The leadership team realised changing employee mindsets towards privacy was a crucial first step. This required an approach that would bring privacy regulations to life in a way that could be transformed into applicable, everyday actions to deliver real change. WarnerMedia approached DQM GRC to develop a training programme that encouraged employees to view privacy as a creative challenge and help people from across different teams understand each other’s perspectives.
Designed to engage people’s imagination, the programme involved experiential learning frameworks. These used unexpected props such as lemons, playdough and blindfolds to illustrate how to approach the technical concepts of privacy regulation. Delivered through practical activities, it made privacy creatively engaging, allowing employees to think about the concepts in the context of their everyday roles.
The interactive sessions finished by discussing the changes required to incorporate the lessons learned into WarnerMedia’s project lifecycle, creating a sense of ownership and a drive for change. Initially piloted in London, the fun and effective nature of the programme resulted in teams within WarnerMedia requesting to get involved. As a result, it was rolled out globally.
The programme has empowered WarnerMedia’s teams globally to start baking privacy into the organisation’s project lifecycle. Each function across a project now understands the importance of privacy ahead of introducing new technologies. As a result, the programme has inspired proactive, long-term change from the ground-up that is not only reducing business risk, but also improving products for customers.
This initiative has changed an entire multi-national corporation’s approach to data protection, with 100% of employees saying that privacy will now feature more heavily in their thinking. It has affected how WarnerMedia operates and thinks about privacy on a universal scale. The business now views privacy-by-design as a competitive advantage and a strategic framework which treats privacy as a “positive sum” project-driver.
