CASE
STUDY
Rapid
Change in a Professional Services Division
The
Value of Individual and Team Executive Development
Situation:
A new leader had just taken over as
head of a Professional Services Division in a Fortune 100 company.
He found a situation in which morale was low and in-fighting and
conflict were high.
He
brought in Turknett Leadership Group as a partner shortly after
taking the position. By engaging the senior executive team in both
individual executive development and group development, and formally
assessing the organizational functioning before and after the engagement,
major improvement was detected as the company moved from "worst
to first."
Initial
Organizational Assessment:
The Turknett Organizational Profile
(TOP) was used to get baseline data on how the organization was
functioning. The assessment was completed by all department employees
shortly after the engagement began. Results were poor. Scores were
below the norm on 24 of the 31 scales, and more than one standard
deviation below the mean on 17 of the scales. Employees saw the
level of trust as very low and the atmosphere as politically charged.
Morale was low, leadership was seen as poor, employees were characterized
as unmotivated, and the organization was seen as bureaucratic and
ineffective.
Initial
Engagement - Work with the Senior Team:
Work with the division began by enrolling
the leader and his direct reports (all department heads) in the
Executive Development Program. Each team member completed a number
of assessments, including a rating by coworkers. The results gave
each individual a clear look at his or her strengths and weaknesses,
and the coaching helped each member leverage strengths and address
areas for improvement. Management practices and team relationships
began to improve, but there was still serious conflict within the
team. After several months of individual work, all team members
and others on the staff were interviewed in preparation for the
first of a series of off-site sessions focused on developing the
senior team. During these meetings team members assessed their ability
to work together, aired issues that were getting in the way, and
worked on ground rules for working together effectively.
Leadership
Development Throughout the Organization:
The leadership team believed that
in a professional, knowledge-based organization each employee needed
to play a leadership role, regardless of whether they had managerial
responsibility. To this end, a leadership development program was
offered to all professional employees. Work with Turknett continued
with each member of the senior team, individually and in group settings.
Follow-up
Organizational Assessment:
The Organizational Effectiveness Assessment
was repeated one year and two years after work with the division
was begun. Within one year there was dramatic improvement. Within
two years the organization had moved from "worst to first," from
being one of the most dysfunctional organizations tested to one
that employees saw as a model organization and an excellent place
to work. Scores were two standard deviations above the mean on 29
of the 31 scales, and at least one standard deviation above the
mean on all scales. The group continued to improve. Quality as measured
by professional standards improved dramatically, and the division
became a benchmark for their industry.
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