A shift in beliefs kickstarts a chemical distribution company's radical repositioning from distribution firm to leading global innovation service provider.
Shifting beliefs, behaviours and mindsets
Creating the narrative to reshape the culture
Aligning leaders
Creating cohesion
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The Business needed to dramatically improve financial performance in order to survive. This required increasing prices in a highly competitive market by 24%.
Country leaders believed they could only achieve a 10% increase or their price-sensitive clients would switch over to the competition.
Open Water worked with 50 country leaders at an in-person leaders' conference. They charged the leader with a single task: to collectively commit to the highest number they would comfortably increase prices to by the end of the session. Using proprietary models based on neuroscience, the team designed an experiential 2-hour program focused on shifting perceptions of "impossible".
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The leader collectively agreed and signed up to an increase of
exceeding all expectations.
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Gaining new capabilities through acquisition of several businesses
Switching their business model from distributing components to creating value-add solutions for end clients with a focus on innovation.
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The new business strategy needed people to think and act differently. It required reshaping the organisational culture and engaging key stakeholders.
Without a prioritised activity to activate the new strategy it was difficult for leaders to implement.
At a 3-day conference, Open Water assisted the leadership in communicating the company's new vision and purpose. Coaches designed and facilitated a "Dragon's Apprentice" experience, equipping around 60 leaders to be their most creative and resourceful selves, shelve preconceptions, connected them to purpose (individually, then collectively), inducing creativity to pitch their best and most implementable ideas around the topic of innovation.
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The prize-winning outcome was so successful it has become not only part of the businesses identity today; but one of the most market-focused shifts in how they operate and who they are.
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Enabling the firm to exceed its ambitious financial targets.
Doubling the number of MDs and welcoming a new CEO
Expanding to 65 countries.
Acquiring over 30 new companies.
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A new direction and the creation of a much bigger group of Country Directors highlights the need to bring people together, especially post-pandemic.
The number of Country Managing Directors had doubled. They are nationally diverse and dispersed around 65 countries offering solutions and products that touch a third of the human population. The pandemic had meant 50% of them had not met.
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Over a period of 3 months, Open Water worked with leadership to create a purpose-led cultural and strategic narrative. That way the conference would have a lasting impact. Clarity and cohesion starts at the top. Ahead of the conference, Open Water Strategists and Coaches ran a clarity and cohesion workshop with the Executive Board ensuring trust, alignment and a common agenda were not only agreed but apparent in their demeanor and behaviors . At the 3-day conference a critical, cohesion-building exercise centred on Patrick Lencioni's Ideal Team Player model. Three core values where participants shared personal stories and connected empathically .
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A united and clear executive at the helm driving vision and journey.
A connected and aligned leadership cohort of 100 Country Managing Directors aligned around the vision, purpose and strategy.
An organization of leaders ready to build and nurture the culture on this exciting journey.
A clear and compelling narrative uniting the organization around the Why, the What and the How.
The new CEO is set up for success.
A ONE TEAM Mindset
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Kim Wootton Client Engagement Director