BDO: Empowerment for virtual collaboration

Near-standard implementation within six months

To achieve results as quickly as possible, BDO opted for a near-standard implementation of the tts performance suite, combined with tts Microsoft 365 Empowerment and governance workshops. Following initial author training by tts, BDO started training its own authors, who got to work straight away during the six-month roll-out phase, producing learning content for their colleagues.

Producing learning content plays a key part in breaking down existing knowledge silos. Knowledge blocks are centralized, then made available at a single click to every BDO digital workplace via the QuickAccess section of the tts performance suite. This gives staff access to relevant knowledge in every application in a context-sensitive, role-specific way.

Content can also be produced bottom-up

A special feature at BDO is that all users can access all content, so they can select their training in line with their particular leanings and interests. What’s more, the company has decided to allow users to produce content, too, meaning that the knowledge base can also be expanded bottom-up. “To motivate staff, tts produced an advertising trailer that demonstrates, among other things, just how easy Creator is for anybody to use,” comments Proske, who is one of those with in-house responsibility for author training.

Learning concept based on personas

While the tts performance suite provides staff with process and application support in their moment of need, the work of the tts learning architects starts at an earlier stage. They carry out a training needs analysis that helps them decide which learning content and formats should be used both inside and outside the tts performance suite.

In the first instance, the focus is not on training itself. As members of the change and learning workstream of the project, the tts learning experts created several user stories based on the BDO change story. These user stories took account of stakeholder expectations and strategic objectives. Working together with BDO staff members, six typical BDO personas were then developed on this basis. Starting with the question of what each of these personas needs to be successful in virtual teamwork, tts provided support for drawing up a learning concept. This was tailored precisely to the various personas’ training needs – and also addressed their insecurities and what motivated them.

Large range of learning formats proves a winner

This approach resulted in a large range of learning formats for the various project phases. To prepare and motivate staff for the imminent change, tts and BDO worked together to design a two-minute trailer and welcome sessions for up to 200 participants. Information about the technical and organizational principles for virtual collaboration was delivered via web-based training sessions based on specifications issued by the technical members of the project team.

In addition, the change and learning workstream and tts designed self-learning spaces that met the various personas’ needs and offered content for independent learning ranging from bite-sized learning nuggets to 45-minute webinars. “What we have achieved with tts, the persona concept that we worked out together, and the training blocks and formats derived from that concept is phenomenal – and will be useful to us in other projects, too,” says Proske.  

The aim is for the tts performance suite to be used on a cross-application basis in the future. It is with this in mind that BDO is currently creating help content for the standard software and existing in-house developments in use. In the future, BDO intends to use push notifications from tts to alert staff to new learning content and changes to processes or rules. BDO will also use the persona and learning concept as a blueprint for other projects.

BDO AG, a company specializing in audit and audit-related services, employs more than 2,100 members of staff at 27 locations in Germany. In 2021, it achieved sales of 304 million euros. Established in Hamburg in 1920, BDO is now one of Germany’s leading companies specializing in audit and audit-related services, tax and business law consulting, and advisory services. The company is also a founding member of BDO International, which has 111,300 employees in 164 countries and sales of 12.8 billion dollars (2022).