Open innovation: A key driver of societe generale's digital transformation

Societe Generale continues to embrace innovation, which has been a cardinal value for the Group for the past 150 years, drawing on the creative force of its employees and increasing connections and bringing together its internal communities with those of the digital ecosystem.

Technological developments have shifted practices towards greater mobility and created new ways of interacting. Societe Generale has welcomed these technological changes as opportunities to transform and enrich its relationship with customers and employees alike in all Group business lines, and to reinvent the bank of tomorrow.

Societe Generale sees these new practices and the advent of new players (GAFAs, start-ups and fintechs) as opportunities to rethink financial and banking services through the use of technology. Already a leader in innovation and digital services, Societe Generale has made digital media and innovation a priority in its 2014-2016 strategic plan, with the aim of ramping up its digital transition to better serve its customers.

For Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles, Head of Group Resources and Innovation, "The digital era is changing how the Bank innovates: from "product"-oriented innovation to a relationship-focused innovation based on the customer experience, from inward innovation to open innovation in order to capture changes around the world by remaining open to the outside world, from incremental innovation to groundbreaking innovation. Innovation has an essential role to play in the Bank's digital transformation, as an acceleration driver at the heart of Societe Generale's strategy. The Group draws on dynamic forces both within and outside the company to ramp up its digital transition and better meet its customers' needs."

Drawing on and encouraging the creative force of its employees

In 2010, the Bank launched a groupwide discussion through the company's social network. This discussion was centred on the bank of tomorrow and it called for employees to submit ideas on issues relating to customers, the group and technology. This initiative highlighted their interest in the company's digital transformation.

A year ago, Societe Generale also launched the "Digital for All" programme aimed at promoting collective knowledge by providing employees with the tools they need. Today, the majority of the Group's employees worldwide have the latest productivity and collaborative tools installed on their desktops, 70,000 tablets have been distributed and almost 90% of the branches are equipped with WIFI.

Digital media have also ushered in the development of new tools and working methods, fostering creativity and driving the digital transition. From a training standpoint, four MOOCs have already been or are currently being rolled out, and the volunteer-based work-from-home trial programme initiated in 2014 has been expanded with a target of around 4,000 work-from-home participants by the end of 2016. In addition, a flex office programme will be tested in early 2016. Another example: the "Les Dunes" office complex in Val de Fontenay will be operational in autumn 2016, offering a dedicated, fully connected, scalable operating environment promoting the development of innovative and more collaborative working methods. Innovation also contributes to the company's acculturation, for example through the hackathons held since 2014, notably with Ecole 42, or Meet-ups such as Fintech Night (25 start-ups in attendance, 150 employees) held in spring 2015.