Enterprise Efficiency | Simplification at IAG

What is Simplification at IAG?

The simplification at IAG project aims to transform IAG into a simpler, more efficient organisation by empowering leaders to become barrier busters and support their teams in tackling and solving efficiency barriers. The project focuses on embedding a continuous improvement mindset across the enterprise, making processes more human-centred and responsive to evolving customer needs.

Challenge

How might we better enable leaders to be barriers busters and support others to tackle and solve barriers so that IAG is a simple, easy and efficient organisation?


Context: IAG is Australia's largest insurer, with over 10,000 employees. IAG’s purpose is to make your world a safer place. Our strategy is to create a stronger, more resilient IAG. The Enterprise Efficiency Program established in April 2022, aims to transform IAG's approach to efficiency. One of the Enterprise Efficiency Delivery program work streams focuses on the Removal of Barriers – addressing barriers and blockages to enterprise efficiency, demonstrating momentum and creating change. To become a more efficient business, IAG must motivate and empower every employee to remove barriers that hinder progress. A continuous improvement mindset is required to enable this.

Objectives:

  • Empower all IAG employees to identify, assess, and solve both tactical and strategic efficiency barriers.

  • Understand and enhance the critical role leaders play in barrier busting.

  • Help employees recognise barriers and create solutions.

  • Improve skills and capabilities for removing barriers.

  • Foster a collaborative environment that supports barrier busting capabilities and mindset.

  • Identify opportunities and challenges for implementing Barrier Busting.

Role: Strategic Design Lead

Visual Designer, Leader, Facilitator, Experience Creator, Change Champion, Cross-Functional Collaborator, Researcher, Quality Gatekeeper, Relationship Alchemist, Knowledge Nurturer.

Timeline: September 2022 – December 2022

Things I designed: Workshops and Co-creation Sessions, Rituals and Practices, Insights Report, Strategic Roadmap, Handbooks and Tools.

How does an Hour of Power simplify work in organisations?

The SimpliAG initiative encourages leaders to repurpose and reprioritise time for simplification efforts. This initiative promotes small, consistent steps to build a continuous improvement culture and uplift. SimpliAG is about creating a lasting and consistent ritual that supports people in investing time and energy into continuous improvement. It sends a strong message to our people that IAG is consciously and deliberately focusing on making things simpler.

The Design Solution

Considering strategy, leadership, customers, our people, and financial impacts, the goal was to develop an implementable solution with minimal resources or budget that could make an immediate impact and build momentum over time. This led to the creation of the "Hour of Power" concept, branded as "SimpliAG."

SimpliAG aims to:

  • Repurpose and Reprioritise Time: Ask people to dedicate a chosen amount of time to tackle simplification.

  • Foster a Brave Space: Create an environment where people feel safe to share, be heard, and problem-solve.

  • Work "On" the Business: Encourage people to invest time in improving business processes, not just performing daily tasks.

SimpliAG is part of a wider simplification community of practice. Initially, it engages leaders in making small improvements within their sphere of influence, representing a bottom-up approach. This effort is complemented by a top-down approach, addressing big-ticket and complex challenges such as delivery platform, benefits, accountability, and governance at the enterprise level. The beauty of the community of practice is that it can grow over time, continually enhancing IAG's efficiency and simplification.

To address the need for efficiency and simplification, the project adopted an evidence-based Human-Centred Design approach.

  • Briefing Sessions: Held briefing sessions with leads from the Removal of Barriers stream, part of the Enterprise Efficiency Program.

    Problem Reframing: Reframed the problem, focusing on the pivotal role of leadership in enabling barrier busting.

  • Interviews and Surveys: Conducted comprehensive interviews and surveys with leaders from across IAG to gather insights on the barriers they face when trying to solve problems and make improvements.

    External Interviews: Interviewed leaders outside of IAG to understand industry best practices.

    Secondary Research: Completed extensive secondary research to complement the findings.

  • Challenge Identification: Analysed the data to identify four key challenges faced by leaders: Accountability & Agility, Enterprise and Divisional Collaboration, Time & Space, and Leadership Capability.

  • Brainstorming Sessions: Facilitated brainstorming sessions to generate a range of ideas that could address the identified challenges.

    Presentation Pack: Created an insights and recommendations presentation pack to communicate findings and proposed solutions to key stakeholders.

  • Stakeholder Presentation: Presented the exploration and recommendations to the Enterprise Efficiency Divisional leaders and the broader project team.

    Takeaway Pack: Designed a takeaway pack to be shared with participants and the project team as part of the handover to implementation.

    Pilot Support: Supported the Project Team in piloting the "Hour of Power" (SimpliAG) concept in various parts of the business.

Impact

The SimpliAG initiative helped with embedding the mindset, methodologies, and practices required for efficiency and simplification at IAG by fostering a culture of continuous improvement. It increased engagement and collaboration among leaders, brought diverse perspectives for more innovative solutions, and improved employees ability to tackle complex problems. This resulted in creating a more efficient, collaborative, and innovative culture at IAG.

Outcomes

Presentation and Leadership Engagement

Delivered the final recommendations to key stakeholders and the broader project team.

Implementation Handover

Designed a takeaway pack and successfully handed over the project to the project team, ensuring continuity and momentum.

Pilots

The Project Team is now running pilots with the "Hour of Power" (SimpliAG) idea in various parts of the business.

Reflection:

Empowering leaders to prioritise simplification boosted engagement, collaboration, and fostered a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. The key takeaway: small, consistent efforts lead to significant, sustainable changes, underscoring the need for ongoing commitment to efficiency and simplification.

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