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Philipp Senn, Head of Communications and Public Affairs, NAGRA

«Literal sections from the inputs are now in the new mission statement.»

As Head of Communications and Public Affairs at NAGRA, Philipp Senn faces major challenges. The sensitive topic of 'final repository' occupies the public's attention. In addition, important changes are coming for NAGRA employees. For Senn, this was the right moment to take a risk: He wanted to enter into an online dialogue with the entire workforce. He was amazed and thrilled by the broad exchange and the 'dynamic prioritization'.

Mr. Senn, what was your reason for surveying your workforce of about 130 people here in Wettingen?

Nagra is in the process of transforming its orientation and work priorities from a research organization towards an implementation organization. We are in a multi-year process and have realized that our mission statement also needs to be revised.

«We didn't expect such numbers, even though we had hoped for such high participation.»

How did you want to develop a new mission statement?

The perspective on us as Nagra and our tasks has changed in this change process. We therefore decided to update our mission statement and wanted to actively involve the workforce in the discussion. That's when I met Andreas and the BrainE4 tool. When we listened to each other, I thought this would be a great way to involve the workforce from the beginning in the discussion: "How do we see ourselves? How do we want to be perceived? What are our priorities and values?" And how do we put that into a new mission statement. This worked well with BrainE4.

Does that mean you wanted to sense: Where do people stand?

Yes, but not only. We looked for ideas and approaches within the workforce and the management also set "lighthouses."

"Lighthouses": So points you wanted to communicate?

Yes. And where we want to go: We know that the task of "research focus" is over. We are becoming an implementation organization. That's a lighthouse. We know the goal. But: How do we see ourselves as an organization on the way there? After all, we are on a pioneering project. If our mantra and our self-understanding are supported as much as possible by the workforce, collaboration works better.

The fact that 80% of the workforce participated speaks volumes.

«The dialogical element is the central element of this success.»

We didn't expect such numbers, even though we had hoped for high participation. We decided to start the whole thing with a kick-off, a town hall meeting with the workforce: That worked very well. And then we supported the employees in using the tool and motivated them to participate with additional communication inputs.

How did your own positions and hypotheses fare?

For example: "What would Nagra have to do or say to make it clear internally and externally who they really are?" With this question, two original hypotheses were still among the top 10 at the end. The rest of the statements were contributed by the employees.

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Are you adopting these statements from the workforce?

Yes, because it's not difficult for us to say: "Excellent, we can work with this material." After all, the inputs were not 180-degree turns. The view of our upcoming path and identification with the company are there.

There are literal sections from the inputs that are now in the new mission statement. That's a very strong signal back to the workforce. For example, the sentence: "Knowledge deeply anchored, responsibility broadly considered."

How did you handle the information from the final report?

We extracted the core findings. The most important finding: The employees' statements largely align with management's ideas. They may be formulated differently, some of our hypotheses were washed away, but the direction is very similar. We see: The vast majority supports the change.

«Excellent, we can work with this material.»

An important point. Are there others?

There were statements about a forward-looking mindset: a confident approach to the project, a courageous approach to the next phases, respectful, transparent collaboration within the team and with stakeholders. These were the core statements that our mission statement will express.

And beyond that, we can also draw additional insights from the dialogue that don't necessarily flow into the mission statement, but are interesting for leadership work in the company.

What is the central element that made this a success?

The dialogical element. That you seek development ideas and let yourself be guided by this "crowd intelligence" – in a company that might otherwise be characterized more by hierarchical processes. This dialogical approach to the question "Who are we really?" appeals to people.

But also the flexibility in the survey. A typical survey you practically have to conduct in one go, otherwise you lose the data. Here it's a process, almost a game. You go in for three minutes today and ten the day after tomorrow. It's a living process, a "dynamic prioritization" – that hits the nail on the head.

What is your final conclusion?

I'm happy that we embarked on this journey and that we were able to work on such a company-relevant topic in this way and turn it into a success.

Who would you recommend BrainE4 to?

I would immediately recommend it to companies that are in transitional situations. As a visible measure of how to manage this transition together.

Do you plan to do something like this again in the future?

Now that the tool has been introduced and is known, I can well imagine that we will use it again if the situation requires it. I'm convinced that we would do that. BrainE4 is accepted by management and has arrived with the workforce. When it comes to defining something where "crowd intelligence" is needed, I can very well imagine it.

Thank you very much for the interview!

Interview: thk

Facts:

130 employees

80% participation

231 ideas & opinions

8,725 validations

Contact:

Philipp Senn

Tel: 056 437 11 11

Mail: philipp.senn@nagra.ch

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