As the UK arm of a major global business, this company had a strong reputation for excellent customer service and a history of delivering results. Increased and changing competition in the market place meant that results were dropping and some form of change had to be made.
Comment:‘For the first time we spent time out of our silos helping to pull together a succinct & credible presentation for the whole organisation. It makes such a difference when we can pull together in this way.’
Actions
Stage One – Addressing Silo Working in the Senior Team
GCC worked with the senior team to explore their prevailing attitude to the business. This required them to get to grips with the fact that traditional ways of silo working were no longer working and to understand that they had to change their own attitudes first if they expected others to work in a more appropriate way for the market.
Team away days focussed on:
Once this was clear, each leader took responsibility for developing an area of the work and the culture. Timelines were set for bringing back the results in order to develop an overall plan going forward. In addition, each leader considered how they promoted the old and ineffective ways of working through their own behaviour. They then agreed with their colleagues a plan of action for their own changes.
Stage Two – Including High Performing Managers
Once the senior team were clear about the culture they needed for the company going forward, we facilitated a workshop for the leaders and the top performing managers in the company. Time was spent exploring what the new culture and ways of working would mean, sharing ideas for how to take it forward, and understand the personal changes that would need to made. At the end of this workshop, learning groups were set up to ensure each leader and manager had peer support to change their own behaviour and lead the new way with their direct reports.
Stage Three – Embedding the Changes
The company has since been acquired and it is significant that the acquired leaders have been recruited onto the merged senior team. They have retained their determination to create a strong and dynamic culture and are using this as the driver for the integration of the new combined company. GCC continue to provide support when necessary to help them take the new company forward.
Output
A team of leaders who work well together, both supporting and challenging each other on a regular basis. They are aligned behind a clear vision of the culture they want to work in and are holding to this despite challenging changes, which has given them high credibility with the acquiring company.
Comment:‘Despite all the change we are holding true to our team agreements. Your on-going help is a real support in the whirlwind of integration.’
