BNG Strategy activation and mobilisation
The Challenge
At the end of 2019, the need arose at BNG Bank to refine its strategy for the coming years in order to be able to keep up with the rapid developments in the financial and public sector. After a first reflection on the role of BNG Bank in society and the challenges it faced, they consciously opted for an inclusive, adaptive approach to determine the course and activate mobilization of the entire organization. The strategy director had already had good experiences with our help in the past and decided to call us back in.
How did we help
After an initial exploratory session with the management team, we developed the first phase of the strategy process together with BNG Bank in February 2020: organizing two “driving sessions” with the management team to further flesh out the strategic framework - based on GroupMapping philosophy. And COVID-19 put a stop to that and so we went digital!
Four half-day online driving sessions with the entire management team enriched and bought-in the basis for the strategy. BNG Bank has validated this basis by seeking parallel coordination with experts from within and outside the organization.
Halfway through this process, we started with the design and preparation of the second phase: the activation and mobilization of the 370 employees around the strategy. It was decided to do this in the form of a strategy exhibition: a tour along 26 more than man-sized panels on which the history of BNG Bank, the reason for the strategic framework, the purpose, core values, ambition and the details of the strategic focus came to the fore. On top of this, we designed a process of assignments, conversations and an audio tour so that a maximum of 15 people (the virus was raging ...) in about 3 hours could experience the strategy and make a translation to their department and their own individual reality.
And then the Netherlands went into lockdown again and the Strategy Exposition had to go digital. Because we had already “slightly” taken this into account in the design, this was realized in an afternoon, after which the sessions could be digitally progressed the next day.
►If you want to read how we worked digitally: you can find here the detailed description of the sessions and Strategy Exhibition via Microsoft Teams and Miro
The Outcome
The 12-member management team and various experts from the organization have jointly formulated a strategic framework in which they have jointly established the frameworks and foundations for the substantive strategy for the organization.
In addition, the 370 employees have gained a deep understanding of the strategic framework, the 'why' behind this strategy and have contributed to the translation of the strategy to their own departments and daily work. This has yielded more than 30 elaborate pieces of input for the 2021 department plans and more than 700 completed templates with expressions of pride, concern, insights for further refinement of the strategy, translations into behavior and answers on how to bring the strategy to execution. All these results have been made available digitally (Miro) to the entire organization.
With these pieces of input from all employees, BNG Bank's strategy has been enriched and the course that BNG Bank will follow in the coming years has been given further color.
About BNG Bank
With a balance sheet of more than EUR 130 billion, BNG Bank is the fourth largest bank in the Netherlands and a relevant player in the financing of local government, housing, healthcare, education, energy and infrastructure. BNG Bank does not strive for profit maximization but for social impact.
Founded in 1914, the bank is a two-tier company. Shareholders of the bank are exclusively public authorities. The State holds half of the shares, the other half is owned by municipalities, provinces and a water board. BNG Bank is one of the largest issuers in the Netherlands after the State. The debt paper issued by BNG Bank has a credit rating of AAA from Standard & Poor's (S&P), Aaa from Moody's and AAA from Fitch. BNG Bank is one of the most creditworthy banks in the world.
‘Different, Energy, Tornado, Fun, Together. Creating change together, feels like a celebration!’ - Freya van der Kroef, Hoofd Strategie BNG Bank
