CORPORATE CULTURE CONSULTING

CORPORATE CULTURE CONSULTING

U nderstanding of cultural dynamics, the ability to develop a clear vision of the desired culture and its active fostering, is an inherent trait of successful leaders. It is a big honour for us to play a consultant role in this strategic area of our clients. Every organisation generates its own unique corporate culture, climate and identity. A healthy and appealing corporate culture is one of the most precious assets in today s highly competitive environment. It represents the substance of the company which cannot be bought, copied or imitated by competitors. Strong corporate culture has direct impact on organisational performance, corporate image, employees loyalty, clients perception and it is irreplaceable in attracting market talents and in retaining internal high potentials. I 2 I

WHEN TO CONSIDER building new corporate identity strategic change initiatives mergers and acquisitions change in top management change of leadership and management style burnout of company vision discrepancy between the desired and existing culture discrepancy between the espoused and lived culture change of ownership desired changes in company internal and external image internal restructuring WHY CONSIDER explains the corporate vision and values reflects the identity of the company supports leadership and effective execution of corporate strategy differentiates the company, improves image and makes it attractive on the market accelerates the decision-making process promotes team-work, cohesion and commitment fosters a goal-oriented motivation supports initiative, innovation and passion secures the employees loyalty increases bottom-line performance facilitates internal communication helps to attract market talents and potential employees I 3 I

OUR APPROACH Corporate culture is reflected in the ways the company addresses problems and challenges, how people interact with one another and how the organisation communicates with the external environment. It is deeply rooted in common beliefs, values, norms, rules and assumptions. Culture is manifested in the approved and agreed upon non-formal patterns of how things are dealt with, structured and interpreted. It reflects unwritten and even unspoken expectations in the area of performance, behaviour and interaction. In market-leading organisations values and beliefs are intensively communicated, promoted and also conscientiously represented by company leaders. Almost every strategic change brings cultural change. Alignment of company leadership, strategy and corporate culture is a strategic success factor for every organisation. CORPORATE CULTURE CONCEPT Cultural context & Development layer Habits, artifacts, myths Surveyed by Preliminary Analysis Values, beliefs and assumptions Socio-psychological layer Behavioral & interaction patterns Surveyed by Questionare Individual layer Individual perception of culture Surveyed by Interview Our Corporate Culture Survey and Culture Redesign Consulting services are essential tools used by us to survey and analyse the corporate cultures of our clients, define strengths and weaknesses, benchmark them with cultures of the most successful organisations and help to reshape their most important and vital characteristics in the desired direction. Corporate Culture Survey offers a real, measurable and complex view of a company s corporate culture as perceived by its management and employees at all levels at a given moment. Repeated application allows measurement of change and comparisons in corporate culture development over time. Outputs from our Corporate Culture Survey play an irreplaceable role in the definition of change strategy, building on the strengths and competitive advantages but mainly in adapting and reshaping problematic characteristics of the current culture in the desired direction. Every cultural change requires a planned, strategically managed and evaluated process. Structured outputs of Corporate Culture Surveys represent an important monitoring tool in the hands of the company leadership team. Our Culture Redesign Consulting services are conducted by our consultants and professional coaches who are specialised in corporate culture. We offer our clients consulting and coaching solutions focused on defining follow-up optimisation arrangements and targeted interventions and their implementation cross of the whole company or its organisational units. I 4 I

Process Steps 1 2 Preparation Each project starts with a briefing meeting with CEO, HR Manager and other relevant members of top management. The meeting is focused on specification of project needs. The company leader is asked to present the company vision, values and strategy. The goals and procedures of the project are discussed. During the preparation phase the project content, selection criteria for survey and interview participants, time-schedule and other procedures are discussed and agreed upon. Previous activities of the company in the field of corporate culture are taken into consideration. Close cooperation with the HR Manager in all phases of the project is very important with regard to overall success. Corporate Culture Survey Corporate Culture Survey is an in-depth diagnostic tool focused on the research of principal corporate values, beliefs, norms, assumptions, myths, symbols and behavioural patterns. The survey process consists of the application of the following diagnostic tools: Preliminary Analysis Consultants of Menkyna & Partners conduct direct observation of typical behavioural patterns manifested in every-day situations. Symbols, material artefacts, spatial patterns, status indicators and other visible expressions of corporate culture are analysed. Corporate Culture Questionnaire The main scope of the Corporate Culture Survey is the standardised questionnaire. It provides a diagnosis and description of the current situation in the most important areas of corporate culture, reveals deficiencies in specific areas and can indicate pointers to fundamental solutions for future development. Meaningful and counterproductive traits within the corporate culture are depicted and options for change and adjustment are discussed and proposed. Corporate Culture Interview The Corporate Culture Interview is used as an additional tool to confirm, explain and confront significant conclusions derived from the questionnaire. Moreover, the interviews focus on unique, non-quantitative characteristics of corporate culture. Close cooperation of managers and informal opinion leaders on various levels within the company is essential. Interviews are evaluated anonymously - the statements of examined individuals are analysed and interpreted from a short-cut form of the data. I 5 I

3 Analytical Phase The analytical phase is devoted to evaluation of the quantitative data provided by questionnaires and qualitative data provided by site visits, desk research and interviews. 4 Final Report Presentation The final report includes analysis, interpretation and conclusions based on the results of the Corporate Culture Survey. It consists of written outputs from three separate parts of the survey: Preliminary Analysis - observation of typical symbols, myths, rituals and behavioural patterns. Corporate Culture Questionnaire - graphic description of the results of the whole organisation and specifically-examined subgroups and expert analysis with qualitative interpretation of the quantitative data. Corporate Culture Interview - content analysis and follow-up interpretation of the information derived from the Corporate Culture Interviews. The final report is presented at a workshop held with top management. The most significant conclusions covering diagnosis of the current corporate culture, the situation in the specific fields and selected subgroups are presented and interpreted. Current corporate culture is compared with the desired one. 5 Culture Redesign Consulting After the presentation of significant conclusions a model for the desired corporate culture is designed, built upon positive current trends. A Conceptual Proposal focuses on basic traits and core characteristics of the desired new corporate culture and the Proposal of Progressive Interventions includes measures that should be taken in order to steer and facilitate shifts towards the desired culture. Implementation of progressive interventions is based upon the agreed change management strategy in the critical fields and ongoing evaluation from the perspective of the CEO and HR Manager as well as the external views of consulting partners. The forms and timing of interventions are determined through cooperation with the client organisation and should be monitored throughout the project. Selection and implementation is determined by specific needs of the surveyed organisation and usually includes various follow-up projects in the form of training, mentoring, coaching and consulting. I 6 I