Challenge

The problem I present is about a company that is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship  projects, due to the health contingency, due to COVID-19, it had to close its offices and maintain  all work activities, from the employees' homes. However, not all jobs can be performed remotely,  nor do all employees have the means and tools to perform them. In addition, it is necessary to  restructure the way of working, since the building, without being occupied, continues to generate  expenses, support events for entrepreneurs have been limited by the lack of financial solvency of  the company and sponsors, and there is a massive cut in personnel.

Selection

I selected the Mind Map tool to do this exercise, because it allows me to identify patterns and  have the perspectives of different actors, in addition to starting with the first steps towards what  the project can be and obtaining solutions to the problem I present. Considering using this tool as  indicated by Isabelle Guevara and Steven Rafferty in their book Growth, on the garage sale, it is possible  to take advantage of the information obtained, and encourage the creativity and usefulness of the  ideas, presenting the information, asking people to get involved in providing solutions and, as  Love Grant says, to obtain criteria for design, that is, to know the conditions that  must be covered for, the final solution.

Application

In charge of the company's Communication team, it begins by selecting a person from each  department, who was assigned the task of conducting virtual interviews with employees from  departments other than their own. In addition to asking all employees to anonymously answer a  questionnaire that was uploaded to the website, with the aim of knowing their moods, emotions,  frustrations, possibilities and obstacles about work.

The interview and questionnaire collected diverse information that allows knowing the current  concerns and desires of the employees, knowing the resources they have and their availability to  perform remote or face-to-face work, thus having a perspective of each employee. Each employee  was also asked to propose an idea to solve their employment situation and the general ones of the  company.

The information collected ranged from those who preferred to leave home to work, those who  have to go to work due to the nature of their job, those who are better off working from home.  The information was uploaded to the website, and assigning a different person from each  department to the interviews, they were asked to review the information, and take notes of what  caught their attention, also reminding them of the problem that is intended. sort out. Afterwards,  a virtual meeting was held to start a discussion that could enrich the exercise. The information was  classified and categorized, determining the jobs that have to be from the office, employees who  are not being productive in the building, who would like to go to work at the office and who are  working well from home.

They were also asked to participate in a role play in which they took the place of another  employee and an idea, to consider its feasibility or flexibility for that department or another, to  continue enriching the brainstorming.

Perspective and focus

This tool is characterized by showing the patterns of employees, how they are pigeonholed or  even allowing us to see that there are people who could change positions, to develop their talent.  In addition to also knowing the perspective of the employees, and in this case realizing that they  are open and willing to help the company and make it grow so that it continues to be their  workplace. From this exercise, ideas that go from personal and professional growth by  departments and therefore of the company stand out; solutions that propose training and advice,  staggered schedules, new ways of remote work, with resources provided by the company, new  lines of business and products; to promote empathy between employees, which improves  relationships between them, and support.

It would be worth trying this exercise, in person, but at the moment it is not possible, but it could  be useful and give us a new approach.

