Longer client programmes
Programmes designed with and for a single client, tailored to their particular situation. These programmes typically run over a longer period of time due to the number of participants, geographical spread, and scope of addressed business issues.
Building a Value-Driven Aspiration
Question: how do we create a more consistent value-based behaviour in a difficult market?
What we did: for a global metals transformation engineering firm, we started a journey in 2010 to co-create a value-driven aspiration that guides and constantly re-invigorates actions of leadership teams and individuals. The aim of the value-driven aspiration is to provide direction beyond sustainable profit growth; to provide purpose and meaning to the company motto: internally (how they operate, for behaviors and for leadership development) and towards stakeholders and the environment.
In the process, we worked with the top 125 managers in the organisation, as well as a group of “other voices” (a younger generation of managers with a more diverse background, to whom the necessity of change is more obvious). First we explored cognitive aspects such as core competences and the direction of the company; then we connected company values and moral leadership questions to individual values. This uncovered the key themes for the evolution or transformation of the company.
In addition our design resulted in a profound increase of trust and collaboration among different members of the leadership teams across and among the business units.
We are currently designing a program to engage the entire organisation around the aspiration, and embed it in existing practices, processes and business cycles.
Outcomes: co-created direction for the future, engaged senior management, increased trust and collaboration
Engagement Programme
Question: how do we develop our leaders for the future, so that they can lead us through an increasingly competitive market, where we need differentiate ourselves from others?
What we did: for an international financial services firm we are on a journey around aligning the brand, the value propositions, and the corporate values. Our team has co-led and advised the internal team around positioning this trajectory to increase the chances of successful implementation.
During the summer of 2008, we ran a process of redefining the company’s core values through workshops, and co-designed a process with the HR and Business Development Team to rally the teams across 30 countries around these, over the course of 2009 and 2010. In the context of their top management conference, we designed a survey and a set of workshops around the topic, aiming to invite strong leadership around the “Company Engagement” programme.
Starting in July 2009, we delivered a programme to empower local leaders to engage their local organisation in all 36 global entities. Through this programme, every team/individual was introduced to the company’s brand promise and values and invited to bring them alive in all interactions, services and products.
Outcomes: The programme created awareness, ambition and specific actions for teams and individuals to implement the brand promise and values. The people engagement level has gone in the most difficult economic times of the organisation, and the brand awareness , mostly internally but also externally, have gone up.
Follow-up Engagement Programme
Question: how do we develop our leaders for the future, so that they can lead us through an increasingly competitive market, where we need differentiate ourselves from others?
What we did: The engagement programme was asking for further internalisation of the brand promise, in the organization, its services, its processes, its suppliers, its leadership culture, its culture and behaviours.
This Follow-up stage consists of several aspects which we connect through an overall approach. One aspect consists of three programmes designed to specifically target the needs of relevant target groups for the unique role they play in the company. Our faculty team works directly with the management team and senior management of each local entity on their role. Through local ambassadors, trained by our team, we aim to engage each team and every employee further in the specific role they play to internalise the brand promise and values in their departmental action plans and their own daily activities.
A second aspect of the programme further emphasises the focus on the experience of customers. Each local entity selects specific customer pain points and brings together a cross-functional team to identify issues and opportunities in the processes supporting the customer experience. They then create an action plan to address improvement across all relevant functions. Local entities are enabled by our faculty team and equipped with tools and approaches to continue addressing new customer pain points as they emerge.
A third aspect of the programme aims to engage the company’s suppliers as they are responsible for delivering 55% of the customer experience. Our team works with internal teams who work with suppliers to develop a plan to invite, engage and inspire suppliers to deliver the brand promise through their services. We further equip the local team with a an approach for a kick-off meeting with suppliers to start the discussion.
We are have now started to roll out the programme in 22 entities and the remaining 12 entities in 2013.
Connecting for Growth
ELP was invited to work on the cultural integration of two major European financial institutions shortly after the acquisition of one by the other. Following the in-depth interviews and the assessment of the similarities and differences between the cultures of the two organizations, we designed a 3 day offsite for mixed groups of senior leaders for both institutions. The purpose was to create space for mutual respect and understanding while engaging in strategy conversations of the newly formed organization. Delegates were taken through a process of looking at the broadest societal and sector-wide landscape before examining their own current situation and building their collective aspiration for a successful future. The programme provided space for individuals to have conversations on both the personal and professional levels which were also joined by executive committee members who provided context for these conversations.
Brand 1000: Loving and Living the Brand
Question: how do we drive our brand promise from inside the organization and let it be lived consistently across a global company?
What we did: over the course of 2006 to 2008, we worked with a global consumer electronics firm to align business strategy and objectives, brand promise and behaviour of leadership teams and co-workers.
With the University of Chicago we delivered a programme starting with the executive board and ending with brand engagement for 140,000 employees. We trained 1000 brand ambassadors to build awareness and engagement around the company’s brand essence statement, connecting the brand promise to business processes, structures and daily behaviour.
We were later asked by the client to be the sole provider for further implementation and reiterations of the programme. In this context, we also co-designed and programme managed with the client a world-wide, all employees Brand Day to engage the broader company in ‘Loving and Living the Brand’.
We designed and delivered this Simplicity Day (as the global brand day was called) in close collaboration with an internal project team. The program was designed in modules, so that different locations could adapt the delivery to their needs and resources. We also created training materials and preparation for local facilitators and leaders.
Formula I Process
Question: we need to reframe our business model in the face of increased competition and developing market needs.
What we did: we developed and ran a series of workshops for a wholesale cash and carry entity (based in Europe, Asia and South America) within 11 countries to mobilise the top 45 in each country around the urgency for challenging and rethinking the business and operational model of the company.
Outcomes: This intervention revamped the entire business unit and instigated the countries to reinvent their business and their position in the market. (Indonesia, China, Thailand, Pakistan, Philippines, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia). Due to the success generated by the actions taken as a result of the workshop, the company has elevated this approach to become company-wide for strategizing, exploring the emerging future, and agreeing on concrete actions to be taken.
Fit 4 Future
In 2010, ELP was engaged by a local market subsidiary of a leading global automotive services company to design and support the strategy conversation. We asked them to form an internal client team, consisting of the MD, his management team plus a number of key company talent. Over the period of three months, this team has co-created the strategic direction in a participatory manner, whereby ELP provided methods and frameworks, facilitated conversations to explore the emerging future, and provided experience and direction to the process. The team is highly engaged in the process, has complete ownership of the outcomes and is therefore very committed to enacting the collectively created strategy.
Inventing our Future
Question: how can we challenge our top 100 managers beyond their day to day role and provide a world class tailored executive programme?
What we did: for an international private health management company, we designed an annual executive programme between 2002 and 2009. The aim of the program was to challenge the top 100 leaders by exposing them to leading edge concepts and world-class examples on a number of topics, including strategic management, internationalisation, leadership, ICT, innovation (the overall theme that closely connects to the business reality was chosen annually).
Together with the client, we designed an integrated learning trajectory combining in-house master classes and workshops, inputs at their annual business conference, and onsite 3.5 day workshops using the best faculty and facilitators from around the world.
Outcomes: instigated by the programme, the company developed a strategic framework, common language and cross-business communities and informal networks to discuss and confront the challenges they face in a growing, and increasingly international business. While the focus of the programme was mainly outside-in, and the focus was more on reflection and learning, it has triggered a high number of actions to be taken in the business. Being the only time each year that the 100 top leaders come together, the programme has also worked to increase collaboration across the divisions and the glue in the company.
Aligning the Organisation for the Future
Question: how can we align leadership energy and initiatives across the organisation to address the critical challenges facing our company in a collaborative manner?
What we did: Between 1998 and2004 ELP worked with this fast growing international services company and developed a programme to link the outcomes of the annual board retreats to the design of the overall architecture for senior management development and communication involving the top 5,000 in the organisation.
Outcomes: Since our engagement with this client started, the company’s sales have grown ten-fold and it has managed to integrate an average of 30 acquisitions per year while retaining key management talent.
Leadership for Growth
Question: how can we inspire our organisation to be more ambitious and increase the cohesion between our different businesses?
For a leading European bank, we were asked to co-design and deliver an integration and culture change programme.
What we did: With the client, we co-created a 3,5-day workshop. What was initially intended as a program for the top 100, was upon request of the client quickly scaled up to a top 3000 program.
Over nearly 3 years we delivered 121 three-day workshops in France for over 3.600 participants. The programme enabled us to use some 35 of our ELP Alliance partners in delivery. We enjoyed average ratings of 4.5 out of 5 over the entire run of the programme.
Outcomes: increased capacity to deliver on the ambitious strategic plans, a renewed sense of identity and increased level of togetherness in a fast moving market context.
Executive Leadership Programme
Question: how do we develop our leadership for the future, so that they can lead us through an increasingly competitive market, where we need differentiate ourselves from others ?
What we did: for an international financial services firm we co-designed the leadership academy and developed a repertoire of senior management programmes.
Since 2002, we have delivered this programme for the top 150-180 people of an international financial services firm. The programme is executed three times per year for groups of 15 and each programmz consists of 3 modules expected to be critical for the company’s future success. These modules are: Strategic Leadership, Managing the Value Profit Chain, and Engaging for the Journey. The programme has built a strong positive brand name in the company with managers requesting in advance to participate.
In this context, we also created a management team off-site formula and coached individual senior managers.
We have more recently developed a programme for middle management, rolled out in two countries.
Outcomes: engaged senior management, more internal senior management succession, and learning culture
Engaging for Performance
Question: how can we improve employee engagement?
What we did: for a global consumer electronics company we designed a team-based approach to tackling employee engagement. We worked with 40 intact management teams across Europe, the US and Asia. In a 1.5 day workshop format, each team engaged in a enquiring dialogue around their own Employee Engagement Survey results. Each team co-created a journey going forward for them to leverage the strong points of employee engagement and address the critical issues. Each team member also co-created their own journey for how to drive engagement in their own teams.
Following on from these workshops with the Management Teams of the division we delivered a number of initiatives supporting greater engagement. We further trained the Amsterdam Management Team to run branch-wide engagement workshops with team members as a follow-up on their engagement journey. A Project Managers Congress was co-organised between the teams from two locations, where the project managers built their abilities in cultivating relationships, supporting the effectiveness of the geographic triangle structure.
Outcomes: During the period of our work the Employee Engagement Survey results increased from 61% to 75% with teams attributing the workshop as a key turning point in achieving these results.
