Europe, here we come…

Sector: Engineering Services

Challenge:

To revitalise the culture of a fifty-year-old engineering company and to move from a purely England-based business to one that can win business Europe-wide.
To manage the change across the business so that employees would view the change positively, not fearfully.
To identify and profile key talent both externally and internally to support and execute the international plan.

Our Approach:

Discussed with the Company Board strategy, their concerns and the specific ways that we could partner with them on this year-long assignment.
Worked with various executives at middle and senior level to design profiles for key positions in the European plan.
Checked competencies, job descriptions and profiles via qualitative interviews with key internal staff to identify gaps across the company.
Discussed senior managers’ aspirations with them.
Conducted 360° feedback on senior management team.
Drew up Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for the top twenty executives in the company, to enable both them and their management to look at what they could achieve within the company.
Began mentoring and individually coaching as appropriate.
Created a European recruitment plan with customised profiles that took account of the candidate’s “cultural fit” with the company.
Designed a highly targeted, professional and enlightening selection process and ran an intensive search campaign over four months for the position of General Manager.
Continued to have regular feedback sessions with all involved in the process.

Outcomes:

Expanded the mindset and confidence of the board around their ability to attract and recruit people with potential.
Enabled promotion of many highly talented people within the company to new, more challenging, and more fulfilling positions.
Recruited new Europeans into the company who have generated significant income streams and a new and growing client base.
Up-skilling right across the company around delivering to European standards, understanding other cultures, and integrating European staff into teams.