How might we best define, communicate, and put into action the Corporate Relations Strategic Framework so that everyone on the full team is clear, motivated, and empowered?

On May 31, 2016, the Corporate Relations Leadership Team (CRLT) gathered in San Francisco for the CRLT 2.0 Blitz. The Blitz was designed to build on and refine the output from the Corporate Relations Team Blitz in early May.

Our objectives

• Define the Corporate Relations Strategic Framework (Why what we do matters/How we will go about doing it/What we will do).
• Identify and agree on the highest-priority projects for 2017.
• Identify and agree on key milestones to measure and report on our progress.
• Explore how we might best organize and operate to become the best Corporate Relations Agency in the world.

Desired outcomes

• Leadership and Corporate Relations Team are aligned to a shared vision, strategic objectives, and plan.
• Corporate Relations’ scope of work for 2017 is agreed.
• What success looks like for Corporate Relations is agreed, providing key milestones and metrics to use in reporting.
• Small bets for how we might become the best Corporate Relations Agency in the world are defined and assigned.

We used a variety of Think Wrong Drills to refine the Corporate Relations Strategic Framework, focus and prioritize the CR 3-Year Plan, refine our measures of success, and explore how we might best organize and operate to accomplish that.

Framer-in-Chief
Milestone Making
 

Love & Loathe
Loathe to Love
Brand Heroes
Brand Takeover

Draw It
 

Learn From Investment
Do It on Monday

WhyHowWhat
In or Out
Waypoints 3-Year Plan
 

Focus, alignment, priorities, and new possibilities.

The CRLT worked quickly to agree on a shared strategic framework, define what projects were in scope or out of scope for the next three years, select key milestones to measure progress and success, and map out our 3-year plan.

One
Shared Framework

Our
Next
Steps

Our 3-Year
Plan
 

Exploring New Ways
of Working

LFI and Smalls
Bets

The CRLT combined the best of the strategy frameworks to create a single framework.

The CRLT repeated additional cycles of Draw It—a Make Stuff Drill—to integrate the best of the full team’s thinking into a single framework to communicate Corporate Relations’ strategic focus and work.

We refined the plan developed in Carmel by the full team.

Using the plan created by the full CR Team with Milestone Making and Waypoints—Be Bold and Move Fast Drills—we asked ourselves:

“Which milestones will be most helpful in measuring our own progress—and in reporting to Bill and the EC?”

2016

June ’16

CR Lab  

Project Start: Global Digital Strategy and Governance 

Launch Medicines  

Project Start: Be the Breakthrough 

Milestone: When GNE is involved in the White House Moonshot Program 

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies 

Milestone: When we have an information graphic revealing our story mix 

Milestone: When we have picked a date for the next CR offsite

July ’16

Empower Communities

Project Start: Foundation Reboot Plan

Celebrate Science

Project Start: Science Podcasts—Two Scientists Walk into a Bar

Develop CR Professionals

Project Start: CR Development Plan

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Project Start: Internal Communications New How

Project Start: Small Bets for Internal Communications New How

Project Finish: Develop Strategy for Measuring and Communicating Impact on Employee Engagement

August ’16

CR Lab

Project Start: New CEO Plan 

Empower Communities

Project Finish: gWiz Home Page

Milestone: When we are maximizing gene.com content internally

Milestone: When Everyday Epic local campaign is approved

Launch Medicines

Project Start: Ocreuus Launch (Gather)

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Project Start: CR Governance Matrix

September ’16

Empower Communities

Project Start: Skills-Based Volunteering

Launch Medicines

Project Start: Behind the Science, Epic Science 

Celebrate Science

Project Start: Pipelineapalooza Campaign and Event Plan

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Project Start: CR Process Requirements

Project Start: Impact Framework Pilot (with gFRS)

October ’16

CR Lab

Project Start: Health Initiative Pilot

Milestone: When new global digital strategy is ready for implementation

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Project Start: Develop CR Recognition Program

November ’16

CR Lab

Milestone: When we have clear scope, resources, and staff for CR Lab

Empower Communities

Ongoing Project: gene.com

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Milestone: When we understand resource requirements and skill sets for Internal Communications New How

Milestone: When we have three examples of CR’s work positively impacting business results

December ’16

Empower Communities

Project Finish: Futurelab Impact Metrics Set

Launch Medicines

Milestone: When we have one-page media Q&As

Develop CR Professionals

Milestone: When we have a clear development process

Milestone: When we have budgets for individual development 

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Milestone: When we have consistent metrics across CR

2017

January ’17

CR Lab

Project Start: New CEO Introduction

Milestone: When we own digital channels and ecosystem

Milestone: When we run digital globally from South San Francisco

Empower Communities

Project Start: Foundation Reboot (transition ends Q218)

Milestone: When Everyday Epic local campaign launches

Launch Medicines

Project Start: External Communication Plan (for media engagement and created/owned publishers)

Celebrate Science

Milestone: When we have a better mix of science and product stories

Develop CR Professionals

Milestone: When we have appropriate additional resources for science communications

Milestone: When all employees can tell and share the CR vision

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Milestone: When we do a/b testing on internal communications to measure impact

February ’17

Empower Communities 

Milestone: When the first new gWiz pages go live

Launch Medicines 

Project Start: Corporate Group PR Plans (16+17)

Develop CR Professionals 

Project Start: Communication Super Heroes/Epic Adventures of Corporate Relations

Milestone: When we are able to complete our work in the regular work week

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Milestone: When we convince GEC to communicate visually rather than via long emails

March ’17

CR Lab

Ongoing Project Starts: Healthcare Initiative (Internal Launch)

Empower Communities 

Project Start: GEOS 2017 (Spring)

Project Start: CSR Steering Committee

April ’17

CR Lab

Ongoing Project: Internal Communications New How Launch

Milestone: When all employees have mobile devices

Celebrate Science 

Project Start: Pipelineapalooza Year

July ’17

Launch Medicines 

Project Start: Cell Campaign

Milestone: When people understand that we do more than oncology

Develop CR Professionals 

Milestone: When each CR employee knows and understands the career opportunities available to them

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies 

Project Start: GeeHive (holistic approach—every CR employee is an influencer and can discuss all CR)

Milestone: When GEOS work process scores improve

Milestone: When career development is no longer a top area for CR identified in GEOS

August ’17

Empower Communities 

Milestone: When the next round of new gWiz pages go live

Develop CR Professionals 

Milestone: When we are cultivating leadership and management skills at all levels

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies 

Project Finish: Impact Framework First Reporting

September ’17

CR Lab

Project Start: Health Initiative Communication Campaign (External)

Empower Communities 

Project Finish: Skills-Based Volunteering (all programs established)

October ’17

Empower Communities 

Milestone: When new hubs go live on gene.com

November ’17

Empower Communities 

Milestone: When gene.com corporate, pages, CSR, and HR go live

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Milestone: When CR has business processes defined and operating for all things that merit a process

December ’17

Empower Communities 

Project Start: gWiz Employee Community

Project Finish: Everyday Epic 2017 (local)

Celebrate Science 

Project Finish: Pipelineapalooza concludes

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Project Finish: Impact Framework v2.0 (includes initial scope discussions)

2018

January ’18

CR Lab

Project Start: gCulture (renewing employee energy and commitment to Genentech)

Project Finish: New CEO Intro

Milestone: When Internal Communications New How is more thoroughly embedded

Empower Communities

Milestone: When we take Everyday Epic far and wide

Launch Medicines 

Milestone: When every launch feels like Avastin for employees

Celebrate Science 

Milestone: When we are a “go to” resource for medical science education

Milestone: When employees have a solid working knowledge of the Genentech pipeline

Milestone: When employees take pride in Genentech science

Develop CR Professionals 

Milestone: When every CR team member can influence and negotiate with business partners

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Project Start: Brandstar (program to recognize non-CR people living and bringing the brand to life)

Milestone: When legal and regulatory give consistent direction

Milestone: When we have a big beautiful brand library for all employees

February ’18

CR Lab

Milestone: When the press release is re-imagined 

Empower Communities

Ongoing Project Start: Foundation Reboot Communication

Celebrate Science 

Milestone: When there is an easy way to keep up to speed on medicines and science 

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Milestone: When we can demonstrate the impact of programs on employee engagement 

March ’18

CR Lab

Milestone: When employees can name the GEC and the role they play

June ’18

CR Lab

Project Start: Well-being Program (POV + Initiative)

Empower Communities

Project Start: Skills-Based Volunteering Communications, Reporting, Celebration

Project Finish: Foundation Reboot (transition ends)

Celebrate Science 

Project Start: Project Hero (external speaker program with Genentech leaders)

Develop CR Professionals 

Milestone: When we have strategically acceptable ways to say “no” to low-value work, or to contract the work with business partners

July ’18

Empower Communities

Ongoing Project Start: Futurelab Impact Reporting

Milestone: When no employees complain that their managers don’t support volunteerism

August ’18

CR Lab

Ongoing Project Start: Health Initiative Impact Reporting

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Project Finish: Impact Reporting v2.0

December ’18

Empower Communities

Ongoing Project Start: Scaling Futurelab

Milestone: When local communities rank us as the #1 employer

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Project Finish: Impact Reporting v3.0 (changes to giving focus and funding)

2019

Q1 ’19

Empower Communities

Project Start: Futurelab Recognition

Launch Medicines 

Milestone: When Gather goes live

Celebrate Science

Project Start: Crazy in Science (making science accessible Netflix/UCSF documentation)

Milestone: When we have one million podcast followers

Develop CR Professionals 

Project Start: Future of CR (coms and tech trends/ways of working trends)

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies

Milestone: When the organization engages us appropriately and at the right time 

Q2 ’19

Empower Communities

Milestone: When we are nationally recognized for our giving programs (PHI/FL)

Celebrate Science 

Milestone: When our education programs or scientists are featured at TED

Q3 ’19

Improve CR Systems, Processes, and Policies 

Ongoing Project Start: Impact Framework Reporting 

Q4 ’19

Celebrate Science 

Milestone: When we do the “Serial” of podcasts 

 2020

Q1 ’20 

Celebrate Science

Milestone: When there is a National Biotech Day

What if we could not organize Corporate Relations the way we are organized today?

We used Draw It—a Make Stuff Drill—to explore new models for how Corporate Relations might be organized and operate.

Why might we reorganize—and what do we need to know to get it right?

We used Learn From Investment—a Small Bet Drill—to identify the most important questions we might consider if we were to rethink how Corporate Relations works. 

Our Big Questions

What might our explicit goals be for this change?

What problem are we solving?

How might functional work get done?

How might we develop these new skills?

How might we preserve deep expertise while developing broader capabilities?

Do we have the right people?

How might we know if it is working or not?

How might we identify projects we might try this on?

How might we sell this to our business partners—why might they buy in?

Our Small Bets

We used Do It on Monday—also a Small Bet Drill—to design low-risk experiments to help us make progress on those questions. 

Small Bet

What are our explicit goals for driving this? What problem are we solving?

3 Resources

1. Survey Monkey
2. Officer Interviews
3. Future Pro-Bono Facilitation

2 Colleagues

1. Craig
2. Holli

5 Days

Day 1:
a) CR Survey to identify gaps and areas of satisfaction
b) External survey to identify what is valued most and gaps

Day 2: Distill

Day 3: Interview five rock-star officers on how they have solved similar problems

Day 4: Mock up a model to solve these problems with one pilot

Day 5: Survey on mockup (Who?)

Small Bet

What are our explicit goals for driving this? What problem are we solving?

3 Resources

Three Leadership Team Members (any combo) to write questions

2 Colleagues

1. Ragnar
2. Allison V.

50 Dollars

Survey Monkey to entire CR Team asking one question per day.

5 Days

Day 1: Current Org—What’s working? What’s not working?

Day 2: Future Org—How might they organize CR?

Day 3: Improvements—What might enable them more?

Day 4: Aspirations—What would inspire them?

Day 5: More?

Small Bet

Do we have the right people?

Do they have the willingness and open mindset required to change?

3 Resources

1. Corporate Relations Leadership Team
2. Organizational Design Consultant (External)
3. Survey Tool or Interviewer

2 Colleagues

TBD

50 Dollars

$50.00 worth of lottery tickets for participants

5 Days

Mon: Figure out questions/Clarify and articulate objectives

Tue: Review questions with Leadership Team

Wed: Ask!

Thu: Assess

Fri: Margaritas, Tequila Shots, Party

Small Bet

How might we develop new skills?

3 Resources

Three small, well-defined, and time-bound projects

2 Colleagues

Two CRLT members to serve as mentors or coaches

50 Dollars

One kick-off lunch with appetizers and drinks

5 Days

Day 1: Introduce Project

Day 2: Coach Day

Day 3: Execute

Day 4: Execute

Day 5: Evaluate and Feedback

Small Bet

How might we sell to business partners?

3 Resources

1. Corporate Relations Staff
2. Corporate Relations Leadership Team
3. Beth Weinstein

2 Colleagues

1. Nancy V.
2. James S.

or

1. Carla
2. Troy

50 Dollars

Lunch for both

5 Days

Day 1: Work with Beth

Day 2: Create elevator pitch/slide deck

Day 3: Test with trusted business partners

Day 4: Get feedback from Bill/Ian

Day 5: Meet with key stakeholders

Our Next Steps

Over the course of the CRLT 2.0 Blitz, the Leadership Team:

• Refined the CRLT Strategic Framework
• Mapped projects (including six from the CR Team Blitz) onto the Corporate Relations 3-year plan
• Identified the most useful milestones to measure Corporate Relations’ progress and impact

The CRLT agreed to the following next steps:

06.07.16

Future: Complete Updated CR Team Report

06.08.16

CRLT: Meet and Evaluate 2019

06.15.16

CRLT: Agree on Priorities and Asks

Department Survey: CR Team Offsite Evaluation and Feedback

06.15.16–06.30.16

Geoff: Communicate to Department

Team Leaders: Communicate to Teams

Week of 06.27.16

Consult with Beth on High-Level Org Design

07.05.16

Pulse Survey Results

07.01.16–07.31.16

Socialize Plan, Priorities, and Asks with Decision Makers

Determine Final Scope of Work (In and Out)

High-Level Stakeholder Socialization of 3-Year Plan

08.14.16

Submit Plan

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