Organizational Transformation

The call to change

Culture is the “operating system” of an organization:  the coalescence of all of the shared beliefs, values, norms and practices played out daily.  Culture guides what your employees will consider most important and how she or he might think, act and feel at work.  The culture is there whether it is consciously developed or emerges on its own in an unconscious and undirected way.

Successful companies, however, have a strong, integrated culture that supports their vision, strategy and goals.

Dr. Dan Denison’s research at the University of Michigan has shown that organizations that focus on the four cultural traits of involvement, consistency, adaptability and mission, have better business results than those who don’t.  In fact, companies that align their cultures with the demands of their business environments consistently outperform organizations that are not aligned in the following ways:

• 571% higher gains in operating earnings.
• 417% higher returns on investment.
• Increases in stock prices of 363%.

We use online assessment questionnaires as a starting point to our in-depth assessment.  The assessment will allow an organization to objectively and quantitatively identify all the aspects of their culture.  This snapshot of organizational culture can help evaluate whether the current culture supports and drives the actions necessary to achieve the organization’s goals.  We supplement these data points with in-depth interviews  with savvy insiders to provide you with a comprehensive assessment of your current culture and recommendations on what your future culture should be.  This assessment can also be used to inform and guide merger and acquisition opportunities, reorganizations, hiring and succession planning decisions, growth strategies and corporate renewal.

Once the culture assessment has been completed, we will provide you with specific recommendations and a road map for implementation on how to change or fine-tune your company’s culture.  We also supplement your internal change efforts by providing communication guidance, leadership and organizational development programs as well as change your management processes.

We offer leaders the advice, programs and tools to:

• Articulate a clear vision of the future state of the organization and the values that guide employees’ decisions and actions.
• Clarify and communicate the strategies required to succeed.
• Gain buy-in and commitment to the mission, vision, values and strategies.
• Adjust the organization’s culture and ensure employee alignment.
• Develop specific change plans and monitor progress against those plans.

Rather than viewing culture change as a one-time event, we focus on helping organizations develop an ongoing agility that will allow managers and employees to deal more effectively with whatever the future brings.