Case Studies

Industry: Financial Services
Function: HR; Strategic Planning
Location: Domestic US

This regional financial institution was stalling in its growth, under scrutiny from regulators (US Treasury Department, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) and faced take-over threats.

Working with the firm’s strategic planning and organizational development functions as well as senior management, we aligned the firm’s human capital “management systems” (business planning & individual development planning, incentive plans & systems, training and development offerings), and to link these systems with business performance. We built a corporate-wide performance management system that enabled comparison of business results across the firm, establishing effective communications across internal stakeholder groups. Every senior manager accountable for a business unit or function (more than 30 in total) built business and personal performance plans, was evaluated against those plans, was incentive-paid based on performance, and had an integrated development plan.

On the basis of this effective performance management system, the organization was able to move out from beneath regulatory scrutiny, and return to profitable growth.

Industry: Retail Automotive, Financial Services
Function: HR; Corporate Communications
Location: Domestic US

Our client’s brand (a Japanese import automotive manufacturer) has grown steadily to a position of global leadership in automotive sales and service.

However, its finance company in the U. S. market has been challenged by growth and internal cultural issues to develop an “Employer Brand” to equal the power and recognition of the “product” brand.

We worked with senior executives and HR management to define the company’s “employer brand attributes,” outline key next steps in its HR and Performance Management systems implementation, and developed a communications plan with key communications deliverables, designed to reach key stakeholders, inside and outside the company.

The work overtly acknowledged and addressed the unique needs of different workforce generations, and defined a multi-channel communications approach to carry the message to them.