Background
In implementing the City of Hyvinkää’s strategy, we wanted to include the views of residents, decision-makers, and especially the personnel. Our goal was to create a strategy process that would wrap around all stakeholders. When the strategy was decided, we understood that implementation would require time and effort. From this arose the idea of using a strategy game to involve the personnel.
Game design
In designing the game, we carefully considered the different parts of the strategy. We wanted to highlight flagship projects, supporting pillars, and the role of personnel in implementing the strategy. We selected the most relevant issues from the personnel’s perspective so that they could participate and bring their own strengths to achieving the strategy’s goals.
Game implementation
We organized nine events where the personnel had the opportunity to participate in playing the strategy game. During the game, discussions were lively, and people from different parts of the organization shared their thoughts and perspectives. Many noted that the game opened new viewpoints and challenged them to think about things in a different way.
“Muutostaito as a partner and the strategy game as a board game have been a really great thing and a successful solution. I encourage others to join in as well, especially if you are thinking about ways to implement strategy differently. This opened new perspectives for us.”
– Johanna Luukkonen, Mayor
Experiences
The best part of the game was that around the game table there were personnel from different parts of the city – from schools, kindergartens, and administration. Everyone brought their own perspective and enriched the discussion. Cooperation with Muutostaito and the implementation of the game created continuity for the discussions and left good experiences.
“Gamifying the strategy was a good way to involve the personnel. The game included different perspectives, and it highlighted how important it is to hear different voices in implementing the strategy.”
– Pinja Perholehto, Chair of the City Council
The project has shown that using a strategy game is an effective and inspiring way to implement strategy in an organization. We warmly recommend this approach to anyone looking for a different way to involve their personnel in implementing the strategy.
Results
Muutostaito’s partnership and the strategy game turned out to be a success for the City of Hyvinkää. The game opened new perspectives, promoted cooperation, and created a foundation for achieving a shared goal. This experience proves that creativity and innovativeness can be used in strategy implementation, and that it can bring positive changes to the organization.
Muutostaito can support strategy implementation through a strategy game or other dialogical tools.
The game can be designed, for example, for a single leadership event, or it can cover a broader part of the entire organization. Muutostaito has facilitated strategy workshops in Finnish, English, Swedish, and German. In larger projects, it is advisable to involve the organization’s internal facilitators or managers.
We also provide long-term support for strategy execution after the workshops by systematically using leadership and manager-led strategy checkpoints and by measuring the practical implementation of the strategy.
For further information
Sami Sarén
sami.saren@muutostaito.fi
+358 400 353 652