Design Thinking & Organisational Strategy

Creating a Mindset Shift; From a Product Seller to a Solution Provider

Elevating Beyond Products: A Journey to Solution-Centric Transformation

A German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company was embarking on a transformation journey from being “just a product seller” to becoming the go-to solution provider, in order to create an enhanced value for their customers. This project was a crucial step in making this shift happen.

The focus was specifically targeted onto the Radiology Department which was the testing ground prior to scaling the new approach other Bayer departments.

Role
Workshop Designer & Project Lead

Responsibilities
Research / Persona Identification / Workshop Design & Facilitation

Deliverables
A series of online Design Thinking workshops.

Year & Duration
2022 / 2 weeks

Project challenge / objective

Mindset Evolution: Unlocking Human-Centered Transformation

Transitioning from product-centric to solution-focused demanded more than just a shift in offerings. In order for a company to implement such an evolution, it is vital to onboard their employees and help them adapt their mindset to the new approach. To effectively encourage the mindset shift, the focus was not just on taking participants through the motion, but to work with them to change their perspective in how they view challenges from a more human centred perspective.

Solution

To support the mindset shift, three dimensions of ‘connectivity’ were identified and applied as an enabler to bring about this transformation.

What is meant by three dimensions of ‘connectivity’? Understanding critical pain points of our customers and then working collaboratively with our cross-functional team and partners to deliver solutions that create value for customer.

  1. Products (physical products & services
    Explore new product offerings through combining various products and services to create solutions that create customer value.

  2. Colleagues
    Enhance cross-functional collaborations among teams to derive new ways to become a better solution provider.

  3. Partners (customers, distributors and other stakeholders)

    Team-up with partners and co-create solutions that customers love & pay for.

Subsequently a series of dynamic Design Thinking workshops was developed.

Seventy-five participants including marketing, sales, and application specialists from the APAC region dove into a journey of transformation. Before the workshops kicked off, a comprehensive research phase unfolded, unearthing the needs, pain points, and goals of employees and customers across APAC. Insights were crystallized, presenting participants with a panoramic view of common trends. This groundwork laid the foundation for identifying customer personas.

Armed with these insights, our toolbox expanded to Design Thinking tools and canvases such as such as Problem Reframing, Empathising Exercise, Generating Solution Alternatives, Prioritisation or Concept Pitch Prototyping. These became the compass, guiding participants to think empathically from the users' perspective.

Outcome

The result? This exercise has played an integral role to the company’s implementation of the approach as solution provider. Since then, the company has introduced new initiatives that makes them successfully offer more holistic offerings and that way differentiate themselves.

Previous
Previous

From an Accounting Company to a Financial Advisor

Next
Next

By Women For Women; Becoming the Employer of Choice