Effective digital collaboration across national borders

Novo Nordisk

One of Novo Nordisk's large research organizations is spread over locations in Denmark and the USA. This entails using many resources on travel, and there is an inherent risk of missing out on knowledge sharing. Digital collaboration is the obvious solution, but the projects are complicated, and it can be difficult to carry out the complex dialogues digitally, if you are unable to draw on shared whiteboards, or not look at the same laboratory equipment, etc.

Via workshops and surveys, Resonans Nordic mapped which work processes could potentially be carried out virtually in the future, as well as how new processes should be designed. The aim was to select a few tools with particularly high potential to improve virtual collaboration – e.g., digital whiteboards, HoleLens glasses etc.

Subsequently, the technical set up was optimized to make it easy for individuals to participate in the selected processes – e.g., better conference screens and large digital whiteboards were purchased. At the same time, targeted user guides were prepared with a clear focus on the functions that were to be used in the new processes. Finally, all employees were onboarded. This happened through communication and short workshops in the individual teams, where everyone got hands-on experience with the selected tools, as well as the opportunity to discuss and get a joint experience on how to use the new tools.

Long-term collaboration on professionalization and policy making

Nordic Council of Ministers

As a consulting agency for the Nordic Council of Ministers, Resonans Nordic has worked in all aspects of Nordic cooperation for a period of 10 years. We have organized major conferences and seminars across national borders, carried out evaluations and analyses of Nordic organizations and the Nordic area, and acted as a close advisor at all levels in the Nordic Council of Ministers.

New Nordic tax agreement - post Covid

In the aftermath of the pandemic, remote working became very common. Today, this creates major problems in terms of tax, as employees and companies risk facing tax problems, as the Nordic tax agreement is not optimized for remote work. 

Resonans Nordic established a collaboration with KPMG focused on creating an overview of all the tax problems that hinder mobility - post covid. With the report we visited each Nordic country to verify national issues with the social partners and governments. The report is subsequently to be handed over to the cooperation and finance ministers of the Nordics in order to get the Nordic tax agreement revised on a verified basis supported by the social partners.

New organization in the Nordic Council of Ministers

The Nordic Council of Ministers has existed for 60 years. Over the years, there have been no major changes in the structure of the organization itself. Therefore, Resonans Nordic was asked to identify how the Nordic Council of Ministers could carry out its work more efficiently. Everything from processes, structure and collaboration was up for evaluation.

Resonans Nordic interviewed all employees via a survey and a selected group via qualitative interviews and focus groups. We then wrote the report, which has been used as a guideline for the development of the new Nordic Council of Ministers. One of our conclusions was that the Nordic Council of Ministers has a target-driven vision, but a subject-driven organisation, which makes it difficult to work towards the vision. Resonans Nordic helped present input for the new organization to the employees and has been an integrated party to the process ever since.

Tailored communication training for managers and employees

ALK Abello

Resonans Nordic has worked for ALK Abello for several years and trained a number of managers and employees in the European organization. The results have proved to be so good that we are in the process of conceptualizing a training course in targeted messages for all ALK offices around the world.

The concept starts with a 360-degree evaluation of the participant's communication followed by individual coaching. At the end of the course, the participant is coached prior to a specific event where the leader must make an important presentation.

Evolving internal leadership communication to the next level

Nordea Group

After many years as a somewhat conventional and conservative organization, the largest financial institution in the Nordics, Nordea, wanted to change gear. The aim was to develop a more engaging internal leadership communication.

We helped Nordea develop a new internal leadership communications strategy (“People, Passion & Values”) lifting a rather conventional one-way information effort to a much more dynamic, dialogue-based and engaging internal communication. The new way of communicating was based on tools like a digital leadership communication training centre, incorporation of dialogue in the group internal news platforms, videos, town-halls, pop-up events etc.

For two extended periods we were asked to take strategic and operational lead on all group internal leadership communications and on the team of internal communicators in Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden and thus lead on all quarterly communication, major organizational changes, daily corporate news, and crisis communications.

Examples of concrete cases were being part of the "war room" to handle communications in relation to ‘the Panama Papers’, being lead on the internal implementation of Nordea's new corporate brand and being the communication lead on a big cultural transformation journey to accommodate more customer focus in the whole company.

We have previously helped develop a training programme on digital meetings for Nordea's customer advisors, just as we have rewritten a large number of customer letters to make the letters easy to understand – and thus reduce pressure on the bank's customer hotline.

Many years of collaboration on campaigns, seminars, etc.

University of Copenhagen

Resonans Nordic has worked for the University of Copenhagen for the last 10 years. We have carried out many diverse tasks – from conferences, seminars, training courses to major campaigns aimed at both employees and students.

Example: Optimal IT security with campaign for over 60,000 students and employees

The University of Copenhagen has strong focus on improving IT security and meeting the strict requirements of a modern university. This puts new demands on the employees. They must adopt new tools and be aware of phishing emails. 

Resonans Nordic developed an overall campaign strategy for the university's communication about IT security and the implementation of new, related tools. The focus has been on creating a new safety culture with a coherent, comprehensible narrative and at the same time making it easy to change behaviour and use the new tools via targeted user guides, short videos, e-learning etc.

A three-day training course in leadership communication

The Courts of Denmark

The Courts of Denmark are increasingly experiencing changes, which make great demands on the managers' communication.

Resonans Nordic developed and carried out a training course aimed at the specific needs of The Courts of Denmark. Via feedback from close colleagues and employees, the managers were given a 360-degree analysis of their communication. The analysis was discussed at an initial coaching session, where the manager started filling in a personal action plan to be used for the rest of the course. The participants met in teams on three subsequent training days, where the programme alternated between short theoretical presentations, discussions, and hands-on training.

Think tank as policy making

Nordic Council

Analyses show that in 10-15 years’ time the Nordic region will be short of hundreds of thousands of skilled workers. This makes it difficult to support the green transition, strengthen health services, and effectively develop new technologies. The Nordic Council wished to inspire the national parliaments to develop the area strategically by creating coherence and synergy among schools, business, trade unions and politicians.

The solution was to bring together in a joint think tank the parties who can influence the challenges. The idea was to bring all perspectives and ideas into play and create a forum where the actors could collaborate on sustainable solutions to the challenges – solutions that have the natural support of those who are to implement them.

The think tank consisted of representatives of the social partners, vocational schools, young people, and parliamentarians from the Nordic Council. It came up with recommendations for concrete measures, which were collected in a report to be used by Nordic Council politicians and distributed among parliamentarians in the Nordics.

The Nordic Council can reuse the project methodology in other problem areas where a broad and coherent political effort is needed.

Long-standing collaboration on communication and organizational development

Beck

Beck Pack Systems is a medium-sized Danish company with production and sales offices in Denmark and the USA and an agent network in 15 markets. The company produces packaging for the global fishing industry.

We have for many years been Beck's agency helping them with internal and external communications, PR, crisis communications, branding and marketing, big events, customer and employee surveys, as well as organizational changes and development.