In a company dependent on developing new products, it’s difficult to commercialize products quickly when the technical and commercial groups are at odds with each other. The problem may seem like it’s due to poor interpersonal communication, but often the more significant issue is an ineffective product development process.

We were engaged by the CEO of a start-up green chemicals company to resolve an impasse between her commercial and technical groups. Conflict between these functions is quite common. The commercial group needed samples quickly so that customers could test the products and start purchasing. The technical group was committed to follow a disciplined process to understand requirements and make sure that samples were developed to the correct specifications. The commercial folks were driven to generate revenue, and the technical folks were driven to develop quality products while preserving resources in a highly constrained environment. The two groups were pointing fingers at each other.

Sitting down with the VPs for both groups, we discovered that they each had different ideas about what was important  [Read more…]

Our client, an early stage, fast growing clean tech company was launching new teams at a fast clip. We collaborated with the CHRO to develop and implement a Team Start-up process that included meeting designs and a toolkit. The process was tested and the internal HR managers were developed to keep it going.  The results included improved team meeting effectiveness and milestone tracking and delivery. HR leaders improved their ability to identify the root causes of team challenges so appropriate action could be taken.  Increased HR capabilities significantly reduced the need for external resources for team development.

The SVP of a newly formed strategy unit of a $26 billion corporate spin-off that included the strategy, technology, marketing, and licensing functions, needed to add value and create synergies quickly. 90% of the unit’s members had not chosen to work there. The employees were confused about why the unit included all four teams, and were skeptical about this strategic unit’s potential for impact, since there was no defined need from or credibility with the four operating companies for whom this unit was to provide services. To make matters more difficult, the unit was geographically split between the US and Europe. We consulted with the SVP to simultaneously build the leadership team, the individual teams, and the entire unit.

We began by working with the SVP to develop his LT by first focusing on unifying the four team leaders to create synergies by leveraging each other’s expertise. We also worked individually with each team leader to build his/her team.

Within the first month of organizational startup, we worked with the leadership team to design a meeting that would engage all 55 members of the organization to understand the purpose of the organization. The team needed to create a clear vision for success, set cultural expectations, and identify and design the processes needed to run the organization effectively.
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A manufacturing company ranked #1 in its industry in both manufacturing costs and production effectiveness. The president was under pressure to continue to reduce costs by 5% annually, beyond “plan.” Convinced there were significant opportunities for cost savings, cycle time reduction, and increased effectiveness within their administrative processes, he had been unsuccessful in gaining interest from his senior team.

This is a common obstacle when the senior leader of an organization sees the need to change but is unsuccessful in “convincing” his/her team. Our approach is different. We don’t try to convince people, we create processes that allow them to convince, or see for themselves.

The first thing we did was design and facilitate a meeting of the senior leadership team, giving them an opportunity to share their plans and the estimated savings. Looking at the possibilities all together, the team was able to see what the president already saw: that they were not going to reach the 5-year plan without making significant changes in manufacturing and administrative processes. They realized they had to do something more. We asked them to identify the key administrative processes, focusing on those which crossed functional or departmental lines, because it’s usually at those boundaries where the biggest opportunities lie.   [Read more…]

A new planning manager of BP’s Pipeline Engineering & Maintenance Department  needed to improve the quality of programs and program management across North America. There was no mechanism in place to understand the perception of program effectiveness, the impact across the system, or customer satisfaction. We designed, administered, and analyzed the results for two custom surveys including quantitative and qualitative feedback – one to measure customer satisfaction across 13 distinct programs, and a self assessment for the program managers.  278 responses were received from across field and headquarters customers – a 65% response rate. The report we developed simplified a set of complex data, making it understandable and actionable. Data analysis for individual programs and across the system highlighted: 1) best practices in communication and engagement which were adopted across the entire system;  and 2) a need for clearer scheduling, which resulted in the development of an integrated program calendar. These changes led to improved communication across the entire system.