How does a team gain 300% improvement in teamwork, raise employee satisfaction scores 35%, and win a Stevie Award?
INDUSTRY: Financial, IT Department
Alliance Data is a leading provider of loyalty and marketing services, card and payment services, and billing and customer care services. Their mission is to partner with their clients to develop unique insight into consumer behavior, using that insight to create and manage customized solutions that will change consumer behavior and enable their clients to build stronger, mutually-beneficial relationships with consumers.
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THE MIS-ALIGNMENT
True of committed leaders of this world, Barry was on a mission to make a difference. He was the third IT Leader, in as many years, and at the onset of his leadership was facing a host of challenges in order to achieve success. One of the biggest challenges he and his team were facing, was the alignment of the department’s teamwork, such that it would positively impact the bottom-line.
His initial evaluation was that there was a need for several adjustments, but none more drastic than to the culture itself, and its resulting negative impact to the departmental achievement of the overall strategic goals. With the need for changes to process and procedures, as well as reporting and organizational hierarchy, it was clear to him that his group, as a whole, was ‘mis-aligned’.
Barry began his journey with an all-hands meeting to share his vision for success, yet met with the tall, strong walls of a deeply embedded cultural barrier. This team was not prepared to unify on goals. They had been shaped by their past and had been programmed not to trust. They worked independently and protected their personal real estate and contributions, not that of a department.
Recognizing the issues, Barry took a step back, and focused on the foundational influence, which was his core Leadership Team. He needed his core team to be the seeds for the rest of the organization. He needed them to find value in and execute on the key priorities and core leadership behaviors. They needed to be accountable, aligning their day-to-day activities to profit generation, communicating in REAL ways and managing the actions, behaviors and results of their individual teams. He needed them to be ‘aligned’ – Aligned for Profit!
THE A4P SOLUTION
From experience, Barry knew that Align4Profit’s alignment program provided the skills and know-how that his team needed to overcome the existing performance and cultural barriers. So, Barry and the Human Resource Director met with a trained facilitator at Align4Profit, discussed how the All4OneTM program could be customized to provide a fit-for-purpose solution aligned with the objectives of Barry’s organization. The proposed plan generated hope and excitement, and the program was implemented right away; marking the beginning of a journey for this Leadership Team to become Extraordinary Leaders, and an even more Extraordinary Team.
Through ‘easy-to-implement’ practices, actionable to-do’s, accountability processes, and a renewed clarity of the critical behaviors necessary to impact results, this team had met with the A4P solution. They developed and actioned a set of team commitments to drive both accountability and engagement and they created a communication cycle that generated transparency and consistency. Their communication cycle includes 1:1’s, team meetings and Quarterly Goal Reviews, where they include an A4P facilitator to help them with consistent growth and sustainability.
THE PROFIT
Implementing the Align4Profit program helped bring a ‘mis-aligned’ team into proper coordination. The team is now clear about shared goals, and actions their individual team commitments to directly impact the success of the shared goals. They practice improved ways to communicate, have REAL conversations and continue to impact the bottom-line with cost reduction and process improvements.
They discovered the courage to perform in radically different ways, even developing a radical vision statement to align the team in a common purpose - the kind of vision statement you would not expect from an IT organization. The culture is drastically improved, along with employee morale, productivity and a continually growing environment of unprecedented teamwork. This team is aligned and profiting and better still, they are SUSTAINING!
Measured RESULTS
Team Measures over a 3 year time period, plotted on the Align4Profit Alignment Wheel.
About Align4Profit - Align4Profit is a Strategic and Tactical Learning Organization that aligns People 4 Profit! Creating a culture of One4All and All4One Alignment -bringing all the parts of an organization into proper coordination, results in the fulfillment of goals, improved culture and an environment of profit. Our fit-for-purpose solution and customized training is aligned to your strategy and specific goals, targeted at the critical behaviors that will make what really counts happen. The structure of the program keeps participants involved, engaged and learning. Our programs deliver a commanding set of Think.Act.TalkTM tools that can be used every day to create improved communication, exceptional teams, renewed courage and a positive impact to your bottom-line. Regardless of the direction of your strategic roadmap or if the misalignment is with yourself, your team, your leaders or with your entire organization, with the right alignment tools, you can expect profit.
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