Swissnex’s Outpost program is designed to build intercultural competence and expose participants to new methods and solution approaches that they subsequently bring back to Switzerland. By transferring their insights into ongoing projects, participants help accelerate innovation across la Mobilière.

Nico Pfäffli joined the Swissnex team at the Embassy of Switzerland in London for his two-months outpost to seek cooperation partners, gain first hand technological insights, exchange best practices and work on specific early-stage ideas. He explains: “Lifelong learning is crucial in today’s rapidly evolving AI landscape. As a traditional company, la Mobilière must explore new pathways to keep pace with fast AI developments and seize opportunities to maintain competitiveness, while staying true to its DNA.“

To guide his investigation, Nico applied design thinking’s Double Diamond framework. He dedicated the first month to deeply understanding the different facets of the problem, followed by a second month focused on identifying and developing potential solutions. After a kick-off workshop that equipped him with practical tools to navigate the design thinking process, he conducted interviews with startup founders, learning and development leaders at large companies, and AI practitioners specializing in upskilling.

“After mapping the problem space, I performed several root cause analyses to understand how these topics interconnect and to locate la Mobilière sweet spot, i.e. where the company benefits the most and where I can contribute the greatest value”, Nico shared. 

“My interviews and conversations identified four key reasons why AI upskilling often fails:

1. Rushed AI implementation: initiatives are launched without a clear strategy or understanding where AI can be applied effectively
2. Lack of basic AI knowledge among employees 
3. Moment of realization has not yet occurred: many employees have not yet experienced a compelling reason to engage with AI
4. Limited C suite engagement: employees don’t see their senior leadership using the technology”

Nico discovered that standard AI training is unlikely to work for everyone since employees’ attitudes towards AI vary widely. While some embrace it, others are sceptical or even afraid, don’t see how it can help them or don’t want to be seen using it. He realized that a “wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee” moment—when an employee truly grasps the value of AI—can significantly boost motivation and spark a sense of urgency. However, because attitudes toward AI are deeply personal, each employee reaches this moment in their own unique way.

Nico’s solution? “Combining this insight with AI, I developed a proof of concept “AI Buddy” to personalize each employee’s AI journey. The process begins with a questionnaire. Based on the employee’s responses, each employee is assigned a persona which receives a tailored “coffee moment”. For example, an employee who is enthusiastic about AI but not yet using it confidently is paired with a more experienced peer who demonstrates specific job relevant use cases.”

Throughout his outpost, Nico worked closely with Swissnex who introduced him to contacts in the UK, challenged his assumptions and acted as a sounding board as he developed his ideas. In response to the question whether it was difficult to choose a suitable location among the leading innovation countries that Swissnex is running their outpost program in, he answered: “the UK is very strong in AI and its fast-moving business environment means that also AI implementation is quite advanced. At the same time, the UK is more similar to Switzerland in terms of cultural and regulatory context compared to, for example India, China or the US. I felt that attending a tech conference in London and benefitting from the experience of Swissnex’s contacts would give me a good perspective for my project.”

Returning to Switzerland from his London outpost, Nico has presented his findings and his solution to his la Mobilière colleagues and management. “The application of AI to la Mobilière’s business processes is an ideal domain for practicing lifelong learning because the field is evolving so quickly. My outpost has shown that AI technologies themselves offer a powerful new toolset – fun, low barrier and highly personalized – for each employee to engage with AI. I am convinced that similar AI tools will help to maintain employees’ motivation as they keep developing their own AI capability, which will in turn ensure that our workforce maintains la Mobilière’s competitiveness.”

La Mobilière is Switzerland’s oldest private insurance company. Founded in 1826 and organised as a cooperative owned by its policyholders, the Bern-based insurer serves more than two million private and corporate customers nationwide with a comprehensive portfolio of property, casualty and life-insurance products, and employs around 6,000 people.