Creating and Activating Global Values and Behaviors Post Merger

The Business Challenge

With a strong results orientation our US-based IT services client had been a market leader in their industry. With the acquisition of a large European business and changing market dynamics, the leadership were motivated to create a more collaborative and customer-centric organization.  With the onset of COVID the integration of these entities and shifting their habits was proving challenging.

Walking the Talk were asked to conduct an in-depth diagnosis of the culture attributes across the 2 businesses, and to create a global culture blueprint that would unite them as one team and accelerate performance towards shared culture goals.

A Leading by Example program for senior leaders and activation sprints for vertical teams accelerated the adoption and activation of global values and behaviors.

Bottom Line

• This program involved the executive team, together with the top 120 leaders across the EMEA, US and APAC regions. 100% of the program was delivered virtually due to Covid restrictions.
• The two organizations have come together under one culture; there is greater collaboration and cooperation, a growing feeling of belonging and increased levels of individual accountability.
• The cultural work enabled the organization to align together around the customer, making them easier to business with and more responsive to the market meaning that they have been able to respond quickly to short-term needs whilst also focussing of what is important for long-term success.

Outcomes Achieved

• Understanding and awareness of the new global values and behaviors in all regions.
• High-profile leaders actively and visibly leading the culture transformation.
• Leaders actively empowering their teams to make changes.
• A tangible shift towards cross-functional collaboration resulting in a greater focus on working together to deliver solutions for external and internal customers.
• Culture plan initiatives driving systemic change.
• Increased focus on the customer and customer experience.
• Long-term focus without sacrificing short-term priorities / leaders spending more time on strategic decisions.

Workstreams

The roadmap to global culture transformation required 2 phases:

1.Creating a global culture blueprint

• An extensive Culture Diagnostic including leader interviews and employee focus groups across EMEA, US and APAC regions providing a valuable in depth culture report
• Strategic business imperatives review and Target Culture Mapping to produce a global Culture Blueprint

2. Activating global values and behaviors

• Leading an internal project team to produce an 18-month culture activation plan
• Building internal capability and delivering an extensive Leading by Example program
• Activation sprints for People Managers including digital nudge campaigns

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