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Culture Transformation - Media Company
Media · Turnaround
1the challenge
Challenge: The business was suffering from a bloated cost structure, declining revenues, and a highly antagonistic unionized environment. Rounds of layoffs had reduced the workforce by hundreds. Silos grew with internal communication becoming virtually non-existent.
2the approach
Approach: Fixing the business model would be in vain if the employees would not or could not execute the new strategy. The culture had to be fixed.
3the result
Result: A multi-faceted strategy was developed based on more than 100 employee interviews and market research. It was unveiled at an all-employee Town Hall. It was built on open, honest two-way communication and grounded in the business plan. Employees were challenged to become part of the solution. Following the Town Hall, a comprehensive plan was rolled out with regular updates given to employees.
Feedback was instant and sustained. Employees felt that they had been heard. They said that they trusted the CEO to tell them the truth. Two waves of employee surveys showed steady progress on the understanding of the business strategy and almost all measures of engagement. Sales results began to show steady improvement. One year later the COO of the parent company visited. After one day he called to say: “I don’t know exactly what you did here, but this feels like a completely different place than when I last visited. People are smiling. There is an energy in the hallways that was never here before.”