The Client

Multi-national manufacturer with U.S. headquarters in Houston, Texas. Global revenue in excess of $5 billon with more than 10,000 employees.

The Problem

The client knew that they couldn’t change the habits that were created over the past 35 years alone. Nor could they objectively and comprehensively identify the issues that were holding them back or assess the degree to which these issues were preventing them from achieving their goals.

Acquiring this knowledge was the first and most critical step to identifying and prioritizing the cultural changes that needed to be made. Information obtained in the assessment was also used to develop action plans and strategies for overcoming resistance to change.

The Solution

• Conducted a series of in-depth interviews and focus groups with management and support staff within each department and at all levels of the organization to understand the current culture and barriers to making progress.
• Distributed an online survey to all employees which garnered an 83% response rate.
• Identified key opportunities for the client that would improve their ability to achieve their strategic and tactical goals.
• Developed and presented prioritized recommendations that included both short and longer term actions.
• Facilitated an alignment session to secure leadership agreement on the path forward based on prioritized recommendations.
• Developed draft action plans to address the priority issues that needed to be resolved.
• Met with select managers and support staff to ensure that there was alignment. between the issues raised during the assessment and the proposed solutions (i.e., action plans).
• Modified the action plans as needed and presented them to senior management for final approval to proceed.

The Result

• The client has a clear understanding of the issues that were holding them back and the degree to which these issues prevented them from achieving their goals.
• Numerous action plans have been successfully completed, which have significantly and positively contributed to the cultural transformation.
• Other action plans have increased in scope so that additional departments can benefit from the changes.
• Strategies are now in place and are commonly used to minimize resistance to change when first introducing new initiatives, followed by specific tactics to overcome resistance to change.