Personal Development
Intrapreneurship and employee development
In this post I would like to share my Kickbox experience with you and at the same time show you why Kickbox is not "just" an intrapreneurship programme.
As a Swisscom employee, everyone has the opportunity to submit an idea via the Swisscom Kickbox(opens in new tab). This idea can then be validated for two months in order to create a prototype. With my head full of ideas, I couldn't help but submit one of them. Guided by the Kickbook(opens in new tab), I went through the process and in the next few lines I would like to give you an overview of what it means to be a Kickboxer.
The past year 2020 was intense for me in terms of gift-giving. Whether it was farewells, birthdays or other graduations - I felt like I was constantly organising a gift. These many occasions led me to the idea, or rather the desire, to have something similar to a Schenkomat at hand. This Schenkomat should always have the perfect gift to hand at any time and for any occasion. Voilà, the idea was born.
"If I have an hour to solve a problem, I would spend 55 minutes on the problem and the remaining 5 on the solution."
Albert Einstein
The kickboxing process is also based on Albert Einstein's motto. So the first thing I did was to take a close look at the problem. To do this, I conducted various interviews and was thus able to find out even more deeply where exactly the shoe pinches when giving gifts. One of the things that emerged was that gifts absolutely have to say something about the personal relationship. Giving gifts to the opposite sex is also a challenge.
So what is the perfect solution to the problem?
It is an iterative process and I have also taken this very much to heart. As an initial solution, I therefore considered a prediction application that would optimise the use of social media data to generate an interest profile. However, in a world where anything is possible, it turned out that respondents would not appreciate this type of data utilisation. After this and a few other detours, I ended up taking a trip down memory lane. In doing so, I relied on the most important realisation that the gift must be personal and come from the heart.
My solution: The giver receives a counselling session in which personal questions are asked of both parties. This crystallises formative events, allowing the perfect journey into the past to begin.
A bundle of ideas and creativity at the pitch
At the beginning of March, I pitched my results to a committee. This committee is made up of people from all departments at Swisscom so that we can get as comprehensive a view of the solution as possible from all sides. After the pitch, we developed the idea even further together, philosophised, laughed and exchanged ideas on the subject of giving.
I was absolutely thrilled to see how the journey into the past was received and it also gave me incredible motivation to take the new input with me and pursue it further.
The pitch has given me new input and, among other things, I will look into how the journey through the past can be combined with Localsearch.
New project and expanded skills
Over the past two months, I have learnt a lot of new things. The Kickbook provided me with an easy-to-understand guide full of inspiration on how to take my idea even further. I was also able to expand my skills in web development and digital marketing.
The primary aim of the Kickbox programme is to drive innovation and give ideas the space they need. An equally important goal is employee development. Through the Kickbox process, the Kickboxers learn additional skills that they can use in their day-to-day work or discover a new passion in which they would like to develop further.
Swisscom offers its employees many opportunities to realise their full potential. Kickbox is just one of them. I would need a separate blog post to report on the 5 training days that every employee receives each year.
I am proud to work in such a progressive and employee-orientated company as Swisscom!
Karin Schori
Online Solution Manager
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