01/ Problem Framing and Discovery

KEY DELIVERABLES

• Issue tree with 4 hypotheses and areas to explore

• Synthesis of 20+ interviews and focus groups

• Business process flow and user journey map

• 6 competitors analyzed

• Assessment of current recruiting and outreach tactics

Harness cognitive ambidexterity for problem identification

Solving complex problems requires cognitive ambidexterity, the ability to switch between left-and right brained thinking. I harnessed my deep understanding of business fundamentals, along with experimentation and design thinking, to uncover the root of the problem. The first month of the project focused entirely on problem discovery, which included in-depth secondary research, developing client personas, process mapping, focus groups with clients, and interviews with case managers, executives, and partner organizations. Using both analytical and creative problem solving methodologies, I was able to gain a holistic view of the organizational challenges.

Leverage frameworks to create cross-functional alignment

The governance model is more complex in hybrid social enterprises. The for-profit and non-profit entities each have unique management teams who are responsible for their own objectives and are accountable to different stakeholders. Mapping exercises can be a useful tool to help align teams, promote transparency, improve processes, and build consensus between cross-functional areas. I organized and facilitated a workshop with the WOW leadership team and Project Place's non-profit programs director to get a better understanding of the organization's internal processes and the customer journey. We spent several hours mapping the organization's business operations and outlining the customer's journey and experience, ultimately identifying opportunities to increase efficiency and collaboration.

Synthesize design research into meaningful insights

One of the most important steps in design thinking is making sense of your research by identifying patterns in the data and distilling them into actionable themes. This project required looking across secondary research (competitive analysis and market research), primary research (focus groups and 20+ interviews with various stakeholders), process maps, and client personas.

3 Key Insights

1. Unclear value proposition

   It wasn’t clear to women how “making fudge” would translate to future job opportunities. Clients preferred career development programs that provided a clear career path and a guaranteed fair wage. For example, the Project Pepsi social enterprise prepared clients for a career in commercial truck driving, which offered a starting wage of $18/hour. Having an unclear value proposition also made it difficult for WOW to develop partnerships with companies in the local area who would be willing to hire their clients after the program.

2. Gaps in training processes

   WOW was the only social enterprise that didn’t provide on-site training during the internship period (in this case, on-site would be at Coop’s manufacturing facility). Instead, the internship was located at Project Place's headquarters and women worked in the kitchen to help prepare lunches for clients and staff. Clients learned basic food safety skills and work etiquette, but they didn’t get hands-on training in core activities that would be required of them at Coop's. As a result, when the internship was over and clients began working at Coop’s, many weren’t equipped with the skills needed to succeed. Clients also found it difficult to make the transition to Coop’s after working at Project Place, which contributed to the high post-internship drop-out rates. These various challenges led to production inefficiencies and product quality issues.

3. Disconnected marketing and outreach strategy for recruiting

   WOW didn't have an integrated strategy for recruiting. The marketing messaging was inconsistent across the organization, and didn’t clearly describe the opportunity, skills, and experience women would gain. This caused confusion, doubt, and ultimately hindered business growth. Furthermore, the tactics and channels used to recruit clients were ad-hoc and insufficient. We learned that women were more receptive to the program when they learned about it from an existing or former client, but Project Place didn't have processes in place to capture this opportunity. Finally, most of the marketing activities weren’t being monitored and measured, so it was impossible to identify what worked and what needed to be improved.

02/ Translating Insights To Action

KEY ACTIVITIES

• Ideation and brainstorming

• Rapid prototyping

• User testing

• Strategy development and implementation

Prototyping and iterating using a human-centered approach

It is imperative for employment-based social enterprises to have clear, concise, and thoughtful marketing messaging to attract clients and make the largest impact. Project Place's original recruiting brochures included long paragraphs and large amounts of complicated information, which made it difficult to understand the key points and value proposition.

Original brochure used to recruit women to the WOW program

Through interviews and focus groups, we were able to learn what matters to clients most. WOW employees were involved throughout the entire prototyping and iteration process to create quick feedback loops that enable agile learning and increase the overall quality. Using a customer-centric approach, we were able to uncover key concerns and desires. For examples, many clients were concerned that having a criminal record or lacking a driver's license would disqualify them from the program. The final product shown below addresses those concerns and highlights other key benefits of the program, as well as potential career pathways in a concise and simple design.

Prototype of recruiting brochure with feedback from program participants

Lessons Learned

Make sure you have a viable market

This seems obvious, but you'd be surprised by how many entrepreneurs still believe in the false notion that if you build it, they will come. Time and time again this has proven to be a failed approach. Make sure there’s a market for what you are trying to sell and that there are people who are willing to pay for your product.

Positive social impact isn’t enough to sell a bad product

In a similar vein, product quality is just as important in social enterprises as in profit-driven companies. While it’s true that consumers are becoming more socially conscious about their purchase decisions, social impact alone is not enough to drive sales. Your product needs to meet or exceed your customer's expectations.

Clearly define success and articulate shared goals

Non-profits considering launching an employment-based social enterprise need to ensure that these two entities are working in tandem towards shared goals. This is especially important when the success of one is dependent on the other. By creating shared goals, you are able to align teams, hold people accountable, and help individuals understand their unique role in achieving success.

You can’t improve what you don’t measure

After you’ve established what success looks like, you need to figure out how to measure and track progress towards your goals. Check in on your metrics regularly (weekly, monthly) and share the results across the organization to identify patterns and areas for improvement.