Advisory Services: Managing Culture via Outside Expert

THE PROBLEM

A major pharmaceutical firm came to Stern with a distinct set of challenges: Four department leaders were tasked with merging their teams into one group and they were looking for an outside advisor to facilitate what they saw as a multi-stage transition.

Their primary goal was to create a culture of innovation. But first they had to successfully work through the changes required to unify the four teams. With that in mind, we connected them with our client, one of the world’s foremost authorities on culture, growth and innovation strategy.

THE METHOD

The project had to be approached in steps. First, our client worked with the leaders to get them to agree on why it made sense to form the bigger group rather than leave the departments operating independently as they had been. Part of the process involved conducting surveys to determine critical cultural issues around such factors as psychological safety, candor and collaboration. Once the leaders agreed to move ahead with merging the teams, our client helped them come up with a unified vision for the future and develop a plan.

When the new group was in place, our client conducted a series of customized workshops where team members and their leaders learned frameworks and tools for building innovative thinking within the culture and applied them in real time to address problems and find solutions.

THE RESULT

After the full transition was viewed as completed, our client remained on call for check-ins for a few months to advise leaders on how to optimize the new model and address any change-related issues. The unified group is now successfully working as a team using the innovation tools provided by our client and getting excellent results.

Stern represents many of world’s top thought leaders who continue to help organizations address a wide range of issues via virtual engagements including 1-to-1 or small group advisory and consulting services, interactive workshops, and dynamic keynote speeches. If your organization is looking for better ways to innovate and drive growth, contact us to connect with any of these transformative change agents who are helping businesses and governments strategically plan forward.