STORY OF CHANGE
MOTORISTS INSURANCE GROUP COLUMBUS, OHIO
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Innovation is a broad term. Because of this, every organization defines it in their own unique way. Uncovering how an organization innovates is the real trick. The “how” will enable relevancy in today’s ever-changing market place.
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- TODD BOYER, AIA
YOU KNOW US. Motorists Insurance Group is a mutual company owned by policyholders. Their customers and agents are priority and their tagline, “You Know Us,” captures and embodies this personal experience between them. The building, located on East Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio, can’t be mistaken for any other company with the tag, “Motorists,” posted at the top of the building like a badge they wear proudly. Motorists prides themselves on being local and continues to use their influence to impact the community. Being a customer with Motorists means having a connection to Columbus and the Midwest. That’s a safe bet as the city is bursting with innovative, smart business. Motorists is changing the way insurance serves its customers, offering fresh perspectives on an outdated model. This new take on their business is exactly the reason Motorists teamed with WSA Studio. “The space takes it (the culture) to the next level. People can feel the energy and get behind a leadership change,” Todd Boyer said in a recent Columbus Business First article.
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VISION 2021: THE WINNING PLAN. The original building and Motorists’ headquarters had undergone very minor updates. The generational shifts started becoming very apparent and employees who had spent the entirety of their career were retiring, leaving a void to be filled by a younger generation. Motorists found they weren’t able to retain lasting employees because the environment inside the office wasn’t as progressive as the future demanded of it. “We weren’t winning,” John Kessler, Chief Information Officer said of Motorists in a recent Business First Article on their transformation. Enter, Vision 2021. Vision 2021 is the result of a company-wide introspective process driven by Motorists’ CEO, David
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Kaufman. Three core ideas were implemented to start a revolution of productive change and differentiate Motorists from the generic, everyday insurance company: Integrated Teaming, Responsive Communication, and Knowledge Management. The goal was to realign the company back to a people centric, communal unit as opposed to a product centric organization weighted heavily on the individual. This vision created a ripple effect that spread to every aspect of their operations. They began restructuring, redefining, and restoring their identity from the inside out. The embodiment of this shift started at The Intersection, the physical spaces on the second and third floor designated to technological innovation. It houses cross functional teams that are focused on the supportive nature of technology in reference to the customer experience.
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INNOVATION
CULTURE IDENTITY
FLEXIBILITY
CAN’T WIN IF YOU DON’T TRY. Vision 2021’s first and arguably largest initiative was to improve the client interface and the way in which agents and clients interact. The most efficient way to produce positive results was to apply a lot of effort in cultivating the IT department at Motorists: websites, graphics, branding, and, for all intensive purposes, space. The idea was to create a space that inspired innovation in a way the company hadn’t really experienced, in a way that positively impacted the way people reacted to the new Motorists brand. The second-floor space is designed for collaboration. It’s a mix of unassigned work stations, conference rooms, a gaming area, and multiple soft seating arrangements totaling to 15 distinct working zones. It’s all about choice. The kitchen is large, inviting all departments for lunch to celebrate togetherness in a common area. All conference rooms are transparent glass to keep employees conscious of the happenings. Each individual is part of the whole. The space is laced with glass walls as a reminder of what is to come. Technology and innovation are at the forefront of this transformation and they’re pushing it out to their employees. Everyone who enters this building walks by and recognizes they’re part of a brand that is making good things happen. This is deliberate.
THE INTERSECTION PART I: BUSINESS INNOVATION CENTER
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NEWCO, NEWDIGS. Spanning from the success of the Business Innovation Center, phase two of The Intersection emerged on the third floor. The NewCo Division gathered some elements of the BIC that supported and maximized growth of the company in totality. Unlike the BIC, the third floor houses an entirely separate company designated to sustain their commercial insurance lines. The assortment of workstations supports the various occupations habituating the third-floor space. The conference rooms are larger and cross functional. The huddle and conference areas are flexible and can be transformed into mock offices for training agents. The overall aesthetic of the third floor is very similar to the second floor to keep up with the theme of Vision 2021: a unified, people centric core.
THE INTERSECTION PART II: INNOVATION NEWCO
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ADAPTATION
TECHNOLOGY
COLLABORATION
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AXONOMETRIC WORKPLACE. The Motorists Business Innovation Center offers a wide range of settings for workers. User choice is at the core of the different working conditions throughout the Innovation Center. The workplace offers choice, adaptation, and flexibility to absorb trends and shifts over time. Flexibility is extremely important.
CASUAL COLLABORATION
LIVING ROOM
TRAINING
TEAM MEETING
HUDDLE SPACE
TELEPRESENCE
CLUBHOUSE
TOUCH BASE
VIDEO COLLABORATION
FOCUSED WORKSPACE
FUN
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ABOUT THE JOURNEY: WHAT WE LEARNED. Risk is a radical idea for an insurance company, considering they have risk assessment managers to avoid it all together. The second-floor Business Innovation Center was a risk that proved wildly successful for Motorists and for WSA Studio. For Motorists it was evidence of the company’s growth. They put in a lot of effort to push their intentions outward. For WSA Studio it was developing a partnership with a company who was willing to risk jumping on board with something relatively new to the area. The idea of an innovation center was new and Motorists needed something new and radical to thrive. Lessons Learned: The Green-Eyed Monster The idea behind the innovation center was that distant transparency would create a sense of inclusion. Everyone could see action happening, but they would be able to do their separate work. The glass-walled conference rooms created a sense of unity. Incorporating a game room and a foosball table into the design was important to the creating the culture, but placing the game room against the glass wall that lined the hallway all employees pass by on their way to their individual cubicles upstairs in one of the outdated offices created some animosity. Employees were feeling jealous, like they weren’t as valued as the IT department because they didn’t get the shiny new office with the bells and whistles. The on-site location of the Innovation Center was supposed to
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represent hope, the idea that big things were coming, and it did, and it does, but it also represents some resentment amongst those who haven’t yet experienced the euphoria of renovation. This is a lesson learned when transitioning to the third floor. All the “games” are hidden. Lessons Learned: Risk Assessment It’s the general understanding that an insurance company might not be as adventurous in terms of what they’re willing to risk in supporting their future. Change is hard for the average person, let alone a company that evaluates risk to produce revenue. Motorists is comprised of a group of knowledgeable individuals that placed their trust in WSA Studio to make the right decisions in terms of partnerships. The leadership is and has been unwavering in making decisions and have given their teams the support needed to brand a revolution. Each component has its own specialty and beyond that, knows their value and aligns the expectations with the team based on the job. The processes have been adapted to consistently fit by generating relationships based on expectations. Consistency eliminates risk as well as the time dedicated to a successful implementation. Consistency also keeps the project within budget. The seams become less rigid when everyone has the same expectations.
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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Since these renovations began in 2014, Motorists Insurance Group has signed on to do so much more. In cultivating a partnership with WSA Studio, they have expanded from an old and very average office space to a technology intensive double innovation center known as The Intersection, a locker room for employees with a fitness center, smaller renovations on multiple floors in the tower, a new website and brand, new acquired companies, and the idea of more.
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The kit of tools WSA Studio provided has increased their sense that the risk was worth it. They have grown. They have acquired talent. They have retained talent. They have created a culture with a presence and an improved client interface. The next steps include improving more common areas to continue improving the way in which Motorists Insurance Group aptly serves clients. The next steps in terms of Vision 2021? They’re infinite.
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