An energy client that had gone through tremendous growth wanted to ensure that the culture of the organization was clearly articulated and the behavior of all employees represented the “customer-focused” direction that needed to occur to sustain growth. The challenge was exacerbated by the existence of a strong labor union and a history of resistance to any changes.
LRI developed a strategy that first tasked the Executive Team on identifying and clarifying the desired outcomes, along with strategies to handle the different countries and cultures that were represented in the total corporate operation. Secondly, starting with the Executive Team, programs were held to identify the desired behavior and direction and each leader was measured against the desired, future behaviors. Further, meetings were held with both labor leadership and local labor executives to talk about the future of the company, identify the obstacles, and solicit their support in the change process.
One year later, the company had gone through transformational change. While it was only the start of a much longer journey, leaders were now focused around the long-term direction and had made significant progress toward changing their style to more closely reflect the company they wanted to be. The union played a strong, collaborative role and for the first time in over 50 years, a more positive labor environment existed within the company. The success within the client earned them the highest Human Resource Award presented in the United Kingdom.