Our Story: ArcTank and the Blue Rooster
Our Methods Accelerate Innovation
As our world changes around us, we as a company have carefully thought about ways that we can inspire our employees and clients to take on new missions, rapidly adapt, and overcome challenges.
To stay in the game, we know that clients need to see new plays. It keeps them interested and confident that we can help them adapt to any new challenge. The same goes for internal employee engagement: providing new opportunities to challenge and inspire accelerates participation and taps into fresh ideas from all levels of employees. So how do we inspire inspiration through how we work?
This year, our Strategy Council launched ArcTank, a Shark Tank-inspired program where employees sign up to pitch their new ideas to senior executives. These ideas can be anything – whether they involve making an update to a process or adding a new tool or method altogether. As a new employee to the company, what attracted me most to ArcTank was the openness of the challenge and the opportunity to be visible to executives. As a fresh pair of eyes, I thought of something our company could be doing better, but I was unsure if it was worth bringing to the table. When the opportunity of ArcTank presented itself, I knew I had to take it.
My partner and I pitched the idea of a company podcast to put spotlights on employees and broaden our communications in a new format. It is called Blue Rooster, inspired by the huge and compelling blue rooster that sits atop the National Gallery here in DC. Our company considers it a signpost for innovation. The podcast also has the potential for external releases to expand the brand of the company and promote the various talents and knowledge of its employees. The podcast won the challenge! The most exciting part was the support we received from the company to make it happen. I can’t wait until we launch it.
This opportunity allowed me to gain more confidence in my ideas. As someone who loves thinking of hypothetical questions and brainstorming solutions, a challenge like ArcTank let me be creative while making impactful contributions to the company.
A second round of ArcTank is coming up, and I have already asked myself what else needs a new solution, and what a solution could be. This repeatable event is a sign that open opportunities like ArcTank accelerate a company’s innovation – because at the end of the day, if it brings out a new idea from even one employee, is it not already worth the investment?
Our company’s theme for this year is exploration. Together, our company is exploring new methods, new strategies, and taking even bigger risks. Arc Aspicio provides all employees the ability to request exploration hours to dig deeper into their ideas for how to make our company grow, adapt, and improve. Providing real opportunities, and supporting employees at all levels along the way, is the way our company accelerates innovation. Come explore with us!
About Arc Aspicio
Arc Aspicio is a management, strategy, and technology consulting firm that takes a mission-oriented approach to complex client challenges. Focused on innovation, Arc Aspicio provides services in strategy, design, human capital, operations, analytics and visualization, technology, and information sharing. The company is known for a strong, collaborative culture that values gratitude, provides leadership opportunities, and explores the future. Our teams use a human-centered approach to working with clients and are flexible and responsive within dynamic Government client environments that often have new priorities and evolving missions. We thrive on these situations and promote continuous improvement and new ideas. And, #welovedogs! Follow us on Twitter @arcaspicio or learn more at www.arcaspicio.com.
