for me? How can I grow, too?
Our goals for engaging employees
At least 75% of staff & 85% of management say they
• Are well informed of Vision 2010
• See a link between BCAA’s 2006 and 2010 goals
• Understand how BCAA will get from here to 2010
• Understand how their job relates to helping BCAA grow and reach 2010
• Feel excited about our Vision for 2010
Fall Road Trip: Let’s get street smart
• New meeting format & “drivers”
• New tools
• New attitude
And absolutely no PowerPoint!
2 months, 30 facilitators, 47 meetings
Every road trip needs a good map
Road Map
Every road trip needs a good driver
Good facilitators aren’t born. They’re made.
• The right tools
• The right training
• The time and space to practice in a “safe place”
A close call with a roadblock
• “I have more important things to do with my time.”
• “These meetings won’t achieve our objectives.”
• “These tools are too basic.”
What they’re really saying … “I’m scared.”
Five minutes to midnight some facilitators complained:
We exceeded our goals …
90% said they are well or highly informed of Vision 2010
99% said they see a link between our 2006 and
2010 goals
98% said they understand how BCAA will get from
here to 2010
97% said they understand how their job relates to
helping BCAA grow and reach 2010
95% said they feel excited about our Vision for 2010
Facilitators answered their own survey
• 100% agreed that they felt adequately prepared to facilitate
• 100% agreed that staff obtained adequate information on Vision 2010
• 100% agreed that acting as a facilitator was a good use of their time
10 tips worth driving home
1. Know your audience & appeal to the heart as much as to the head
2. Measure
3. Don’t be afraid to “leak” information early
4. Don’t underestimate the power of “high touch” communication in a high-tech world
5. Expect the unexpected
10 tips worth driving home
6. Support & train your communication leads
7. Consult and use the experts in your midst
8. Be prepared for the fear factor
9. Measure again
10. The end is only the beginning
Questions before we hit the road?