The challenge
In order to increase its competitiveness in the market, a leading software multinational company initiated a major restructuring from a geography-based structure to a complex, three-dimensional matrix of geographies, segments and product groups. This transformation shifted the levels of power within the organization and added greater complexity to decision-making, planning and execution across the organization. The management team needed to improve its operating efficiency and goal alignment, and create a culture of accountability in the context of cross-group dependencies.
The approach
- A leadership team program was developed to rebuild the team’s trust and level of commitment in the midst of changing roles and shifts in the power structure.
- The program taught conscious business skills across the organization to support the transformation needed.
- A five-step planning process was designed for existing business cycles in order to minimize redundancies.
- An Axialent consultant facilitated all key business meetings to ensure focus and accountability:
- Leadership team meeting to set company goals.
- Cascading to the next level: four-day planning meeting with business areas ensuring cross-collaboration.
- Three-day meeting with more than 250 managers from the region to align on direction defined and share best practices.
- Developed subsidiary planning kits to deploy a similar strategic alignment exercise in the five subsidiaries.
- Worked with human resources to ensure goals and strategies were mapped to the existing commitment-setting process.
- A performance tracking process was designed, which included a scorecard, staff meetings and connection points within the field.
Axialent has been a true partner in our efforts to build a conscious organization, helping us to move from aspiration to implementation. Axialent’s advice is never easy but always worthwhile
CEO Latam subsidiary
The impact
- The region’s planning process has become a company best practice. The corporate COO recognized the Latam leadership team as “the company’s most aligned and focused worldwide.”
- After the severe financial crisis in early 2000 in Latin America, the region has recovered and surpassed their historic revenue figures, growing 49.7 percent in four years.
- The region achieved the highest score worldwide in the internal climate survey, and the cross-group collaboration indicator increased 1,200 basis points over two years.
- Participants have consistently praised the increased accountability and focus the process has driven. Satisfaction and impact surveys throughout the process averaged at 9.3 out of 10.
- The partnership with Axialent continues after four consecutive planning cycles.
- The success in Latam has sparked a global partnership between Axialent and other global divisions such as Online Sales Business, the Global Field Operations and the Worldwide Partners Group, which manages one-third of the company’s overall revenue.
