Dedicated to preserving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's historical past, the Ministry of Culture was formed to promote Saudi's cultural future. Initially, the Kingdom's cultural sector comprised multiple independent cultural departments spread across the Kingdom. It wasn't until 2018 that the first Ministry of Culture was created to bring 11 departments under one roof, and here is where the trouble began.

The absence of centralized systems and processes frustrated employees. Low morale and high attrition rates led to a lack of belonging. The resistance to change from the non-tech-savvy older employees created a generational gap with otherwise a Youth majority organization.

To remedy this, we embarked on an ambitious journey to transform the internal culture of the MOC using design, technology, and their historical past, wrapped together in a human way to unite over 2800 employees from across the 11 sectors.

We uncovered that the youth majority were clamoring for an environment that created a sense of belonging and positively impacted the community.

However, while this gave us a way in, it lacked deep-rooted meaning. To embrace the future, we needed an intervention from our past.

As gatekeepers of the historical culture of Saudi Arabia, we knew this was where we would find the reason to believe and drive change at the MOC.

"Dewan" is a word woven into Saudi society. It is a welcoming place where people came together, worked and shared ideas to inspire one another. This communal space created a sense of belonging and togetherness.

We brought this traditional space into the 21st century as an online portal and mobile app. Named DewanE, it housed a range of features and tools that emulated the concept of a Dewan in digital form.

Adding E to Dewan, DewanE stood for electronic and employee in English, while in Arabic it meant ‘myspace’. For the brand identity we wove the traditional Kufic script and bitmap imagery to create a symbol that perfectly captured the spirit of the brand.

Uniting generations with a 'buddy program':

Newcomers were assigned a buddy from the MOC for a human touch. This person would support them on their journey making them feel part of the team. Older non-tech savvy employees also benefited from the system as it helped them use DewanE.

Flowing communication with 'CEO connect':

This allowed all employees across the MOC to have a dialogue with the CEO whenever they had any concerns, setting an example for the new open-door policy.

Inspiring collaborations with a 'grand library':

Access to information from 11 departments fostered a sense of understanding between departments and an appreciation for what each one does.

• Within the 1st quarter of the launch DewanE had an adoption rate of 93% (with 79% of what they defined as “older” employees using the platform).

• The launch video had 10,000+ views—close to 3.5x times the MOC population.

• There was a 94% overall positive sentiment on the user experience based on initial surveys.

• Employees were carrying out organizational process 2.5x faster.

• With proper systems and processes in place, collaborations between departments saw a 4x increase.

• There was drop in the attrition rate of 44% and employees were even using DewanE’s employee referral function to refer friends and family for jobs across the ministry, a clear sign that something was done right.