Concept Summary

Task: A 500 million Euro savings program was set to spark a lot of fear concerning change at Michelin North. So, replacing fear with confidence was the easy described but hard to reach goal of the transformation in 2021: How do you fuel 1,500 employees including those of subsidiaries with their own corporate culture in ten countries for change? Idea: The way was to counter the justified fear with open and honest two-way communication and a critical dialogue between the management and employees. Each employee needed to activate superpowers to shake off fear and transform into a creative, innovative hero. Science says that humans go through the same phases in change processes, as described in the transtheoretical model of behavior change. Combining this model with the phases of a hero on his journey resulted in a concept that guided employees through a five-phase journey over a nine-month period. Solution: The journey started with direct confrontation by speaking out the unvarnished truth. Video messages by the management team were followed by an invitation for active participation via events and channels on Microsoft Teams. A constant stream of inspiration, and (employee-) created content kept the agenda top of mind. Based on this, the main digital event served as a hands-on conference and a marketplace for ideas. Afterwards, the teamwork intensified to explore the new vision, strategy, and necessary levers for change in the coming year together.