Team Otis — The Making of a Partnership
Looking for The Right Partner
For several years, Otis Elevator's management team had been looking to focus the company on one humanitarian effort. They were seeking to embrace a global organization not with a checkbook or with a speech, but to reach out through its most valuable resource: its employees. In searching for this perfect fit, the company's management also was hoping to bring commonality to its global work force. Because of their universal appeal and credibility, the Red Cross, UNICEF and Special Olympics were the top contenders during those formative management discussions.
Special Olympics was selected based on several factors, including the love of the organization by U.S.-based employees.
Workplace Giving
The Otis management team was working from the premise that for companies, workplace giving often becomes a requirement, but it misses an important motivation: the personal, individual commitment and involvement by employees.
Decision-Making Time
A decision to select a philanthropic organization had remained stalled in the Otis board room. But when Special Olympics announced that New Haven, Connecticut (USA), was the site of its 1995 World Games, the Otis management team went into action. The New Haven location was close to Otis' worldwide headquarters in Farmington, Connecticut, and the worldwide event served as a natural catalyst in the selection of a global humanitarian cause.
The Right Stuff, The Right Fit
Because Otis Elevator operates in virtually every country in the world and Special Olympics Programs are formally organized in more than 160 countries, the fit was a good one. Also coming into play was the fact that the then president of Otis Elevator was passionate about Special Olympics and had served as a faithful volunteer. Additionally, Otis Elevator employees in Connecticut — alongside employees from the parent corporation, United Technologies, a Connecticut-based operation — had a long association with Special Olympics Connecticut's State Games.
Outside North America, employees at Otis Elevator's South African company also had been volunteering for Special Olympics. Otis management believed that if Connecticut and South African employees enjoyed supporting Special Olympics, why wouldn't employees in Brazil, the Czech Republic, England or Russia enjoy similar opportunities?
The First Step
Since the Otis approach — to reach out to Special Olympics through its worldwide employee base — was new, the questions were numerous. How would Special Olympics react? How would Team Otis be implemented efficiently? What process would make this all come about? The first question posed to Special Olympics was, "How would the movement react to a global effort by, of all things, an elevator company?" The answer came back: "With great surprise and delight."
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