As the new chief information officer and senior vice president in charge of business transformation at Des Moines, Iowa-based property/casualty carrier GuideOne Insurance, Doug Cretsinger faced some big challenges.

He managed a staff of around 100 team members plus another 200 or so contract workers. Staff turnover in the IT department was high and employee commitment was low, the company was replacing its core technology systems, and there were numerous problems with the physical workspace.