Creative Agency | Cosmic Centaurs

DesignRepublic's team took control of their new work model

Like many other companies, DesignRepublic was thrust into remote work as a result of the 2020 global pandemic. To help them navigate this new context, Cosmic Centaurs was brought on to assess and improve DesignRepublic’s work model, help the team measure their performance in distributed settings and extend the company culture into the virtual workspace.

We applied our Omnichannel Organization proprietary model to help them assess their key areas of weakness and address them head on.

100%

perceived improvements in team connection and collaboration

2x
Increase in feedback & knowledge sharing opportunities

70%
perceived improvements
in processes
& methodologies

Francis Van Acker

Co-Founder & CEO DesignRepublic

We engaged Cosmic Centaurs to improve our hybrid working model, increase our team cohesion and help management measure the teams’ productivity and performance. At the beginning of our engagement, it felt the company was being put upside down, but Cosmic Centaurs are so knowledgeable and they use the right techniques to help us land on our feet again. They work swiftly, are holistic in their approach and are effective project managers, working hand-in-hand with our team to implement the changes they recommended.

DesignRepublic is a branding and packaging design agency located in Brussels, Belgium. Since its inception in 2009 the agency has completed work for a diverse range of clients, from multinationals to local start-ups. Its core business is driven by FMCG brands followed by corporate identity branding.

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The Challenges

Cosmic Centaurs solved for the following challenges:

Improving the working model and processes
Enhancing productivity and task tracking
Extending company culture to the virtual workspace
Strengthening team cohesion and social time
Organizing documentation and archiving systems
Training on technology and tools
Creating opportunities for learning and skill development

How We Helped

Cosmic Centaurs’ intervention began with a comprehensive discovery phase using both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Once all the data was collected and analyzed, and after a team workshop, Cosmic Centaurs developed a strategic implementation plan.

The plan included new meeting formats, the introduction of rituals, improvements to existing processes and the introduction of new tools. Specifically, Cosmic Centaurs implemented:

8 new processes and guidelines
2 new tools
3 rituals and events
1 new knowledge-sharing thread
4 bespoke trainings
3 new meeting formats

What really surprised me is that Cosmic Centaurs did all of the project management. They reached out to the team, scheduled all meetings and events and made sure we completed all 45 tasks over a span of 6 weeks.

Francis Van Acker
Co-Founder & CEO of DesignRepublic

Impact

To solve these challenges Cosmic Centaurs implemented its Omnichannel Organization® methodology.

The assessment framework is based on a 5-level model with Level 1 being ‘no remote’ and Level 5 being ‘Omnichannel’.

At the end of the 3.5-month engagement, DesignRepublic advanced from a Level 2 (Single channel with remote access) to a Level 4 (Multi Channel) on the Omnichannel Organization® framework.

The lasting impact this had on the DesignRepublic team was clear; the team became more collaborative, productive, cohesive and resilient at the end of the engagement.