Post-Merger Integration - Addressing Corporate Culture

Case Study - Multi-national oil company changing its IT strategy

A multi-national oil company had updated its IT strategy, aiming for "IT agility" to deliver business agility. Andrew was asked to help in the feasibility study looking into using new technology. The culture was one of openness and commitment to the company and the project role. As a result the approach to stakeholder and team management was substantially simpler and more direct. This was particularly important in:

identifying suitable options for a proof-of-concept project
identifying the response to this likely from key stakeholders
working closely with the wide range of staff in the organisation involved in the project

Outcome

The proof-of-concept was so well received by the business stakeholders that they wanted it to go into production at the earliest opportunity. The whole project took less than 8 weeks.

Corporate Culture

The culture in an organization is a direct driver of people’s behaviour as they adapt to survive and prosper. Corporate culture applies pressures, and each individual responds to these with tactics that benefit their own interests. In a good culture, their interests and the interests of the business will be closely aligned, leading to a win-win situation. Poor cultures result in conflicts between the individual and the business, adversely affecting any business change activity. Understanding corporate culture, the behaviours it engenders from individuals, and the steps that must be taken to align such behaviours with the project, are critical to successful business change.

Case Study - Bank meeting regulatory deadline for implementing changes

A high-street bank appointed a manager without project experience to run a time-critical compliance project, with a new team of long-serving staff from diverse backgrounds. He recognized the need for project disciplines, and needed help to implement them. The corporate culture here was one of very long service, so the team was seriously weakened by lack of team spirit. This required:

a strong sales pitch for the new disciplines as individuals usually worked in isolation
ensuring the team members took ownership of their responsibilities
coaching to get timely input from the team

Outcome

This project was successfully delivered on time. The introduction of detailed quantitative reporting was so successful on the first project that we were retained to ensure it was available for a second, larger, project.