Case
Studies

Tailored insights to drive sustained success

We Help Create the Operating Culture
You Need to Drive Business Success

Research has shown that while 82% of leaders believe a company’s culture is key to competitive advantage, only 19% believe they have the “right culture” to drive success.

Based on our work with nearly 160 companies in a variety of industries, we have created a simple way for leaders to get a clear picture of what needs to be changed. Then, we provide you with targeted, customized actions you immediately can make to better align your organization’s operating culture—its unique blend of strategy, leadership, and culture.

How We Deliver Tailored Insights: A Case Study

SympCn (SN), a successful 100-year-old manufacturing company was making the transition to a new CEO who had been the COO for a number of years. While she wanted to maintain their legacy and powerful brand name in the marketplace, she wanted to change the operating culture. Why? She wanted to scale her companie’s distinctive, patented products. She felt that while previous CEOs paid close attention to getting results, she knew she could quickly achieve superior financial results if she created cohesive teams at all organizational levels. She asked us to help.

The Diagnostic survey revealed three different potential obstacles that were blocking success.

How Our Process Helped Them Focus on What to Change

She and the Board Chair agreed to have everyone at SN complete our Organizational DnA® 15-minute assessment to learn what they could do to drive scaling and financial results.

Sample Results of First Measurement

The Diagnostic survey revealed three different potential obstacles that were blocking success:

1. Strategic Gaps

There were large gaps between the ideal operating culture the C-Suite felt the company needed to be successful and their actual, current operating culture. SN’s data revealed strategic gaps in how people needed to collaborate and how much innovation was needed in order to succeed in the future.

2. Operational Gaps

There were large differences in how people perceived the company currently operated. For example, SN’s data clearly indicated that people had very different points of view on whether they were expected to work alone or collaborate, as well as if people were expected to take initiative or follow direction, in order to get work done. As a result, people were confused about whether they needed to collaborate to get work done.

3. Execution Gaps

There were several aspects of their operating culture that did not support each other. For example, their data clearly indicated that while their purpose was clear, people were confused about what was in it for them if they did their jobs. The lack of clarity about rewards and advancement was likely holding people back from doing what was needed for the company to succeed.

We presented this and other data to SN’s C-Suite to help them become more self-aware of the forces and dynamics in their operating culture. Armed with this data, the new CEO was able to see clearly where SN’s operating culture was supporting her strategic goals and what forces were getting in the way.

Her actions included:
  • Clarifying the company’s purpose and strategy
  • Modeling a more collaborative work environment
  • Rewarding innovation and risk taking
  • Clarifying career paths and development opportunities
Second Measurement

The CEO found the debrief of the initial data so helpful, she decided to do a second survey six months later. The second survey indicated that:

1. Strategic Gaps

Strategic Gaps were resolved. While the gaps between the ideal and current ways of working remained, the data stimulated some critical insights. For example, the C-Suite realized that while sometimes it made sense for everyone to work independently, sometimes it was important to collaborate as a team. They began to articulate when it made sense to work alone and when decisions needed to be made as a team. The data raised the issue. The client decided what made sense for their needs.

2. Operational Gaps

Most Operational Gaps disappeared. The C-Suite discussions that clarified when they needed to work alone and when they needed to collaborate, set an example the leadership team then used to cascade the same discussions throughout the company.

Many Execution Gaps began to disappear. For example, as a result of specific actions the CEO took in response to the data, people felt clearer on rewards and advancement and saw how their work supported SN’s strategy.

3. Execution Gaps

Her tailored actions led to increased employee engagement, productivity and innovation that resulted in a boost to its financial performance.

Business Impact

As a result of the targeted actions of SN’s leadership, the company saw significant improvements in its operating culture. These improvements led to increased employee engagement, productivity and innovation that resulted in a boost to its financial performance.

Why Our Process Works

Uncovers root causes.

Our process shines the light into corners of your organization where hidden truths live—the truths people will not tell you. By getting input from every corner of your company, you become aware of how your company actually operates, rather than relying on assumptions based on limited information.

Employees are engaged
agents of change.

Our process gathers confidential data from both leadership and employees, ensuring that you hear from people who are intimately familiar with your operations but who may not have felt safe or been asked to speak up before.

We do not benchmark.

Our analysis is based on your company’s unique data set. A one-size-fits-all solution may not effectively address the specific challenges your company is facing. In the case above, SN’s Strategic, Operational, and Cultural Gaps were based on SN’s own unique set of data. That enabled us to agree on, with the client, targeted actions the company’s leadership needed to make to solve their unique dynamics.

How We Do It

You go through a simple 5-step process:
  1. We measure your organization’s current operating culture to identify the key dimensions which impact performance.
  2. You tell us the ideal operating culture to meet your business challenges.
  3. We reveal where your current operating culture is aligned with your ideal and where there are gaps.
  4. After you tell us which gaps you want to close, we provide you with a customized map, based on your unique data set, which provides you with specific actions to take to increase alignment.
  5. We re-measure your organization 6 months later to reveal what is and isn’t working so you can make any necessary adjustments.

Our measurement process is simple. Our DnA® Assessment takes about 15 minutes to complete. That’s it. No hordes of consultants at your company to take up everyone’s time. Based on your unique organizational dynamics and your business goals, our data shows you where to begin and what to focus on.