Engaging people in strategy simply requires a PowerPoint and a well-delivered speech, right? Wrong! CUNA Mutual Group discovered that the old way of communicating wasn't enough. Using a creative and interactive forum, staff started to create a truly engaged team. In response to marketplace conditions, the strategy changed substantially in 2004. When a survey showed poor employee understanding of the direction, a serious culture change was necessary. This massive undertaking involved all three strata of CUNA Mutual's leadership. After the executive team aligned on messages and direction, corporate and field staff participated in focus groups to provide feedback. In the following months, all employees participated in interactive dialogue sessions. Finally, managers used a toolkit to sustain employee engagement. In the end, employees showed a 40 percent increase in understanding the strategy. In this session, the speakers will show how they improved the effectiveness of engaging people in a new culture using innovative, interactive tools.

Learning Objectives - Engage employees in a planned, sustained way throughout a culture change. Align executives around corporate strategies and integrate feedback from senior leadership. Create a clear line of sight to the marketplace through involvement at every level in the business strategy.