Pain

Downer’s Growth Activation Strategy aimed to streamline operations across its Infrastructure Projects business, ensuring consistent ways of working and helping employees understand their role in the company’s success. The challenge was to implement seven comprehensive operating models across multiple functional areas during a pandemic, while managing the competing demands of client executives and business-as-usual pressures. Employees needed clear guidance to navigate complex commercial, regulatory, and technical processes, and the project required strong engagement to foster adoption and sustain long-term behaviour change.

Solution

Struber drew on its organisational change and workforce engagement expertise to develop five of the seven operating models and design a comprehensive internal communications campaign to support rollout. We collaborated directly with functional leaders through workshops and one-on-one sessions to capture critical processes and consolidate them into actionable, digestible roadmaps. Leveraging creative tools, Struber developed a unique campaign with avatars representing each functional area, an interactive digital treasure hunt, comic-style explainers, EDMs, and QR-code-enabled posters linking to a central SharePoint hub. Bespoke e-learning packages, Quick Reference Guides, and operating model Snapshots ensured employees could adopt the models efficiently. Our approach balanced innovation with practicality, maximising engagement while minimising the time demands on client leaders.

Result

Struber successfully delivered five operating models and activated all seven across Downer IP during a pandemic, supported by 100+ pieces of tailored communication collateral and seven e-learning packages now embedded in onboarding and refresher training. The campaign increased awareness, understanding, and adoption of new processes, while creating a sense of ownership among internal stakeholders. By combining strategic project management, creative engagement techniques, and hands-on support, Struber transformed a complex, time-sensitive initiative into a sustainable, high-impact program. The initiative not only improved operational efficiency but established enduring tools and practices for ongoing workforce capability, engagement, and organisational resilience.