Leadership & Organization Development
Challenged by senior management to take on more projects, an internal consulting group in a leading pharmaceutical company had expanded from three to forty staff. Under the stress of this rapid growth, the leadership team had become fragmented and competitive, overall group morale had declined, and management was concerned that performance might already be suffering.
Working with one of the pharmaceutical company’s own OD specialists, Stone + Company was asked to assist the leadership team in charting a new direction.
An assessment (using both [Team 360™] and [Organization Culture Survey™] revealed that performance was still rated very high by the group’s “customers.” On the other hand, it was equally clear that the group was wearing thin, and feeling highly frustrated with everything from the promotion process to the leadership team’s lack of direction and management ability.
The assessment data was a catalyst for change: Stone + Company staff facilitated a series of [Leadership Dialogue] sessions and helped create development plans for members of the leadership team. The team’s new focus on strategic issues led to such initiatives as a new performance review and promotion process, the appointment of account managers to bring decision making closer to the customer, and the recruitment of additional staff in key areas.
Results:
The group’s increased productivity has saved the company $5M a year in outside consulting expenses; group morale has improved exponentially; and the leadership team has moved into the top quartile in terms of company-wide performance.