TM - December 2007 - (Page 52)

on in the world of technology. We gave different groups of people cameras and said, ‘You have 45 minutes. Go put together a film on what it’s like to work at Deloitte.’ And that was very well received. It was obviously a much smaller venue, but we said, ‘There's probably something here.’ We’re always looking for innovative ways to communicate, connect and engage with our people, so we put those forces together and said, ‘Hey, how about a film festival?’ So, that was the genesis. TM: What is the Office of Surprise, and why was it created? Benko: The Office of Surprise was created to evolve our culture and add a little free spirit to it. So, every once in a while the Office of Surprise surprises people. One of the first things it did was launch the film festival, which was very surprising to some people. One of the communications around the film festival was writing on the mirrors in the restrooms launching the film festival. When most people walk into a corporate restroom, they aren’t expecting to see lipstick on the mirror launching a call for film submissions. TM: Benko: What happened during the film festival? What was the response? The festival had a contest component, just like the Sundance Film Festival, where people competed for the title of best film. We invited individuals or teams of people to submit short, two- to three-minute videos. We gave them video recorders and a topic, which was, ‘What does Deloitte mean to you?’ and sent them on their way. It was amazing to us how people really took to it. And how when you looked at the teams, there were people coming together that don’t always naturally work together. We ultimately had almost 400 films that involved over 2,000 team members. We just put them out there on our intranet, and we had people vote on them. The voting was on a scale of one to five popcorn boxes, and from that, which was sort of the first cut, we moved over to our esteemed group of judges. They ranged across the generations, from young recruits to some more seasoned folks, and they narrowed the entries down to the top 14. From that 14, the final winner was determined by which had the most votes out of 100 percent of the people who voted. Because it was a contest, and we are a bit competitive in nature, there were prizes. The winning team won a trip for themselves and their significant others to the Sundance Film Festival. The next four teams also won a trip to either Los Angeles or New York, depending on where they were in the country. So, there was a carrot at the end, although I think if you talk to any one of the teams, it wasn’t for the prize as much as it was for the experience and the connection that they participated. What was the lasting effect this initiative had on Deloitte’s workforce and its ability to recruit younger talent? TM: I think the ongoing value of it will continue to play out. The winners were just announced at the end of September, but it’s amazing to me to see how it’s getting infused into who Deloitte is. For example, we have films that we’re now showing as part of our new hire orientation. We had a new partner admissions conference this week, and one of the films was shown in that venue. We are also beginning to use it in some of our recruiting efforts. It’s young and it’s hip, and it connects with people in their own words. It doesn’t have a corporate feel. It doesn’t have a corporate spin. It’s very clear that these were not scripted, that these were not in any way changed or censored. They are straight from the gut. Benko: talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com 51 December 2007 http://www.TalentMgt.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of TM - December 2007

Talent Management - December 2007 Editor's Letter Contents Letters to the Editor Human Performance Leading Edge Capabilities The Engaged Difference: What People Want Analytics in Talent Management: The Sports View The Use of Merchandise for Employee Recognition Taking Aim at Performance Appraisals Talent Management Drives Organizational Change Generational Diversity: Mastering the Boomer-X-Y Divide Dashboard: Security-Savvy Workforce: Designing a Security Awareness Program That Works Application: Hilton Hotels Corporation:Checking Out the Merits of Paperless Efficiency Insight: Unlimited Engagement: Innovative Corporate Communication at Deloitte & Touche USA Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources Foundations

TM - December 2007

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