ITALY 2020 HACKATHON
MICROSOFT
Context
Microsoft Italia defined a very challenging 2020 Strategic Plan, with the purpose of supporting digitalization process not only for their clients but also at a Country level.
In order to share this ambition with the entire Microsoft Italy population (450 pax.), the Leadership Team decided to organize a country meeting.
The event represented an opportunity to turn the 2020 business challenges in actionable ideas, to let people thinking and reflecting about the 2020 Plan Priorities in a different way.
Objectives
The goal was to stimulate participants to work together and understand the strategy, and create actionable business ideas to tackle the challenges by brainstorming and an entrepreneurial approach. This meant to create a platform of mutual understanding for communication and work in network and team in order to define how the strategy can be deployed. Morevoer the objective was to develop a strong sense of individual and collective accountability, by effectively exchanging ideas, experiences, and resources;
Contents
We designed a Hackathon, a workshop based on a dynamic of co-design and co-construction, with collaborative and integrated sessions. It had been set up as an environment that enhance the creation of innovative and actionable ideas.
The 450 participants were divided into 5 macro areas, each of them with a specific focus on one of the five levers of the strategic plan 2020.
After some important initial strategic speeches, six teams per macro area were formed, that in parallel worked through several phases, guided by facilitators, Hackathon Angels, and functional graphics that helped the phases of ideation. At the end of the day, the Jury selected and appointed one team per macro area, based on their creative video elevator pitch.
Results
The main obtained results have been a gained knowledge and possible practical approaches to the 2020 strategic plans. The complete Microsoft Italy population was engaged and this nurtured cross collaboration amongst colleagues of other departments. Another result was the creation and sharing of out-of-the-box ideas and innovative solutions and of a common language, based on functional metrics, to identify the assets to confirm, to moderate or innovate, to implement the new strategy. The Hackathon led participants out of their natural comfort zone and activated new perspectives and energies: innovative ideas and solutions that were designed have become part of a project that could be implemented, starting immediately.
