Case Study 2: Organizational Transformation

Background:

Global professional services firm was challenged with an ownership change; a culture based more on entitlement than performance; the need to integrate several “cultures” due to the company’s fast growth, acquistions and diversity; and as is common with many professional services firms, needed to upgrade the business practices of the support services departments.

To address these issues, we collaborated with the client using our organizational blueprint, the Change Effectiveness & Sustainability Epicycle (CEASE) to re-design the organization, unify the culture, prepare senior managers to lead the transformation, and aligned department performance to the firm’s strategic direction. Our role included facilitation, subject matter expertise applied to organization design, organization effectiveness and performance, change management, leadership effectiveness, team development, and coaching.

Work included:

·        Senior-level retreats and intensives, team building and development, meeting facilitation, and conflict negotiation

·        Senior-level work sessions to plan, design and implement the scope of organizational changes needed to achieve the performance results and cultural change. Targets for change included people practices, structure, processes, performance management and leadership behaviors

·        Executive coaching and leadership development

·        Re-design of the organizational structure, key processes, performance measures, people practices and reward systems

·        A humane and dignified reduction in force

·        A talent assessment process to staff the senior management groups

·        Birkman Method personality assessment of the top 100 people used for team and individual development in line with the firm’s needs. The Birkman gave key insights into how to manage team conflict and differences of perception

·        Design of a coaching, performance and development plan for managers based on our Leadership for Results model

·        Analysis, process and performance improvement of the finance and accounting department

·        Change management consulting and coaching of the executive team to effectively lead and manage the transformation.

Project outcomes:

Staff and revenue continue to grow substantially since our involvement.