success stories

Sometimes the best way to determine whether our services will work for you is to learn how we helped other clients.  We have outlined some case studies for different situations we have encountered. Some client's names have been omitted because of the sensitivity of some of the detail. It is important to distinguish between our role in helping to create the processes and systems and our client's success in implementing them. We were successful in providing approaches for a change; our clients were successful in implementing them and therefore achieving their desired results.

 

• Major Oil Company's Marketing Safety System

Situation:
Starting in late 2001 through mid 2003 a large Oil Company's Marketing Department lost time accident rate throughout the United States had been slowly climbing. The Marketing Department's Senior management recognized most of these accidents were incidental but they did represent a ticking time bomb that could lead to other more serious accidents and injuries.

Solution:
Early in the fourth quarter of 2002 a small handpicked team was brought together in their corporate headquarters to put together a comprehensive recommendation and implementation plan for the significant reduction of incidental injuries. Mal (Skip) Bowen was the team facilitator. He helped the Team Leader prepare agendas, recommended approaches, acted as a team scribe and enabled the team members to fully participate in a mostly virtual setting using a comprehensive project based system.

The team members were all successful line and staff managers who had direct experience with the company's various safety processes. The team worked together both virtually and for short (3 to 4 days at a time) face to face work sessions for almost 9 months. Since most of the team members were from other parts of the US over 80% of our meeting time was virtual – conducted using internet based meeting services with telephone conferencing and a rigorous facilitation process.

The team started by creating and then conducting a comprehensive telephone survey throughout the Marketing Divisions with a representative sample of both line and key safety staff personnel using their current accident prevention systems. The combined data from these surveys allowed the team to see that the divisions that were rigorous in their implementation of an approved safety system had substantially lower rates of lost time incidents then those who were either not on a formal process or were less rigorous with their safety system process.

Results:
As a result of the findings the team reviewed and ultimately recommended a specific safety system and a rigorous implementation and follow-up process. The end result was that in less the 3 months following the implementation lost time incidents dropped by over 30% and over the next 12 months by over 70%. That lower rate of incidence has continued to this date.

Performance Consulting has successfully facilitated a number of Oil industry teams over the last 5 years, most recently in the first quarter of 2006.  We continue to be asked back because we successfully enable teams to get good results and are able to effectively work virtually with people located all over the world.

 

• Major California homebuilder's strategic business planning process

Situation:
In 1996 we secured our first piece of work with the Northern California Division of this homebuilder to assist them with the creation of a more useful Strategic Business Plan. Their existing plan was principally made up of financial detail with some strategic initiatives and goals identified but no operational business plans. The annual plan at the time was created mainly by the CFO with 2 to 3 concurrent full day work sessions with the Leadership Team. The Plan averaged 350 pages at the time and was not being used by anyone on a regular basis to guide the business. As importantly the team dreaded the planning experience and the plan was openly called the CFO’s plan.

Solution:
We worked closely with the CFO and put in place a Strategic Planning process that has the following key components:

• Six 4 hour work sessions with the Leadership Team in which they refine the Mission, Vision, Values and Business Drivers and in six functional areas created the Strategic Intents, Strategies and initial Tactics/Action Plans
• One 7 hour session with the entire management team in which all of the above was shared and refined with the entire division management team. Additionally this entire team fleshed out the details of the tactics/the how to accomplish the plan. This is where the plan became everyone’ commitment not just the Senior Team’s
• Created a role out process that engaged the remainder of the division's work teams as well as key vendors and trades
• Performance Accountability Matrices were also created with all senior team members and key management team members and in a simpler form with key team members. It is reviewed and updated quarterly. It has become a living document that people use to run the business

Results:
The plan has become operationally based, performance driven, used at all levels of the business on a daily basis. It has become the entire team’s plan and since 2003 has been 13 pages in length. It is how they operate their business. Additionally they have gone from a net profit range of $5-7 million per year to over $100 million in 2005 and directly attribute that success to their outstanding operational planning and execution. They have also succeeded in being in the top 3 in the JD Power ratings nationally and their customer satisfaction numbers in the 90% range. They are highly thought of by their customers, their employees and the trades who support them.

The benefit for us is we have continued as their consultant of choice for their planning process since 1996, something we are very proud of.

 

• A California non-profit domestic abuse agency

Situation

Our client is a non-profit domestic abuse agency.  It has a long term reputation as one of the best agencies in the state and for innovating new approaches to ending domestic violence, which is their mission. 

Historically, the agency has been well funded, but like so many other non-profits, lost several significant grants over the past two years.   This resulted in layoffs, trimming of services, and added workload for staff.  These organizational changes in turn led to unionization.  A deep rift occurred between the senior staff and both the middle managers and front line staff.  There was a lot of suspicion, distrust, and a breakdown in communication.

The agency contacted us to help bring the organization together.  The Executive Director realized that there was a major breakdown within the organization that was significantly affecting the agency’s ability to deliver its services.  People were not communicating effectively, there were breakdowns in accountability, stress levels were high and service delivery was not up to standard.

Solution:

We provided a series of interventions over a period of two years including:

Senior Management Team Building Sessions to break down old impediments to communication and align the team around a common goal of redesigning services in light of budget cuts.

Baldrige Based Assessment of the organization which provided detailed information on strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for change within the agency.  This information enabled the team to pin point and prioritize their efforts in changing the service lines and restructuring the jobs within the organization.

Intervention and Prevention Services Department Team Building to help a department which had undergone a major consolidation as a result of the service redesign.  People from two departments were collapsed into one and a new job description was created to accommodate the merger of functions.  The department was mimicking some of the same feelings of distrust and poor communication as the rest of the company. 

All Staff Training Sessions and Community Meeting to air upsets, resolve communication breakdowns and build a common commitment to redesign services, meet the strategic goals and take care of the clients.

Results

We helped move the agency from conflict and separation to collaboration and joint commitment to the mission and clients of the organization.  Along the way, we taught many tools for managing communication, moving through breakdowns, creating organizational accountability, and building alignment to reach shared goals.  The organization is now able to focus on the important mission of ending domestic violence rather than using its energy to fight internal battles.