Fraunhofer IAO Interview on Siemens Everyday

Link to the article at Fraunhofer IAO

New paths in internal corporate communication: At Siemens, employees explore a virtual city and solve complex everyday tasks. The “view beyond one’s own work” is intended to make users’ learning experiences entertaining and immersive. An interview with “Everyday” developer Henning Westerwelle from the digital agency Curious Company and Franz Linner, Employee Communications Specialist and global “Everyday” project manager at Siemens.

Written by Elisabeth Hussendörfer, freelance journalist
Published on 16.09.2024 at Fraunhofer IAO

Mr. Linner, Mr. Westerwelle, in “Everyday” employees interact with various characters who face everyday challenges. For example, you might receive a WhatsApp message from Zoe, who would like to drive a car but doesn’t have one…

Henning Westerwelle: … and then you, as the user, help her solve the complex problem. Always accompanied by the Siemens Bot, a friendly AI, and various other characters – for example, the charismatic Mayor Goodway. This way, complex topics become small, personal everyday stories.

Learning playfully through emotionalized topics, that’s the idea, right?

Henning Westerwelle: Yes, the motto is Gamification or, as we also call it, “Game-based Learning”.

Keyword learning: To what extent does professional development play a role?

Franz Linner: We are not talking about upskilling in the classic sense. The focus is on understanding the company – being connected. With its innovative solutions and products in the 21st century, Siemens has become one of the strongest drivers of digital transformation worldwide. But sometimes, as an individual, you forget what comes from all sides.

Like a consumer who first thinks of washing machines when they hear the name Siemens?

Franz Linner: Maybe a little. We have already moved beyond washing machines some time ago. But classical electrification and automation are now only a part of what happens. By building on new technologies such as AI or Edge Computing, we achieve even more. It’s complex what is accomplished in such a company with its often very specialized teams worldwide. What role does the individual play in this process? The better this is understood, the more effectively value can be created by connecting the digital and real world.

Henning Westerwelle: “Everyday” is a fictional mini-city showing that my contribution as a “Siemensian” does not end with me. And certainly not at my desk or workspace. Whether filling a charging station for e-cars, repairing a train, or producing a prosthetic leg – in the end, it’s about making life more livable.

Mr. Linner, you just mentioned “upskilling in the classic sense.” What do you mean by that?

Franz Linner: Trainings in which I learn skills and techniques. “Everyday,” on the other hand, in its current design, aims less to convey concrete content or skills.

Instead?

It’s about the motivation to learn because you understand where the journey is going. I would say: This is more like groundwork. We want employees to feel motivated in the next step to seek out skills – once they understand the big picture: What type of upskilling do I need?

Henning Westerwelle: “Engagement – that was a key word in developing the game. People should feel activated and emotionally involved.”

Franz Linner: Exactly, the worst-case scenario is the PDF sent to all 320,000 employees worldwide: “please read.” Five pages of text, a few photos… Let’s be honest: whether they read it or not, it won’t move them much.

Henning Westerwelle: For proper activation, we had to dig deeper into the toolbox. Keyword motivation: much is already gained if people click on the link and check it out. From that point, we measure usage time.

And what do you measure?

Franz Linner: The usage time of “Everyday” is high. Compared to what we usually send out, it’s even very high. For classic internal articles or videos, we’re at one to three minutes. In the first months after the launch of “Everyday,” we were at 9 to 10 minutes of usage per player per visit. Feedback in comments and sometimes directly to me was overwhelming. Already two weeks after the September 2023 launch, 22,000 employees interacted with the campaign.

Henning Westerwelle: “Everyday” is multi-layered and immersive; users fully immerse themselves. This creates emotionalization and engagement. Simply put: “Siemensians” see what their global actions and Siemens’ global products achieve. How life becomes more livable as a result. Emotionalization – it sounds big, I know. But in this context, it is appropriate, I think.

Is “Everyday” actually being closely watched in the corporate world?

Henning Westerwelle: Short answer: Yes. It is.

And the long answer?

Henning Westerwelle: We have already received additional inquiries. Look, we created an exciting case. Solved a problem for a large international company that other large international companies also face.

The skills shortage?

Franz Linner: I’d say the willingness to transform. But yes, ultimately, it translates into the topic of skilled workers. We rely on our people’s know-how. If we want to take a new direction, we have to bring them along. If a format like “Everyday” helps employees understand the company’s core message and goals, a lot is gained.

Henning Westerwelle: Regarding inquiries, it must be said: Developing a game like “Everyday” is, of course, an individual, handcrafted process.

Franz Linner: Which will definitely continue for us. We are not talking about a short campaign here, but a living product. At the moment, “Everyday” is mainly an important part of onboarding – new employees can get to know the company wonderfully this way. But the potential of this interactive world is greater. Next year, we plan a further concretization towards strategy. The enablement area will also be much more involved.