Newsletter Summer 2020

As Summer 2020 winds down, it has become apparent that it is time to accept what has become our "new normal." In Harvard Square, where MIDIOR is headquartered, late summer typically brings the honks of cars and shouts of enthusiastic students as they move into their dorms. Instead, we hear silence. When we do see students, they are all six feet apart and wearing masks. Restaurants are empty and shops are closed - a potent reminder that it has been anything but a normal summer in Cambridge. At MIDIOR, we have spent the last several months focused on collectively moving forward, with an emphasis on personal and professional development to ensure we continue growing and delivering on our commitments. We have also spent considerable time analyzing how the new way of working impacts our team and our ability to deliver value for clients in order to anticipate and adapt to the shifting landscape. I firmly believe that despite the uncertainty on the horizon, we cannot stand still - as individuals, as a company, as a country, and as a society. So, I challenge all of you reading this to look up, step up, and lean into our "new normal," accepting that this is our time to embrace change and, using the words from our former tagline, change the way we think.

Warmly,

Susan
Managing Partner & Co-Founder

Platform Practice Spotlight

We are excited to share our recent article, The Modern Fund Office in the COVID-19 Era, which appeared in the August issue of the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans' Benefits Magazine. With remote work becoming the norm, at least for the foreseeable future, Susan Penta provides advice on rethinking the nature of work and the workforce, the increased dependency on technology, and several other considerations such as privacy and security requirements in a remote environment. She also discusses how to identify and move through obstacles, as well as how to ensure your technology roadmap accounts for a future that includes remote work and member self-service.

READ HERE

Product Practice Spotlight

The MIDIOR team took the opportunity this summer to revisit our framework for Voice of the Customer research in light of the changing landscape. We established a method for supplementing our best in class discussion-based research with machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms that leverage large, publicly available data sets. We also made adjustments to our interview approach to account for an exclusively virtual research environment. PDMA's July webcast, Virtual VOC: How to understand B2B customer needs...without the plane ride, was particularly relevant. We will be employing our revised framework in upcoming projects.

Inside MIDIOR

One of the other highlights of our summer was the recent release of our updated homepage and overall website redesign. As part of an initiative started by our marketing team earlier this spring, our primary goal during this phase of the redesign process was to create a more intuitive site with improved navigation and functionality that better showcases what we do, who we are and who we work with, and allows for each visitor to gain a better understanding of the wide range of services that MIDIOR has to offer. We hope you enjoy our new look and invite you to explore the site at www.midior.com. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please get in touch and let us know!

MIDIOR in the Community

Fluency in diversity, equity, and inclusion is critical for business success in our increasingly complex world. As part of MIDIOR's ongoing commitment to these principles, our entire team participated in the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce's Transformational DEI Certificate Program. In partnership with @Diversity@Workplace Consulting Group, this six-session leadership development series seeks to educate participants about DEI concepts and provide them with actionable tools to take back to their teams. As a group we learned much about how to increase our own personal awareness of unconscious bias within ourselves and our workplace and came away with solid strategies to promote a more diverse and inclusive culture within our organization.

The MIDIOR team participated in the PDMA's August webcast, Key Factors that Drive Improved Performance on Product Teams. This webcast reviewed research conducted by PDMA that examined factors that can increase a product organization's success across the areas of innovation, product management and product team performance.

A Day for Democracy is a non-partisan initiative, founded by CEOs, to encourage leaders across the U.S. to pledge to increase voter registration and participation of their employees. MIDIOR is proud to have joined organizations across America who are committing to take action to give employees time off to vote and help them register and access their right to vote in local, state and national elections on their terms – whether at polling locations or from the safety of their own home.

Through WPO, accomplished women entrepreneurs find support, empowerment, inspiration, and the precious ability to tap into the wisdom of their peers. On July 22nd and 23rd, WPO held its very first digital Annual Conference - Reimagining Business. WPO member Susan Penta joined 811 attendees in this first of its kind program, featuring renowned keynote speakers from around the world and workshop sessions examining different business strategies and tactics in our current business environment.

Employee Spotlight

We would like to congratulate Digital Marketing Manager and Senior Associate, Chloe Loftus, on her completion of the GBCC's Women's Leadership Program this past June. This program, presented in partnership with Simmons University, empowers women leaders with the skills and a network that they need to excel in their own careers. Despite the impacts of COVID-19 and the necessary pivot to an all virtual program, the group concluded their one year journey together with a Zoom graduation ceremony on July 15th, each leaving with their own personal action plan on how to create conditions for other women to thrive in the workplace, as well as an expanded network of professionals from a variety of industries, companies and job functions.