CASES

Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. — Oliver Wendell Holmes

CASES

A governmental organization found itself at a crossroads. Since its top management team was comprised of professionals from a variety of cultures and backgrounds, each interpreted the organization’s future differently, making it virtually impossible to agree on one strategic direction. Through a series of carefully structured dialogs that explored milestones and highlights of the organization’s past and present, the group was better able to work together to identify and interpret future challenges and opportunities, and make joint strategic decisions.

A consumer goods company changed ownership and direction — major functions previously handled in house would now be outsourced. Employees reacted with a massive show of resistance, and it became imperative for top management to align itself and communicate consistently. Their mission was to help employees understand the need for the change and to generate support. Over the course of a year, a series of dialogs facilitated by the company’s managers, cascaded throughout the organization communicating critical information. A survey conducted at the end of the year indicated a 90% understanding of the new strategy.

A merger between two financial services companies consumed everyone’s time for more than one year with an internal focus — integrating people, systems and processes. The result was lost market share and declines in both customer and employee satisfaction ratings. Management responded with a major customer service program that would engage the entire staff. Through a series of dialogs that focused on meeting customer needs and expectations, management and staff discovered new ways of working together and were able to reverse negative market share and employee satisfaction ratings.

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