Organizations with an engaged culture show a 65% increase in share-price, 26% decrease in turnover, 20% decrease in absenteeism, and 15% increase in employee productivity.
Dan Pontefract, “If Culture Comes First, Performance Will Follow,” Forbes, May 25, 2017
We identify the values and perceptions that drive the mindsets and behaviors of the workforce and develop a strategy that uses culture as an asset to contribute to the organization's goals.
A dysfunctional organizational culture can work against the business and be a significant obstacle to the adoption and implementation of the business strategy. We look for opportunities to shape culture through changes to the implicit and explicit motivations that exist in the organization.
Resolving Cultural Conflict to Effectively Combine Organizations
Author: Cara Griffith
Problem
A Global Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company was in the process of acquiring another pharmaceutical company. The two companies intended to join their separate employee populations and were concerned that conflicts might arise as the two distinct organizational cultures were brought together. One company was known for its demanding, results-driven culture while the other had distinguished itself by creating a collaborative, fun employee environment. The acquirer needed to identify which aspects of the two different cultures it should capitalize on and how to integrate both employee populations without harming their effectiveness.
Solution
We selected a sample size across both companies and administered a cultural assessment to get a cultural baseline for each organization. While the survey data was being collected, we aligned with the client on their desired cultural values. By identifying the future state target culture, we were able to assess how large the gaps in employee populations were between the current cultures and the desired culture. We were able to analyze the culture data we collected, looking all the way down to the team level and comparing it with performance data. Once we understood where the gaps were, we mapped out a plan for each team on how to best move them to the desired cultural state.
Outcome
The company was able to capitalize on the strengths of each culture to create an environment that would empower its collective workforce. With the executive leadership, managers, and HR aligned, each department and team had a customized culture plan they were responsible for implementing. Though a few individuals were unwilling to adapt to cultural change and self-selected out of the organization, most saw the strategic importance of bringing both organizations together to operate under the same cultural values. The company was able to create an environment that empowered their people to do their best work alongside their new peers.
