Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected."

— William Plomer, writer

GENENTECH

Redesigning Genentech's Manager Resources
Providing Genentech managers with the tools and information to be their best

Business Challenge
The role of a manager can be highly rewarding, but also highly challenging. Managers play a critical role in leading their employees to reach their potential, and helping their company to achieve its goals. Genentech recognizes this, and offers a wealth of courses, tools and other resources for their managers, centered on its online Manager Tool Kit.

When it came time to revamp the biotech’s Manager Tool Kit, they hired Kesher Consulting to manage the project from strategy and concept creation to web production and implementation.

Solution
With the goal of improving the tool kit's ease of use and overall value to managers, Kesher led a team that conducted multi-site manager focus groups and interviews; conducted a complete content audit; then established a new information architecture based on the employee lifecycle, validated by card sorting exercises and user experience testing.

With the concept established and strategy in place, Kesher led a cross-functional team of content owners, designers and web professionals to review, edit and update the content, implement the new web design and establish cross-links throughout the intranet site. Finally, Kesher worked with Genentech to formally launch the new suite of tools to all Genentech managers, and established a process for future updates.

"I am very pleased about the redesigned Manager Tool Kit on gWiz with its improved navigation, broader content and new features based on feedback from managers from all areas of Genentech," said Denise Smith-Hams, Senior Vice President of Human Resources. "Managers can use this source to get the information they need quickly and easily."

McKesson

Designing a Change Management Program
Helping McKesson project managers be change leaders

Business Challenge
McKesson's IT organization realized that even with an ideal technical solution, a project's success depends on understanding the customer's needs and managing the normal resistance everyone has to change. McKesson's HR IT organization hired Kesher to develop a tool kit, program and set of resources to educate their project managers to also be effective change leaders.

Solution
With a very aggressive timeline, Kesher created a curriculum comprised of a five-chapter Change Leaders' Guide, a set of eight corresponding tools, an action plan template and a communication plan template. Each of the five chapters is based on a change management principle, and includes: background information, key terms, tools to support the principle, instructions for using the tools, guidelines on how and what to communicate, and general tips.

This guide was designed to be used both as an instructor-led teleconference class as well as a self-service guide.

Old Navy

Creating an Internal Brand
Bringing a sense of fun and consistency to Old Navy's learning and development course offerings

Business Challenge
Anyone who has shopped at Old Navy knows that the company’s brand is one of fun, playfulness and accessibility.

Old Navy is also committed to their employees' success, and offers hundreds of courses to help their employees in their jobs and to support their careers. With such a wealth of training opportunities, Old Navy wanted to make it easier for employees to understand and navigate everything that was available to them. The company brought in Kesher Consulting to both create a fun framework for their suite of offerings, and develop an overall communications campaign.

Solution
Kesher used the concept of travel to create a more interesting and easily understood collection of communication vehicles and marketing pieces. Just like travel, training and development is something that should be fun, adventurous, exploratory and widens one’s experiences. Posters asked employees, "Have you had an adventure lately?", and each curriculum was a different color-coded “track” on the map.

"You were a blast to work with. Thanks for your patience with our process and delivering a great product," said Carmen Allison, Senior Director of HR at Old Navy. "We can't wait to show off your work at our upcoming expo," Carmen said, referencing the employee "expo" where the campaign was launched.

GENENTECH

Launching EHS's Internal Brand via the Web
Creating an audience-centric intranet site for Genentech's Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) organization

Business Challenge
Genentech's mission is to meet the unmet medical needs of its patients. With such an important mission, the biotechnology company places a high importance on the environment, health and safety of their employees. It is the ultimate focus of EHS to ensure nothing interrupts the work in meeting this mission. EHS brought in Kesher Consulting to help communicate this focus, and create an implementation strategy for its new departmental brand, "Protecting Our People, Environment and Pipeline."

Solution
After a series of interviews and research including employee surveys and focus groups, Kesher Consulting determined that the best way to engage employees in the new brand was to update the department's most widely-used communication vehicle: its departmental intranet site. The goal was to create a clear and simple information design, reflecting the new brand, so that each of EHS's client audiences whether in the lab, in the plant or in an office could easily find and access the relevant information to do their jobs.

"Kesher Consulting facilitated the requirements gathering and strategic decision-making parts of the project, and managed a team of web and graphic designers for the implementation," said Chris Dempsey, Senior Business Systems Analyst for Genentech's EHS department. By redesigning the website's information architecture and content, Kesher made the website easy to navigate and understand.

"The project ended successfully, on time and under budget," said Chris.

MCKESSON

Creating a Corporate Compliance Campaign
Educating McKesson employees on software licensing compliance

Business Challenge
We're all familiar with the "I Agree" button that appears whenever software is installed on our computers. Often times, the button is clicked without much thought to what we're agreeing to.

The essence of software licensing compliance is making sure that a company holds appropriate licenses for any software installed on its computers. While not necessarily the most exciting or glamorous topic, compliance is critical to any company from a legal perspective, and has direct ties to a company's finances and reputation.

While McKesson had the basic policy in place, the company brought in Kesher Consulting because it recognized that the key to any successful corporate policy – and initiative – is ensuring that employees are aware of that policy; understand that policy; and, ultimately, take the appropriate action at the appropriate time to be compliant with that policy.

Solution
Kesher developed a communications campaign strategy and plan around "Understanding Software Licensing Compliance," connecting the concept with an easily recognized image: the "I Agree" button.

After extensive research, audience analysis and interviews, Kesher developed a messaging platform to reinforce the idea that software licensing compliance is about more than following the rules it's about doing the right thing. This campaign also reinforces and aligns with McKesson's values and principles.

The messaging and communication vehicles work to build awareness, strengthen understanding and encourage software licensing compliance across the organization. In addition to a creative suite of communication resources, Kesher's communications plan also included ways to integrate software licensing compliance into existing and future projects, systems and programs.

"I must say the thought leadership and work that has gone into this communications plan is impressive," said John Schwartzenberger, McKesson’s Director of Corporate IT Asset Management.