Client Case Studies

Challenge:

To transform the sales performance of the UK pharmaceutical division of Bayer AG the global chemical and pharmaceutical business. At the time the company was promoting blockbuster products in the anti infective and cardiovascular therapeutic areas but UK sales lagged well behind those being achieved in other developed countries around the world. The company was also about to launch an innovative product that had recently been approved for use in the UK as a treatment for diabetes.

Solution:

Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team for Beaufort Managemnt consultants,I led the people related activity. The first phase was a diagnostic assessment looking at all aspects of performance: strategy,leadership, organisation structure, existing competencies, communication and last but not least reward and recognition. The prescription for change involved a complete overhaul of all of these dimensions. Implementation of the change plan included: *the appointment of a new Sales Director * a new organisation structure to enable the introduction of regional business management * assessment of existing managers against future facing competencies * redeployment and a limited number of managerial redundancies * recruitment and selection of Regional Business Managers * training and development in new management competencies

Results:

Transformation in sales performance. Success was so dramatic, in terms of improved revenue and profit, that Beaufort were invited to carry out an indentical exercise in Portugal and I led this implementation. Subsequently I conducted a strategic review of the UK marketing function and the company was later commissioned to design and implement a supervisory structure for European sales and marketing.

Challenge:

One of Balfour Beatty's largest operating companies, Power Networks, was engaged in a variety of activities: construction of transmission towers and lines, maintenance of electricity distribution networks, contracting to supply commercial and residential customers and the provision of street lighting. Over the previous few years considerable time and effort had been focused on safety performance, largely through the design and implementation of of improved systems and processes. The Health & Safety Director was considering whether to take the next step: focusing on behaviour. He invited several companies to put forward proposals with a view to helping BBPN to embark on a programme of behavioural change.

Solution:

At the time I was working with the Quo Group. Our proposals were accepted by BBPN and we started a journey that was to take three years to complete. The first phase was diagnostic in nature, involving an assessment of BBPN's safety climate and culture. Essentially this was designed to test the orgnisation's readiness to undertake a behavioural change programme and to gauge it's present attitude towards risk taking. The second phase entailed was the design of a training programme pitched at two levels, first the Executive Team and senior managers and, secondly, supervisors. This programme introduced leaders and managers to the fundamental principles of behavioural theory and invited them to consider how these might be applied in practice. This programme reached a population of some 600 people in total. The third phase involved follow up coaching for all those who had undertaken the training; looking at what had gone well in terms of using the tools and techniques introduced in the training programme and discussing ideas for improvement.

Results:

Significant results were achieved over the three year period, most importantly: a reduction in the volume and frequency of accidents across the businesses. This was measured by reference to traditional lagging indicators such as accident frequency rate (AFR) but also using some leading indicators directed at the most commonly observed risk taking. Finally, a follow up survey indicated a signiifcant shift in the safety culture and climate.

Challenge:

Energis was established by the National Grid Company in 2000 by developing a fibre optic cable network rolled out across its existing high voltage grid. The company soon became a specialist provider of voice and data communications technology to large corporations. In 2001 the Quo Group was invited by the HR Director to help the Board gain an understanding of the prevailing climate within the organisation, in particular to identify the principal drivers of performance, with a view to informing the development of the company's HR strategy

Solution:

Working with Dr Mahen Tampoe, I designed a bespoke instrument to test the climate; comparing how people considered that key organisational features ought to have been established with how they thought they actually were.

Results:

Contrary to some expectations, reward and recognition policy and practice was not the dominant driver of performance. We identified a number of drivers that played a bigger part in employee motivation and engagement and this data helped the HR Director to shape the HR strategy. We were asked to conduct a comparative study in 2002 by which time the euphoria surrounding the birth of the company had largely disappeared and people were about to be able to exercise the first tranche of share options granted at vesting. A different picture of the climate emerged and again the results enabled the HR Director to adjust the HR strategy. Ultimately Energis was acquired in 2005 by Cable & Wireless. Mahen Tampoe and I continue to work in this field. Indeed over the last 16 years we have carried out climate assessments for more than 20 organisations, most of these involving longtitudinal studies.