Technology Industries of Finland

How Technology Industries of Finland ensured engagement across its 1,800 member companies

Challenge

Technology Industries of Finland (Teknologiateollisuus), one of Finland’s largest business organizations, needed a better way to connect with its 1,800 member companies. Traditional methods, such as meetings and surveys did not allow for enough interaction between members or enable in-depth feedback. The organization wanted to capture a wider range of perspectives and felt that quieter voices were often overlooked. Traditional meetings were inefficient, particularly with large groups, and it was difficult to ensure all attendees could contribute meaningfully to discussions.

Solution

By using Howspace, Technology Industries of Finland changed how they interact with their members. From strategy development and policy discussions to training programs and events, Howspace became the central hub for facilitating discussions, collecting insights, and creating a collaborative space for members to connect.

Ultimately, Technology Industries of Finland wanted to adopt a more inclusive approach to strategic development and needed a better way to gather and incorporate feedback from a wider range of members.

Results

The use of Howspace has so far resulted in several positive outcomes for Technology Industries of Finland These include:

Improved efficiency and time savings in areas such as strategy development, Technology Industries of Finland was able to increase member engagement and gather valuable insights through Howspace.
The use of Howspace led to more efficient meetings, improved communication, and better decision-making.
The platform’s user-friendliness and AI-powered features improved the overall experience for both facilitators and participants.

Engaging a diverse group of stakeholders is no easy task–especially for a large organization like Technology Industries of Finland (Teknologiateollisuus), one of Finland’s largest business organizations representing the technology industry. With over 1,800 member companies, Technology Industries of Finland faced a clear challenge: how could they enable meaningful interactions and gather actionable insights in a way that was both efficient and inclusive?

Traditional engagement methods held back insight-gathering

For years, Technology Industries of Finland relied on traditional meetings and surveys to connect with their members. While these methods provided some value, they often felt impersonal, time-consuming, and limited in their ability to build real collaboration.

“We needed a way to engage our members in a more meaningful and interactive way”, shared Tarja Ihalainen, Head of Membership Services.

Strategically, the organization wanted to strengthen its sense of ownership and commitment by involving a broader member base in the planning of its initiatives. They needed a solution that would improve the member base’s shared understanding by enabling members to share and validate their perspectives. Inclusivity was a priority, with a focus on giving equal opportunities for participation to all members, including the ones who are less likely to voice their opinions.

This is where Tarja recognized the need for a platform that would enable them to effectively gather insights, facilitate discussions, and create a more collaborative environment.

Additionally, the team wanted to break free from static formats and create a platform where dialogue and feedback flowed naturally, and every voice felt heard.

At the end of the day, Technology Industries of Finland needed a system that saved time, improved decision-making, and supported their efforts in policy development and advocacy.

Adding to the complexity was the scale of their network. With 1,800 member organizations, members spread across different companies, industries, and regions, Technology Industries of Finland needed a tool that could efficiently bring everyone together, streamline processes, and provide insights at scale.

Moving from impersonal interactions to meaningful insights

In their search for a better way to engage members, Technology Industries of Finland discovered Howspace–a platform that became their go-to solution for creating interactive and inclusive experiences.

Bringing strategy into action through inclusive planning and active participation

One of the first initiatives tackled with Howspace was a major strategic planning effort. Technology Industries of Finland invited a wider group of members to participate, gathering their thoughts on the organization’s future direction.

Howspace’s intuitive interface and functionality encouraged active participation, even among those less familiar with digital tools. Its ease of use allowed members to engage without requiring additional training or new accounts, integrating smoothly into their existing workflows.

The platform’s versatile collaborative features–such as polls, surveys and discussion forums–allowed for different types of interaction and engagement, catering to different preferences and needs.

Pre-designed templates made it easier for facilitators to set up activities, enabling them to focus on driving participation rather than administrative tasks. Moreover, the clear layout further organized information into distinct sections, which meant that participants could contribute in a structured way and find specific information more easily.

Members could share ideas, respond to scenarios, and engage with one another’s comments, creating a sense of community and shared purpose.

While the direct impact of changes like these can’t always be objectively measured, they saw indications that member engagement was increasing, collaboration was becoming more effective, and feedback processes were yielding more actionable insights than ever before.

“We received a lot of positive feedback from members who enjoyed reading other people’s comments and being able to like or comment on their responses,” Tarja shared. “We obtained a rich dataset that could be analyzed and used to support our strategy work.”

“We received a lot of positive feedback from members who enjoyed reading other people’s comments and being able to like or comment on their responses.”

Enabling equal voices in high-stakes projects

The impact of Howspace extended beyond strategy development. Technology Industries of Finland utilized the platform to support various working groups and committees focused on topics ranging from higher education policy to international recruitment. Howspace provided a central hub for information sharing, collaboration, and decision-making, streamlining processes and enhancing communication among members.

Touko Apajalahti, Head of Education Policy, found Howspace particularly beneficial in facilitating discussions and gathering feedback on higher education policy initiatives.

“I wanted interactivity so that the participants could comment on each other and see what others thought about different issues,” he explained. “That was the main reason why we started using Howspace.”

“I wanted interactivity so that the participants could comment on each other and see what others thought about different issues. That was the main reason why we started using Howspace.”

Touko highlighted the value of interactivity in fostering a more inclusive and representative dialogue.

“This way, all opinions can be heard,” he observed. “This can help level the playing field for participants, allowing them to devote more time to considering what they want to say and write, compared to having to express themselves quickly during a meeting.”

Automatic AI summaries helped the team make faster decisions

Both Tarja and Touko highlighted how Howspace significantly improved efficiency.

The platform made it easier to collect, analyze, and share information by simplifying processes that used to take much longer without Howspace. The platform’s AI features helped save time by automatically summarizing discussions and pinpointing key themes, enabling the team to focus on what mattered the most and make decisions faster.

“The most amazing thing about Howspace is the magic it creates when you use AI prompting,” Tarja explained. “We were able to ask the AI to highlight what was discussed in different companies or identify the most important recurring themes. This gave us a head start when we came together to discuss the findings, making our meetings much more efficient.”¨

“The most amazing thing about Howspace is the magic it creates when you use AI prompting.”

Looking ahead: Scaling collaboration and training programs

Looking ahead, Technology Industries of Finland plans to expand their use of Howspace to support member collaboration, training programs, and knowledge sharing.

They envision using the platform to create a “local agreement pathway” where member companies can access resources and guidance on implementing best practices in areas such as workplace development.

Tarja is particularly excited about the potential of Howspace’s AI-powered features to transform their training offerings. “We could break training down into smaller modules, making it easier and more independent,” she shared. “This might change the way we offer training courses in the future.”

Curious to see how Howspace can support your member engagement? Book a demo today and discover the power of Howspace for yourself.