Embedding culture for a new digital proposition

the client 

Prudential originally opened its doors in Poland in 1927 and successfully offered life insurance products in that country until the Second World War intervened and they ceased trading.  In the light of an analysis of the current business opportunities, the business was keen to re-enter the Polish marketplace offering a new suite of life insurance products which would meet the particular requirements of the Polish people.  

the desired outcome 

The design, build and launch of a completely new venture. It was not only the creation of new Life Products but also a capability to design and implement a new digitally enabled business from the UK prior to having legal, regulatory and Group approval, right through to fully establishing the new business in Poland. Maintaining the Prudential brand and ethos were key, as well as meeting regulatory requirements in both the UK and Poland.  

the objective 

Whilst the top line objective was to design, build and launch a new business in Poland which would deliver sales, growth and profitability in line with the approved business case, the proposition had to draw on Prudential’s worldwide expertise to deliver differentiation and competitive advantage. They asked CC to: 

– Develop a programme that would engage and align employees to deliver the programme on time 

– Assist employees to overcome the barriers to the digital aspect of the programme 

– Take cultural best practice from their UK and Asian offices and design a culture blueprint for Poland- factoring in local Polish practices 

the approach 

insight

Creating a new proposition from scratch requires a multi-faceted approach, particularly if that proposition involves a move into a new product line of a new country as well as a move to a brand new digital process. Our approach focused on the customer journey, ensuring that Prudential’s values and a differentiated experience were being delivered by employees. 

design

Our role was to align and engage people across the multi-disciplinary programme which called on participants from 7 locations in 4 countries. This included developing and agreeing critical success factors, creating a set of design principles to guide the design thinking/decision making as well as aligning behaviours across the different locations to ensure continuity of programme culture and approach. Leading the cross-functional Business Design Group was also one of our key responsibilities in ensuring clarity, understanding and alignment across the entire programme delivery team. 

Although the product was being launched for the Polish market it still had to meet the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requirements and this brought its own challenges in ensuring that the beliefs and behaviours instilled in the Polish team were concurrent with thinking in the UK finance sector. Equally, aligning the thinking and behaviours of the UK team to the Polish national culture differences as well as the regulatory requirements of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) was also critical. 

embed

We were required to add our expertise in embedding a digital mindset to help employees overcome the barriers to digital to the brand new app offering information and application to consumers. Differing cultures, as well as regulations and processes, were aligned to ensure a successful route to market and beyond. 

Developing, designing and managing the transition was vital for the success of the project. This drew on our expertise in stakeholder management, project engagement, governance, overcoming objections and transition management. Here, we were able to particularly draw on our experience of cultural and behavioural change and ensure that everyone was fully aligned with the aims and values of the project.  

the results 

“Prudential is now the second most preferred company in Poland in its field.” – Source:  www.prudential.co.uk  Prudential Poland have made significant inroads into the life insurance market, with brand awareness in the top 10 life insurance companies in Poland and rising. There are Prudential offices in 16 Polish cities and a sales force of over 600 agents, all of whom are equipped with tablets, and the company has passed the 10,000 policy mark.  

testimonial

“Culture Consultancy were able to take a very ambiguous and high-level brief and develop a detailed and thorough solution, outlining a clear road map for other colleagues to pick up as the programme we worked on moving from planning into an execution phase. They were also able to work collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders across the organisation, quickly winning their trust and confidence, which was absolutely critical.” 

Richard Wazacz, COO Europe, Prudential  

We’ve got decades of experience when it comes to complex cultures. Find out how we can create simplicity from complexity for your business.