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Transformation Support

How to re-engage employees in a strategic plan to double turnover in 5 years?

mar. 26 nov. 2024

🎯 CONTEXT/CHALLENGES

  • I support the Greek subsidiary (45 million euros in turnover and 80 employees) of a large international Agro-Food group.

  • The new CEO developed an ambitious 5-year plan with his management committee to double the turnover, but soon realized that the teams were not following.

  • He asked me to help him understand what is happening and to propose an action plan to engage the teams in the project.

💡 APPROACH

I propose a structured approach in 5 steps to create the conditions for a new alliance between the CEO/the management committee and their teams:

  1. Listening and Diagnosis: conducting 35 semi-structured individual interviews to encourage open discussion and identify the drivers and barriers to engagement.

  2. Preparing the CEO and management committee to be the “leaders” of the transformation: reporting back the diagnosis, alignment on priorities, working on individual attitudes (empathy, owning up to mistakes, leading by example, etc.) and collective ones (speaking with one voice, etc.).

  3. Feedback to the teams: a real moment of collective “catharsis” to close one chapter and open a new one.

  4. Co-construction of action plans: revalidation of improvement priorities with the teams and action plan work in cross-functional workshops.

  5. Follow-up and regular communication: management and communication routines to monitor progress, celebrate successes, and adjust course if necessary.

📈 RESULTS

  • The client uses the Gallup12 methodology to measure engagement throughout the group.

  • The Greek subsidiary went from a score of 3.5/5 to 4.5/5 in just one year, and this score was consolidated the following year.

  • This is a progression from the last place among subsidiaries in Europe to the European TOP 3.

🏆 KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

  • Clarity of intentions: the CEO, his management committee, and I presented and explained the approach to all teams before starting the individual interviews.

  • Strong Leadership involvement: I was very demanding with the CEO and the management committee to ensure they “modeled” for the teams.

  • Really listen and take inputs into account (not fake participative): even difficult topics were addressed and handled without taboo.

  • Do what you say and say what you do (be persistent and regular over time): rebuilding trust takes time and perseverance.