Team Otis — The Building of a Partnership
Communicating the Right Message to the Otis World
To introduce the Team Otis initiative to employees, a five-minute introductory video was produced. Because the company president was fluent in several languages, he spoke on video to employees in French, Spanish and English. The video was well received and served to demonstrate the company's global commitment.
All types of communications vehicles were used to get the Team Otis message out to employees: videos (a half dozen were produced at various times); T-shirts with name/slogan; company publications; Intranet, speeches; and small group discussions. Commemorative items also were produced, including luggage tags, pins and watches engraved with the names of both Team Otis and Special Olympics.
One World At a Time
If your company is multinational, you can bring a commonality to your organization through a global partnership with Special Olympics. In each of the countries in which you operate, seek out an employee who would serve as a company coordinator in your partnership. Look for an employee who wants to be involved, one with a great deal of enthusiasm and energy, who views your company's involvement as a grand opportunity to do good things in the world. The employee should be well-organized and have good people skills and be able to work well with individuals from the shop floor to the boardroom.
The Otis Experience: Within the company, coordinators were selected from various disciplines, primarily marketing-sales, human resources and communications. Other coordinators had positions in finance, information systems and engineering. The head of each local Otis Company selected a "Team Otis" coordinator. For the most part, the first-time coordinators had little knowledge of or any experience with Special Olympics. Several coordinators had children with intellectual disabilities but, for the most part, employees selected had either expressed an interest in the assignment or were considered by management as the right fit. The Team Otis coordinators' assignment became part of their regular job. While no additional salary was or is involved, considerable perks go with the assignment. For example, Team Otis coordinators travel at the company's expense to an annual coordinators conference, as well as to all Special Olympics World Games. Additionally, the Team Otis coordinators have the opportunity for high visibility within their own business unit as well as with the company's senior executives.
True Partners
Once a network of coordinators has been selected, it's critical that each of them connects directly with the appropriate local Special Olympics official in the participating countries and/or states. What's important here is that your company coordinator begins a relationship with the Director of Special Olympics in their respective country and/or state. Nothing positive will come about without a good relationship between these two key individuals and their respective staffs and/or volunteers.
The Otis Experience: In building its global partnership with Special Olympics, Otis Elevator hosted informal luncheons or dinners with their Team Otis coordinators and Special Olympics staff throughout the world. These informal get-togethers, often held in the board rooms of local Otis Companies, helped to form the basis of a good working relationship and, in many cases, friendships too. The informal sessions were then followed by more formal presentations to the local Otis management team. The presentations were made by Special Olympics staff, who explained what the organization was all about and described their local needs. Once the relationships began, other presentations were made to groups of employees, during which information was provided explaining what Otis Elevator was hoping to achieve and how, as volunteers, they could support Special Olympics.
The Real Art of Communicating
Using all your company's communications vehicles, be sure to keep the news of your company's involvement and/or partnership with Special Olympics "on the front page." Whether the news goes out over your Intranet or is reinforced by a company executive speaking to internal or external audiences, the key element is to let everyone know that your company has formed a special bond with Special Olympics and that it is a long-term, lasting relationship, not a short-term project. Good communications is essential to both internal and external audiences. The initial target audience is, of course, your employees. But as our partnership grows, you will discover that you also are helping to educate the general public about Special Olympics.
The Otis Experience: During the first year of its global partnership, Otis Elevator's communications department produced several videos to carry its message throughout the Otis world and used company publications to promote the partnership. Articles appeared routinely in company magazines, newspapers and newsletters, many of which reached both customer and supplier audiences. Also, stories appeared internally on the Otis Intranet system. Additionally, the company president, in speeches delivered to both internal and external audiences, spoke of the partnership with Special Olympics.
Global Warming of a Different Kind
Now that you have a network of coordinators in place and involved with Special Olympics on local levels, bring them together annually to officially and publicly recognize their efforts. This can take the form of an awards ceremony or a conference that occurs in conjunction with a Special Olympics event. The intent here is to keep the corporate momentum building with Special Olympics while building employee teamwork.
The Otis Experience: The company brings its Team Otis coordinators together often for both regional and worldwide events. For example, when Special Olympics held European Games for athletes in Austria, Otis Elevator sent its coordinators in Europe to Austria to participate as Volunteers at those Games and to also hold a conference, exploring and exchanging ideas on how best to support Special Olympics. The result: Team Otis coordinators had a chance to see their country's athletes compete, had occasion to meet with the European staff of Special Olympics, and had the opportunity to bond with other Otis colleagues. Similarly, when Special Olympics held its first-ever Asia Pacific Games in Shanghai, Team Otis coordinators from all over the Asia Pacific region traveled to Shanghai to take part. On a worldwide basis, Team Otis coordinators went, at company expense, to Special Olympics World Games where they had active Volunteer roles.
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