Case Study:
Beyond Rebranding: Achieving Organizational Alignment with the Work Excellence Method
YOU ARE WHERE YOU ARE: A technology services company had recently undergone a restructuring where it acquired several small ventures. They engaged Work Excellence for support through a rebranding initiative.
WE MEET YOU WHERE YOU ARE AT: During our initial discussions of the rebranding initiative, we realized a much deeper issue of lack of alignment. With the integration of several CEOs from newly acquired ventures into the executive team, a significant gap emerged within the C-Suite. Each executive brought their unique approach with their own ways of thinking and working, along with a variety of preferred tools. Unfortunately, these leaders had not yet had or taken the time to get on the same page. This lack of alignment led to the surfacing of additional challenges beyond the rebranding effort. Issues such as go-to-market problems and operational inefficiencies came to light. The absence of clear priorities concerning products and services compounded these challenges, resulting in wasted resources, and keeping these teams in a cycle of unproductive churn.
PICK A STARTING POINT: Once we realized the teams were not on the same page, we shifted from the original rebranding initiative to leveraging the structure of the Work Excellence method to establish overall organizational alignment. It was critical to synchronize the teams in order to understand organizational priorities to streamline decision-making and problem-solving.
CONDUCT A WORKSHOP: Initially, we had conducted a workshop with subject matter experts focusing on the rebranding initiative. At this stage, our approach centered more on implementing the Work Excellence method through consulting and coaching rather than explicitly teaching it. This application aimed to address the immediate challenges associated with the rebranding process. However, once we discovered the larger alignment issues, we adjusted our approach to hold further workshops designed to teach the method to the leadership teams. During these sessions, we provided comprehensive instruction on the Work Excellence method. Each leader created their page sets, enabling them to effectively lead their respective teams given the overall organizational direction.
SOLVE A CHALLENGE
- Shortened new product development cycle from 18 months to 6 months
- Reduced marketing content production time from 3-4 weeks to 3 days
Expand And Scale
The teams continued to work their current plans and apply the Method to address other challenges such as those seen in the IT and Operations departments. With the newfound organizational alignment, teams found themselves equipped to not only tackle immediate issues but also engage in strategic and long-range planning initiatives. Initiatives are underway to extend this alignment by training L2 Leaders and other members of the organization.
In conclusion, this case study demonstrates the transformative impact of organizational alignment facilitated by the Work Excellence Method. What began as a rebranding initiative for a technology services company revealed deeper issues stemming from lack of alignment among the executive team. By implementing the Work Excellence method, the company successfully addressed these challenges, leading to streamlined decision-making, improved resource allocation, and enhanced productivity.
