000 culture rebuild start

CULTURAL REBUILD Executive leadership to balance profit with fulfilment

OPD International Limited, 2/91B Roseberry Av, Birkenhead, 0626, Auckland, New Zealand

Phone: +6421909310 Email: [email protected] web: www.opdcoach.com

Graham Little introduction

Over 30 years have been involved in many exercises at rebuilding the performance thrust in an organization.

I have applied many techniques, experimented and researched. Recently I was asked by a new CEO on the

best way to go about developing a culture of performance. I reflected, and rather than select one technique,

I put together a process which integrated all the techniques.

Rebuilding the corporate culture

Culture begins at the top. This is a summary outline of a senior team process intended

to flow down and set the cultural tone throughout the organization with the senior

executives being the role model. The culture developed is described by words such

as: Focused, gracious, assertive, quiet, energetic, fun, clear, balanced, responsible,

serious, performance, supportive, enjoyable, accountable, relaxed, results,

determined, committed, fulfilling.

Many of the qualities are in direct contradiction, for example, fun and fulfilling

opposite focused and responsible. Relaxed and supportive opposite accountable;

performance opposite enjoyable.

Imagine a very top sports team, I think of the NZ All Blacks. From all I read, this type

of balance is exactly what has been achieved. … “Let’s enjoy it, let’s have fun, let’s

make it fulfilling, but let’s discipline ourselves and play the perfect game every time”.

As a result, the All Blacks are one of the highest performing sports teams in the world,

and the highest performing rugby team of all time.

This process is useful when a CEO wants to begin again, or if new to a role. In either

case, the senior executive team needs to discuss this document, and follow the

suggestion before embarking on OPD-HCD™ implementation to ensure clear and

effective team leader tools and process to achieve the balance of performance and

fulfilment across the organization.

Definitions

1. Human nature: The capacity to create ideas and apply them in building

success and fulfilment from life.

2. Human understanding: Humans apply ideas to ‘see’, interpret and orientate

themselves to situations. People use their understanding allow, enable, or

choose courses of action.

a. Role specification: Agreed with team leader, Executive manager,

the person, and signed off by the CEO. Defines the KPIs of a role,

the ideal actions offering greatest chance of greatest KPI success,

and the ideal actions derived from the business processes that

integrate the role into the broader organization.

b. Game plan: The translation in mind of the person assigned a role of

what they ‘see’ and so orientate themselves to their work.



c. Top of mind: Keeping the game plan top of mind of the person

accepting responsibility for delivering it in the team.

3. Human motivation. Ideas are given force by the emotions associated with the

ideas.

a. Intrinsic motivation: The emotions associated with any idea from

within the person, hence ‘intrinsic’ to the person.

b. External or team motivation: The team leader for example, ensuring

the person is having fun while delivering the ‘perfect game’. The

injecting by the team leader of additional emotion supporting the

ideas of the person thus giving additional thrust to those ideas.

Implementation

There are two stages. Setting the senior ‘tone’, second, implementing OPD-HCD™

as the permanent organizational design and team leader technology for balancing

performance with fun.

1. First stage. First month. Settling in the Insight into the ‘intrinsic motivation’ in

Executive and senior team leaders.

1.1. ‘Step back’… all people ‘begin again’. Ignore all history. Everyone has a

new chance at establishing their worth and demonstrating their commitment

to business success. Gentle unravel all existing relationship in order to

quietly rebuild based on principles above.

1.2. Be polite, gracious, assertive, with everyone treated exactly the same.

1.3. Listen. Avoid too much talking. Be supportive, encourage creativity,

innovation and ‘getting results’. But, intent aiming to explore the inherent

motivation within the Executive and Senior team leaders.

1.4. Increase formality and focus on professionalism. In all correspondence, stop

referring to people by name, refer to them by title… increase the level of

professional formality in the team.

1.5. Have clear reporting. Executive team reports to the CEO. The senior team

leaders report into the executive team.

1.6. There should be existing KPIs for each senior team leader. Each senior team

leader and their Executive manager review the KPIs and select those that

will be the focus for the coming 6 months. (Not too many, not too few, apt

in relation to defining the output from the team relative to the business

strategy.)

1.7. Once KPIs agreed, then they are to be improved 2% in four months. The

base defined from past 2 years, and the improvement thus quantified.



1.8. The Executive team is then to ensure that the combined impact of lifting

those KPIs by each senior team leader will improve the profit and loss and

balance sheet of the business.

1.9. Once agreed by the Executive, the combined Executive will present a plan

to the CEO for the coming four months. This plan should be succinct and

direct, essentially business targets, very, very limited on written

commentary. (Again, this plan is by position title, and does not refer to the

names).

1.9.1. Projected profit and loss in four months resulting from each team

improving its KPIs.

1.9.2. Projected balance sheet.

1.9.3. Then one page from each senior team leader, no more than half full,

grouped by Division, and so headed by Executive team member, on

the KPIs in that team, the improvement to be achieved.

1.10. Plan received in Executive team meeting. CEO ask searching questions to

ensure if KPIs improved in each team then the business result will improve.

Explore any hidden assumptions overlooked.

1.11. Then, Executive team member with the senior team member have a briefing

with the CEO on the details of the thinking of the Senior team leader on

how they intend to guide the achievement of the improved KPI.

1.12. Execute plans, follow up through monthly report and by CEO managing by

walking around…while walking, retain focus on titles, not names… gentle,

supportive, enquiring, listening, encouraging, but focused and slightly aloof

still.

2. Second stage. full OPD-HCD™ building on the ‘fresh start’ in the executive and

senior team leaders group. See OPD-HCD™ brochure. OPD-HCD™ brochure:

http://www.slideshare.net/Graylit/0-1-opdhcd-

brochure?ref=https://www.linkedin.com

2.1. During first month, do first steps of set up. Executive workshops. Draft role

specifications, agree gains in profits and balance sheet arising from the

human capital development program. Set up the HCD committee as

governance of the organization design and human capital development

process. Redraft all HR policy. Finalise plan of roll out of the human capital

development plan through the whole organization.

2.2. Mid second month: begin roll out of human capital development plan.

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