engaging employees in process€¦ · master data management. additionally, ... » sequencing game:...

KID ©2020 APQC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

CASE STUDY

BUSINESS RESULTS

» Employee engagement in process increased.

» More than 60 percent of surveyed employees report initiating a

process-based activity after the awareness campaign.

What You’ll Learn

» Why employees do not leverage available process resources

» How to tie process thinking to what matters to the organization and employees

» How to use videos, games, and fun to encourage voluntary participation in process

work

SOLUTION

CF industries identified lack of awareness and skills as the root causes of employees’ disengagement with process. The organization launched an effort to build awareness and creatively engage employees in learning about process.

BUSINESS CHALLENGE

CF Industries needed to increase employees’ process capability in order to prepare for a planned migration to a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. While the organization had many documented processes, employees were not using them to drive improvement.

ENGAGING EMPLOYEES IN PROCESS

WORK AT CF INDUSTRIES

ORGANIZATION PROFILE

CF Industries is a global fertilizer and chemical company.

» Agriculture

» $4,590 million (USD) revenue

2019

» 3,000 employees

PARTICIPANTS

Karen Appleby, Director of Accounting Process, CF Industries

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K010446 ©2020 APQC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Organizational Background CF Industries, a global leader in nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing and distributions, owns and operates nitrogen complexes and serves agricultural and industrial customers through its distribution system. Founded in 1946 as a fertilizer brokerage operation, the company expanded its product distribution capabilities and diversified into fertilizer manufacturing to become one of the largest companies in the fertilizer industries. CF Industries is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois and has 3,000 employees.

Impetus to Engage Employees in Process

Work CF Industries was planning to migrate from SAP to a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool. During the migration, the organization wanted to minimize the use of consultants to promote knowledge transfer and retention within the organization. CF Industries also recognized that after the migration, it would need to be prepared for constant change. The cloud-based ERP would send out quarterly patches and releases, requiring frequent updates to processes, controls, roles, integrations, training, and master data management. Additionally, the organization wanted to leverage the ERP to engage process owners in more collaborative, end-to-end process design and to identify opportunities for automation and process improvements. To meet these goals and leverage the capabilities of the new ERP, CF Industries needed to strengthen employees’ process capability across the organization.

UNDERSTANDING LACK OF PROCESS ENGAGEMENT

CF Industries had a strong process foundation. As part of its original SAP implementation in 2012, the organization documented over 400 processes for key areas including accounting, treasury, sales, supply chain, and human resources. These standard processes, along with controls, were maintained in the organization’s Sarbanes-Oxley Documentation (SOX) program, Blueworks Live. CF Industries’ process documentation included:

» identification of process purpose and effective execution,

» process owners,

» process steps and maps,

» roles and responsibilities for executing process steps,

» function of supporting technology,

» key risks and controls, and

» end-to-end perspective with links to related processes.

Despite the organization’s thorough process resources, employees were not using processes to drive value. “We weren’t using processes to launch or evaluate improvement initiatives, and

CF Industries

CF Industries transformed

employees’ conception of

process through a grassroots,

low-budget, and fun

communications and outreach

initiative.

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the obvious question was, ‘Why not?’” said Karen Appleby, director of accounting at CF Industries.

Appleby secured buy-in from senior executives to develop a cross-functional process team that would examine the root cause of employees’ lack of process engagement. Senior leaders identified team members and provided support for them to spend two to three hours per month on the project. Appleby met with the team to explain the problem she was trying to solve and presented a visual (Figure 1) to demonstrate how process (presented in yellow) connects to organizational strategy (presented in white).

Tying Process to Strategy at CF Industries

Figure 1

The cross-functional process team surfaced the issues behind employees’ lack of process engagement. One issue was a lack of motivation. CF Industries did not have customer quality problems or cost pressures, which often propel organizations toward process improvement. Employees did care about performing high-quality, efficient work. However, four key barriers prevented them from using process to drive quality and efficiency improvements.

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The games provided the process team with a first-hand look at team dynamics. Teams with bossy leaders didn’t do as well, and good ideas came from unexpected places.

- Karen Appleby, CF Industries

1. Most employees saw process work as a punishment for poor performance, rather than as a useful framework for improving outcomes.

2. Some employees—particularly long-tenured employees who lacked experience outside the organization—did not understand process and how it could add value.

3. Employees lacked easily accessible ways to build their process mapping and analysis skills. 4. Some employees did not know how to use tools or find process documentation.

With this analysis completed, the process team decided to launch a campaign to build awareness, build engagement, and improve the image of process across the organization.

Building Awareness and Engagement The team wanted to engage employees in process in a way that felt fun and exciting rather than mandatory. Thus, the team eased employees into process thinking with events, quick communications, videos, and games.

KICKOFF EVENT

The process team launched its process awareness campaign with a kick-off event to introduce itself and process thinking to employees. Attendance was not mandatory, and a free lunch was provided. Employees participated in several quick process games.

» Handoff game: Teams use PVC pipe to pass marbles along a

path. In so doing, they learn the importance of understanding

how others work to achieve a successful handoff.

» Team innovation game: Teams stack shoes to see who could

build the tallest tower. In so doing, employees learned about

thinking outside of the box; for example, some teams used

insoles and laces to build higher towers.

» Team support game: With each team member using only one finger, the team tries to move

duct tape across a table. Thus, employees learned about the importance of working

together.

» Sequencing game: One team member has a map of a maze, and she or he instructs the rest

of the team to go through it. This teaches employees about the importance of

communication.

» Improvement game: Teams pass balls from one bucket to another, and each member of the

team must such each ball with both hands. After completing one round to see which team

can move the balls fastest, the teams have time to reflect and improve their process. The

teams learned how to use different techniques—such as standing across from each other

and tossing balls in different ways—to quickly improve the process.

After the event, the process team gave small prizes (Yeti cups) to the winning team. The event had 100 participants and was well-received.

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COMMUNICATIONS

Next, the process team launched a communications campaign. Employees received email communications from the process team once a week. The first three or four messages were follow-ups from the kick-off event. These messages explained how each process game related to process concepts and used event photos to build engagement (Figure 2).

Email Communication

Figure 2

After this first series of messages, following emails introduced employees to key process concepts such as process mapping basics, understanding process roles, and process measurement. Each message covered only one topic and used pictures to employees’ interest. The process team incorporated each of the company’s core values in at least one communication. Many messages included links to resources from the process team or APQC, and several included engaging employee videos.

These messages were well-received by employees and leadership. Out of a target audience of 350 employees, about 150 were actively engaged in absorbing the material. Some of the process team’s messages and updates were also incorporated into other corporate communications. “People opened the emails because they wanted to see pictures of people from the kickoff event or in the videos, and we employed humor wherever possible to make it entertaining,” said Appleby.

Success Factor

Connecting communications to

the organization’s mission and

core values is a best practice. It

helps motivate rank-and-file

employees to participate and

encourages leaders to promote

the initiative.

https://www.apqc.org/resource-library/resource-listing/create-compelling-km-messaging-strategy

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VIDEOS

The process team worked with CF Industries’ communications team to create a series of seven short (three to five minute) videos on the following topics:

» new customer process,

» process mapping,

» risk assessment and controls,

» process measurement,

» vessel handoff process,

» process ownership, and

» what’s your process challenge?

The team took a low-budget, lighthearted approach to the videos (Figure 3).

Employee Misses a Basket to Show the “Process Challenge” of Nonproductive or Wasteful Process Steps

Figure 3

Shot on an iPhone and starring CF Industries employees (including two influential executives), the videos combined instructional content with personal stories about process. The videos were delivered via email throughout the process team’s communication campaign and proved to be quite popular among employees. Toward the end of the campaign, the process team invited employees to vote for their favorite “performer.” In so doing, they provided a link to the process team’s website so employees could watch the videos again. “We definitely got higher viewership after that,” said Appleby.

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PROCESS JEOPARDY GAME

At the culmination of the communications campaign, the team hosted a process jeopardy game. Any employee could participate, but they were required to complete a short quiz to ensure they were serious. The process team also solicited some participants to ensure each functional area was represented in the competition. The team used a wresting theme to promote the game with a promo video, posters, table toppers, and email communications. The team used PowerPoint to create the game itself, and the game content was entirely derived from resources on the process team’s website.

The event was hosted by a local comedian and featured engaging visuals and game show music. After a free lunch, the competition started. Following the wresting theme, each participant used a wresting name such as “Mad Dog” or “Terminator” (Figure 4).

Process Jeopardy

Figure 4

The process team showed its videos as “commercials” during the event, and also presented the award for best video performer during a break. The Jeopardy winner received an Amazon echo as a prize. Overall, the event showed that enthusiasm for process was building at CF Industries. “About 200 people attended the event, which was on a Friday when we had half days. That was pretty awesome,” said Appleby.

Success Factor

Employees reported that the

process jeopardy game was one

of their favorite elements of the

awareness campaign. This game

incorporated a lot of fun, but

was also a true test of

employees’ process knowledge.

https://vimeo.com/384080923?utm_source=email&utm_medium=vimeo-cliptranscode-201504&utm_campaign=29220

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Our people definitely understand the importance of process skills and we’re starting to see real evidence of engagement and activity.

- Karen Appleby, CF Industries

Training and Self-Service Resources CF Industries employees can learn more about process through a variety of trainings and self-service resources. The process team updated the organization’s introductory Blueworks training to incorporate material on process concepts and mapping. They also created a refresher course for process owners on advanced mapping techniques. The team built a website on CF Industries’ intranet to store a variety of resources and templates such as a checklist for process changes, the organization’s continuous improvement cycle, process definitions, and a process maturity matrix. Additionally, CF Industries joined APQC and the process team hosted two demo sessions to show employees how to use APQC’s benchmarks and best practices in their process work.

Results The process team evaluated the effectiveness of its campaign by tracking activity metrics (participation in events, views of emails and videos), surveying the target audience, and meeting with leadership sponsors. Employee surveys showed that the videos and process jeopardy event were the most engaging and successful approaches. They also showed that employees wanted more specific guidance on skill building for process improvement.

Overall, the campaign has increased engagement in process. More than 60 percent of those employees who completed the process team’s survey said they recently initiated a process-based activity. “People are talking about process. They’re creating goals around process. They’re starting to ask how to do certain process improvement activities,” said Appleby.

Next Steps Moving forward, the process team is focusing on supporting functional efforts and building process improvement skills. For example, the sales and supply chain area is starting a quality initiative that the process team will help support. In so doing, the process team expects to reuse many of the educational materials from the awareness campaign. CF Industries is also starting deployment planning for its ERP, and the process team expects to provide support by coaching process owners and presenting process maturity evaluations.

ABOUT APQC

APQC helps organizations work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence. It is the world’s foremost authority in benchmarking, best practices, process and performance improvement, and knowledge management. APQC’s unique structure as a member-based nonprofit makes it a differentiator in the marketplace. APQC partners with more than 500 member organizations

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worldwide in all industries. With more than 40 years of experience, APQC remains the world’s leader in transforming organizations. Visit us at https://www.apqc.org/, and learn how you can make best practices your practices.

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