Accelerated
Solutions
Environment
”In the ASE you can achieve results that otherwise would have taken you
4-6 months, if you managed to achieve them at all.”
Dr. Manfred Knof (CEO Allianz Suisse)
Capgemini uses the ASE approach to make change processes in organisa-tions a success. It is a component of Capgemini’s change management ap-proach and one of the most prominent methods in the context of our Collaborative Business Experience™.
What is ASE?
The abbreviation ASE stands for
“Accelerated Solutions Environment” and describes a special creative working envi-ronment in which large teams
undergo an intensive working process and together resolve complex issues. Classic ASE events last for up to three
Supported by a qualified facilitation team, feasible solutions are developed and change processes successfully designed. ASE events are usually integrated in a project in order to accelerate alignment and decision-making processes.
What results does ASE achieve? Contrary to traditional approaches, in ASE events all key stakeholders simulta-neously develop a sustainable solution – using their knowledge and experience as well as all relevant facts. This creates an ideal foundation for the subsequent im-plementation because all required parties are already involved in concept design and planning.
The following practical results are achieved in an ASE event:
Quality – The simultaneous integration of
all relevant decision-makers and experts combined with fact-based discussions result in high-quality decisions and feasi-ble solutions that are actually implement-ed.
Acceleration – Consolidating all
im-portant topics at one point in time significantly reduces coordination cycles. Furthermore, implementing the solu-tion is noticeably accelerated because the stakeholders actively co-design the change process, which in turn also helps to reduce potential resistance.
Secure investments – The real-time
visualisation of prototypical solutions facilitates the joint definition of priorities between business and IT, thus safeguard-ing investments.
Alignment and commitment – The
highly productive teamwork in a given creative framework helps to increase the participants’ acceptance of and align-ment on the jointly developed solution.
”The ASE workshop was an outstanding event that enabled our team to achieve global
agreement of our system design. As I look back over the months since the event, I realize
we would not have global alignment and understanding with our business leaders without
the ASE workshop.“
When is ASE the right approach for your company?
The ASE approach can be used in all industries and for many topics. An ASE event is the right solution for your compa-ny if your situation features several of the following characteristics:
The issue is complex
Finding a solution requires broad knowledge, facts and experiences from different parts of the organisation The decision/ solution is urgently
re-quired
A multitude of interest groups has to be aligned on the solution
The shortcomings of traditional change approaches in organisations
The complexity of the challenges to be addressed has increased significantly and requires the participation of experts from ever more specialised disciplines. As a result, frequently the only choice is between
making quick (top management) deci-sions
Risk: false compromises, accepting gaps, widespread lack of commitment during the implementation
Result: Speed at the cost of the quality of the decisions
an intensive and sequential involvement of many participants and long coordina-tion cycles
Risk: Loss of momentum for the imple-mentation
Result: High-quality decisions at the cost of speed
In both cases, participants as well as stakeholders may disengage from the process.
In addition, traditional approaches are often unable to overcome the different languages and thought patterns of busi-ness and IT. This hinders an effective discussion of the business benefits of new technologies and may lead to wrong investment decisions or even a competi-tive disadvantage.
Major transformation programmes often lack a structured approach and/ or a suit-able environment to efficiently organise and optimally support – over a period of several months – the immense need for alignment among the project teams.
”The ASE is a very useful tool to rapidly generate very precise results, which
participants will buy into and commit to implementing.”
Unlike traditional methods, the ASE ap-proach is based on involving a large num-ber of experienced employees and deci-sion-makers. The ASE method represents a synthesis of creative environment, ef-fective working process for large groups and specific content preparation. Various ideas are aligned to a common picture with the help of the most modern visual-isation techniques. In addition, we can leverage our technology partners to intro-duce and discuss specific innovations.
The working process in an ASE follows a method that has been successfully applied for many years: Scan, Focus, Act. The building blocks of the given knowl edge about a specific topic are communicated (Scan) and further de-veloped in an iterative manner (Focus). The ASE facilitation team manages and supports this process in such a way that the participants receive a greater amount of guidance at the beginning of an event, while towards the end they take over responsibility for the results and their im-plementation (Act).
The ultimate authority to set priorities and take decisions remains with your deci-sion-makers – the ASE process is not an exercise in direct democracy. Notwith-standing, the process ensures that all participants support the decisions taken and jointly commit to their implementa-tion. The participants come together in the ASE event to jointly undergo this tried and tested process.
The proven ASE method –
or: The art of turning affected parties into driving forces
Understand project context
Learn from experts (trends, best-practices, innovations etc.)
Change perspectives and discuss project inputs
Common understanding of issues
Teambuilding
Simulations/ scenarios: ‘what if’
Develop and consolidate first ideas
Iterate and improve the quality and robustness of the solutions
Test solution proposals/ visualize prototypes
Evaluate and eliminate options
Discuss priorities and proposed decisions
Make decisions
Develop short-/ mid-/ long-term activity plans
Roadmap for the (digital) transformation
Joint commitment for implementation
A successful ASE event requires intensive preparation and usually has a lead time of 4-6 weeks. A small team comprising top decision-makers and project manag-ers governs the preparation phase, which involves initiating research and analysis, selecting the appropriate participants, and determining the latitude and objec-tives of the workshop.
At the same time, the ASE team develops the event design (script). A complete doc-umentation of the results is available the day after the ASE. This directly initiates the communication of the ASE results as well as their implementation.
ASE environment
The ASE environment promotes the cre-ativity of participants and can be flexibly used to organise an effective collabora-tion that transcends hierarchies. Latest technologies such as digital whiteboards can be used to efficiently integrate virtual participants into the working process. ASE team
We consider ourselves a “facilitation team”. Our profession is to organise working in large groups in such a manner that ambitious objectives can and will be achieved.
Facilitation is more than moderation.
Specially trained facilitators guide the participants through the complex process of an ASE event. Knowledge workers, who are proficient in the ASE way of working support the facilitators, visualise prototypical solutions and assist in the handling of new media (e.g. digital white-boards), if and when required. They also ensure that all deliverables are captured and – if desired – prepared in multimedia formats.
ASE accelerates the solution-finding and decision-making process on a broad level. The approach is particularly suitable for challenges in the following areas:
Typical challenges addressed in ASE events
How can we find the right balance between maximum process harmonisation and specific country requirements? How do we ensure that a (new) process works consistently
in all countries/ business areas?
How do we organise product and process innovations? How do we design the interfaces along our supply chain
(internal and external)?
How do we accelerate our time-to-market?
How can we leverage revenue growth or cost reduction potentials?
How do we adapt our business model to new market conditions?
How do we develop new growth areas? What is our strategy in dealing with new
technologies?
How do we design an outsourcing process?
How do we design our M&A strategy? How do we achieve a successful integration? How do we determine our new roles and
responsibilities?
How do we organise the governance of the new company?
How do we create a realistic implementation roadmap aligned with business and IT?
How do we set up our project management for the complex implementation? How will the governance structure work?
How do we deal with the changes in the company? What communi-cation measures will be necessary?
How do we ensure in the coming months that the necessary coordi-nation between the program participants is organised efficiently and supported in the best possible way?
How can we actively work on issues of (inter)national interest with representatives of different companies/ institutions and not merely have a round table discussion?
How do we make our events more interactive? How do we achieve tangible results?
How to develop concrete recommendations all stakeholders will take on board?
Which technological innovations offer us a competitive edge? How do we achieve a broad alignment on system requirements
and functionalities across regions?
How do we design the necessary infrastructure and IT landscape across the entire organisation?
How do we organise our application management with the appropriate mix of internal and external resources (detailed SLAs, balance between offshore and onshore, etc.)?
The optimal format to suit your requirements
Capgemini has numerous ASE centres around the world. These centres provide an optimal environment for handling com-plex issues in large groups and identifying creative solutions as well as voicing the emotional aspects of an issue.
This classic ASE format is individually tailored to your requirements and can vary according to the size of the group and the duration and venue of the work-shop. Thus, individual ASE elements, such as the proven Scan-Focus-Act method, can also be used in brief work-shops with fewer participants and for less complex and rather rational topics. In large transformation projects, mini ASE centres are installed at the project site to support collaboration and align-ment between (sub-)projects. Thereby, an entire series of workshops covering a period of several weeks or months can be conducted at the project site in close collaboration with the project team. Using our mobile equipment, we can conduct classical as well as smaller ASE workshops at the venue of your choice. However, our experience shows that the best results as well as an enduring commitment and alignment of the partic-ipants are achieved when the workshops are conducted off-site in one of our ASE centres.
If necessary, use of the latest technol-ogies in ASE can play a pivotal role, e.g. when facilitating true collaboration between virtual teams across different locations or prototypically visualising in-novative technical solutions.
Together we can select the right choice of ASE format to suit your specific require-ments.
ASE and change management Change management at Capgemini comprises a variety of methods, tools and interventions to successfully drive the transformation process. Traditional change management activities and ASE perfectly complement each other, where change management ensures a continu-ous support throughout the transforma-tion, while ASE events often represent brief yet highly intensive interventions. Learn more about Capgemini’s change management approach by following this link:
www.de.capgemini-consulting.com/change
”An intensive experience and an excellent way to bring together the various people
and skills to come to solutions for complex problems in a condensed timeframe!”
Case study
Strategy for profitable growth at Allianz Suisse
Allianz Suisse is among the top 5 in the Swiss insurance market and was amidst a phase of consolidation and cost optimisation. The next logical step in the evolution was to pursue a path towards sustainable and profitable growth, which is a true challenge in a saturated
mar-Key milestones during this programme were two ASE events taking place in the ASE centre in Berlin. First, a small group of top decision-makers discussed and defined the relevant growth areas in a 2-day ASE workshop. This was the top-down component of the programme. The top executives had thereby defined the latitude for the following ASE workshop,
The project team used the time between the ASE workshops very effectively to compile all the important data and in-formation for the relevant growth areas. This data served as the basis to hold fact-based discussions in the second ASE workshop, where arguments and experiences were exchanged, the various perspectives made transparent and finally the top priorities intensively debated. Eventually, various growth scenarios were weighed against each other. This includ-ed potential opportunities for different customer segments (e.g. B2C, B2B, key industries), focus areas among products and services (e.g. life insurance, non-life insurance, real estate, etc.) and the ap-propriate governance of the distribution channels (e.g. general agencies, brokers, direct, etc.). The top decision-makers, who had also consistently participated in the ASE workshop, were able to imme-diately take key decisions about invest-ments and implementation measures. Apart from a widely supported growth strategy and the resulting functional and operational changes, the ASE approach also helped to initiate a cultural change enabling a new kind of collaboration
”The organisation achieved a lot over the 3.5 months of the change
pro-ject. The ASE is an invaluable tool to make good decisions quickly and
start an immediate implementation. We would never have achieved this
excellent level of efficiency on our own.”
Our clients include many renowned companies
The ASE approach has already been used by 40% of the DAX-30 companies to support change processes, with about two-thirds of our clients having opted for the ASE approach on multiple occasions. Selected references
ADAC, Airbus, Allianz, Astellas, AXA, Bayer, BMW, Bundesministerien, Caparol, Daimler, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Post, Dräger, EADS, Freudenberg, Fressnapf, Generali, GM, HP, Holcim, Johnson Controls, KWS SAAT, LEWA, Lufthansa, Manpower, Mazda, Merck, NAVTEQ, Novartis, SAP, SCA, Skanska, Solvay, Syngenta, T-Mobile, Telekom Austria, TRW, TUIfly, VW Financial Services, Zurich Insurance Group
”The ASE workshop’s inspiring atmosphere and the dynamic way of
working led us to achieving relevant results in a very short amount of time.”
Dietmar Meister (CEO & CFO AMB Generali)
About Capgemini Consulting
Capgemini Consulting is the global strategy and transformation consulting organisation of the Capgemini Group, specialising in advising and supporting enterprises in significant transforma-tion, from innovative strategy to execution and with an unstint-ing focus on results. With the new digital economy creatunstint-ing significant disruptions and opportunities, our global team of over 3,600 talented individuals work with leading companies and governments to master Digital Transformation, drawing on our understanding of the digital economy and our leadership in business transformation and organisational change.
Find out more at: www.de.capgemini-consulting.com.
About Capgemini
With more than 125,000 people in 44 countries, Capgemini is one of the world’s foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services. Together with its clients, Capgemini creates and delivers business and technology solutions that fit their needs and drive the results they want. A deeply multicul-tural organization, Capgemini has developed its own way of working, the Collaborative Business ExperienceTM, and draws on
Rightshore®, its worldwide delivery model.
Learn more about us at www.de.capgemini.com. Rightshore® is a trademark belonging to Capgemini
Capgemini Deutschland GmbH ASE Centre Potsdamer Platz 5 10785 Berlin +49 30 88703 690 [email protected] www.de.capgemini-consulting.com/ase
