About
INside is the internal innovation program of Grupo Ageas Portugal, where employees can develop their own ideas to be implemented within the Organization, while learning innovation methodologies from a range of different innovation experts.
Innovation presentation
INside has three main pillars:
1 - We want to hear our employees in what they think makes sense to be implemented inside the company. We want to leverage on their experience in the industry to ensure we provide the best experience possible to our clients, so that we can create memorable experiences. This doesn't mean that all projects have to be client related. Of course, all client-oriented ideas are relevant and valued, but ideas that improve our internal processes and change the way we work in the back office, will inevitably improve the way we serve all our stakeholders.
2 - This program has a strong component of innovation culture and training. From the first moment, it is a constant learning experience for the participants. Here, they learn about: structuring and development ideas, creation of prototypes, problem and solution validation, client characterization, business model and piloting, pitching, etc. At the same time, we aim to provide different methodologies, tools and softwares that they may take back to the their day-to-day activities.
3 - Networking and working with different people. In a company of more than 1300 employees, it is impossible to know everyone. INside is a perfect venue for employees to know each other and to work with people that are not in their normal network. As the program evolves, participants that don't move forward may join the remaining teams, so that they can continue learning in the program.
This program is divided into 4 main phases:
1 - The planning phase is focused in preparing the edition ahead. From the strategic reflection conducted, we define the areas of opportunity to be covered in the program, as guide for participants to understand the most relevant topics. It is here that we create the communication campaign and define the milestones of each phase. The regulation is revised to contemplate the learnings from the previous edition.
2 - The communication phase is where we implement all communication activies to reach as many employees as possible. We closely follow the applications and understand changes that need to be implemented.Also, it is in this phase that we interview all participants to get to know their ideas and understand motivations for applying to the program. Based on the interviews, we also create groups for those who applied individually.
3 - The implementation phase consists in the core moment of the program. It is here that participants go through 3 different stages. In the first stage (Pitch Your Ideas), participants have a 2 day experience in idea structuring and pitch presentation. This is the first opportunity to share the idea with the jury. The second stage is the Design Sprint, usually 5 days in a row, where participants validate the problem they are looking to solve, caracterize their clients, and develop low fidelity prototypes. The third and last stage of INside is the Accelerator, consisting of 10 to 11 days (1 day a week), where they validate the solution, create a marketing plan, business model and pilot plan. In the end of the implementation phase, the 5 finalist teams present their pitch to the jury in an event streamed to the entire company. This is the moment when we get to know the winner of the edition.
4 - Once we know the winner(s) of the edition, the team(s) get to implement a small PoC of their ideas, in order to further develop them. This may consists in several different activities, which can go from further market research, to deeper feasibility studies and pilots. This whole process is closely followed by experts and key people from the business units, to ensure internal alignment and better integration opportunity.
Uniqueness of the project
The best way to convey INside's differentiating factor is to tell a participant's story:
Ana is an employee of Grupo Ageas Portugal, who is doing further training in Health. With the launch of INside, Ana saw the perfect opportunity to develop a relevant and impactful project in the area of mental health that would simultaneously allow her to implement the knowledge she acquired during her studies. This is how Ana and her team managed to create the conditions for 20 of the company's employees to become more knowledgeable about the subject and be accompanied by mental health specialists. At the end of the pilot test, the participating employees showed a significant improvement in their mental health and are now better prepared to deal with the adversities and challenges in their lives.
With her team winning the first edition of the Program and with her participation in the different stages, Ana soon became recognized by her expertise in the subject and as a reference for mental health projects. She has been called to comment and give her input in different moments and is still, to this day, involved in moving forward and implement her INside's idea into the company.
Because INside is a Program from employees to employees, we want to bring recognizable faces to its communication campaigns. In this second edition, the motto was "Quem não arrisca, não petisca" (Portuguese saying that translates into "those who don't dare, don't snack", meaning that only the people that take risks will gain something). With this, the Innovation Team is challenging employees to be bold and courageous in their ideas and projects. To set an example, we've enlisted the Chief Financial Officer, an Operations Area Director and a member of the Data Protection Office to take a risk and, who knows, have a snack. (for better understanding, one must see the videos).
