In 2019 there was a change of leadership at Horizon Power and with that a new focus on the business positioning and strategy. As a result of this, a comprehensive internal process was commissioned to help define the Horizon Power business strategy.
The culmination of the collaborative process was the 2019 Strategy Playbook, which featured a new ambition – “Delivering energy solutions for regional growth and vibrant communities.” This new strategy was positioned internally as a re-focus – shifting away from the ambition of being ‘the worlds best microgrid company’. This shift is more aligned with both the communities Horizon Power serve, and the workforce at the ‘coal face’ of regional WA.
In addition, new measurable goals were set and strategic themes, initiatives and guiding principles developed.
With the Playbook developed, Horizon Power then needed to launch this new business strategy to staff – and that is when Rare was briefed to get involved.
The objectives of this strategy launch were broken into 3 parts:
Introduce the strategy and create an understanding that at its heart lies regional WA communities, inform people about how Horizon Power will achieve its ambition, and communicate the specific benefits to the regions.
Reconnect employees with the organisational purpose of serving regional communities and inspire every person to unite and work together to achieve this.
Ensure consistency of message throughout the organisation and create an on-going platform that will reinforce our messages and demonstrate tangible evidence of change.
Based on the developed Strategy Playbook, Rare worked with Horizon Power to develop an internal communications strategy, internal positioning, campaign and collateral to communicate the new business strategy to staff.
We started by looking at the current state of play within the business which gave us the context we needed to formulate our approach.
Organisational
Cultural
After looking at these factors, it was clear that this campaign needed to signal that change was here. Less talk, more action. We needed to change perceptions and communicate what this new strategy meant to the staff of Horizon Power.
Moving from being a world leader in microgrids, to driving vibrant regional communities. From being a siloed and hierarchical organisation to one of inclusiveness. From ambiguous and directionless leadership to decisive and purposeful.
In order to achieve this, communication alone would not suffice. We needed to create ‘champions of change’ to support our campaign and deliver our message from within the organisation. Advocates that would work with their teams to ensure that policies and KPI’s were put in place to support the strategy.
The MCo were identified as the right people to be our champions of change. As a result, a specific set of materials were developed for this audience.
Creatively we needed to inspire staff to unite under a common cause. We knew that the strength of the Horizon Power business lies within its people, and for the business to be able to deliver on its ambition, culture needed to change and staff needed to work with and for each other.
The development of the creative line ‘When we’re connected, our regions thrive’ was based on that insight and the need to unite the staff. From the CEO, through the MCo, all regions, all disciplines, all roles – if there was cohesion and a common belief – the regions Horizon Power serve would directly benefit.
Working under extreme time constraints, Rare was able to deliver a high-quality outcome that has delivered fantastic results. Whilst anecdotal to date, the reaction to this campaign has been extremely positive. The positioning is believable and resonates with staff and makes them proud to be Horizon Power employees.
