Driving People-First Impact with Systems Thinking
Project Overview
The Group HR directorate of our rail infrastructure client is responsible for attracting and developing a safety conscious, high-performing workforce of over 46,000 employees. To address the challenge of devolution and drive people-centric modernisation operations, they introduced Systems Thinking which, used data-driven analysis to ensure that ways of working for the whole end-to-end network delivery system deliver process and bottom-line efficiency.
Afiniti partnered with Group HR to equip their new rapid change consultancy, the Systems Thinking team, with a robust toolkit and the capability to deliver a compelling, people-driven, business-focused story that would help stakeholders become invested in Systems Thinking. The goal was to build the foundations and platforms for the team to deliver efficiency across the network and embed lasting, people-first impact on all delivery and performance.
Our Solution
Collaborating with the Systems Thinking team, we utilised top-down and bottom-up people-focused impact assessment and engagement to meet objectives, leveraging local ingenuity to help articulate the complex methodology in a clear, relatable way.
Alongside empowering and equipping local change leaders across target areas to be the voice of Systems Thinking (ST) for teams and leaders, Afiniti created:
- A compelling visual identity to cut through the competing messages and create a deep connection to the ST story.
- A powerful living engagement deck that brought ST to life.
- An engaging animated video that deconstructed the narrative of STand made it relevant for the global framework and local issues.
- An interactive rich picture to act as the gateway to the full competency framework covering 46,000 roles.
- A supporting toolkit, which included practitioner user guides, descriptions of the solutions, user personas, video case studies and user journeys to enable a diverse audience to access the methodology in ways that worked for them.
- A pitch book to provide a clear line of sight to strategic goals, the ST process and cost savings achieved.
The Differences We Made
“The Afiniti team have used a whole range of innovative approaches. Through this, the Systems Thinking Partnership are now recognised as being key to delivering transformation network wide.”
– Senior Programme Manager
As a result of Afiniti’s collaboration and the development of powerful core materials, the Systems Thinking Partnership were equipped to lead the change and achieved the following:
- 72% of senior leaders were engaged in Systems Thinking, recognising it as a means of improving the rail network.
- 12,467 colleagues were engaged in Systems Thinking in the first year of adoption.
- Increased efficiencies including +32% increase in planned vs actual hours, +20% shifts without work lost and +20% increase in productivity per person.
- Colleagues were equipped with tools to make improvements where they work, and subsequently made multimillion operational savings.
Systems Thinking is now embedded within the client as a new ethos of operational transformation, unleashing the power of frontline colleagues by embedding a culture of efficiency and safety, streamlined processes and dramatic cost savings, owned and delivered by local teams.
Learn more about Afiniti’s deep rail consultants experience here.
To get the latest change tips, advice and guidance directly to your inbox, sign up to our monthly Business Change Digest.
