We had already discussed in this article the cost of demotivation and disengagement at work. At the end of last June, a competition was held for the Human Engagement Award, awarded by BFM Business. We wanted to revisit this to understand how people, at the heart of a large group’s strategy, are a factor of success.
The Human Engagement Award recognizes a company that has distinguished itself either by valuing people, by its ability to create jobs, or by initiatives taken in terms of human resources management. While last year McDonald’s won this award, the 2017 edition saw the success of the Orange group.
Stéphane Richard, the group’s CEO, explains in the video below the philosophy of Orange’s program that earned them this distinction: Human Inside. Human Inside is a program that aims to place people before any other consideration when thinking about innovation.
So what is the philosophy of this program, and what allowed Orange to stand out to win this award?
Here are the 3 Key Points to Remember.
Orange’s Human Inside program is structured around 3 main innovation pillars. It is a radical way of conceiving and implementing innovation and change, both internally within the company and for its customers and users.
“Taming Technology to Bring it into our Lives”
- Accessibility: Human Inside advocates for the accessibility of innovation – technical advancements should not be reserved for the “Happy Few” but should improve the lives of the many.
- Usefulness: innovation must be especially useful to vulnerable people or those with disabilities.
- Reconciliation: in a somewhat “disembodied” digital world, where everything is virtual, it is necessary to recreate connection and meaning in change.
Orange’s CEO also emphasizes that the term “digitalization” of businesses and society is a “has-been” term, and that we must truly speak of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
He reiterates that his priority is that “no one at Orange should be left behind”. Change and transformation are at the heart of the group’s culture, and Stéphane Richard is keen for the group to continue on this path of adaptation, in a context where changes are multiplying and accelerating.
So, concretely, what levers has he activated internally to make Orange an innovative and human company?
Employee Engagement.
“In companies, what costs the most is disengagement”. Stéphane Richard then made it a point of honor to internally focus Orange’s strategy on employee engagement.
To measure this engagement, Stéphane Richard uses a particular metric: the pride of belonging to the Orange group. When he took over the group, only 39% of employees said they were proud to belong to the group, compared to 92% today. This is proof of the Human Inside program’s effectiveness and the importance of people in the company’s strategy.