Client

The Sales force of a large telecommunications enterprise in the Netherlands

Challenge

The company sought a way to better connect with their customers. They were 20% behind budget.

Solution

We trained a group of 40 Sales professionals to improve their skills in finding out the first drives of their (potential) customers. Being able to determine the drives, they could adjust their approach to the customers. For example, an Orange-Yellow account manager complained that one of his customers was a real burden. He had to call the customer again to explain the offer he had made. He estimated that the customer was Blue. Our remark was that a Blue customer wants to know what should be done, more than understanding the headlines. Making it more practical, tell the customer what you will be doing was our advice. The next week the account manager came back to the training and told us that he did what we advised and that the customer signed the contract. For the rest of the group this was the evidence that they were looking for, so they took our advice, determined the drives of their big customers and made an attack plan for each of the (potential) customer. We trained them for three days and a return day every month for 6 months.

Result

Client

On of the largest retail banks in the Netherlands

Challenge

The retail bank was looking for a way to analyze the success of their shops. Could they determine the best behavior for their shops in relation to their turn over? Some branches were more successful than others in driving key performance indicators (KPI’s) such as annual revenue, profit, (others?). ING leadership was looking for ways to be able to replicate the performance of the top branches by identifying characteristics that could be replicated.

Solution

Management Drives was used in over 250 branches to determine which drives yielded success. In evaluating the results, banks leadership discovered that certain Drive patterns produced greater results in the consumer market. Branch leaders that demonstrated strong goal-oriented decision-making skills (Orange-Red) sent out the most offers, but received the fewest signed contracts. Since they were celebrating the hardest, they were experienced as the most successful. However, managers that showed drives that matched achievement with social harmony (Orange-Green) built up customer relationships that endured. They didn’t scored in the beginning, but at the end of the day they made the most turn over. We trained them in Orange-Green behavior.

Result

Management training was adjusted to the required behavior. The bank became no 2 in the Netherlands.

Client

A large chain of 40 hairdressers stores in the Netherlands.

Challenge

Some stores were more successful than others due to numerous factors. When a shop manager was moved to another shop revenues and profit followed the manager. Corporate leadership sought out the keys to duplicate success in underperforming stores.

Solution

One celebrated manager was able to move from store to store and was able to rebuild staff relations and a loyal customer base. The store leadership sought ways to replicate the success pattern of this manager: what kind of leadership works best in the unique nature of this company’s services and market. After having each employee undertake Management Drives leadership was able to identify the right match of manager drives and employee drives to create the right mix in every location.

Result

Management found out the best behavior and drives of the shop managers. We trained all the managers in adjusting their behavior and managed to raise revenues with 25%.

Client

IT Department of a big publisher in the Netherlands.

Challenge

A SAP Upgrade and Implementation was 3 months late and well over-budget.

Solution

Using Management Drives, leadership saw that an Orange-Yellow (Goals and Ideas) project manager was having trouble communicating with a compliance-focused Blue team.
In examining the Group Profile, the MD consultant was able to recommend that the company hire one Blue-Green consultant one-day per week who was able to smooth the implementation plan. We added a Blue – Green coach to the Project Management team to insure that they were talking the same language as the people to do the job (Green) and to insure that agreements were lived up to (Blue). By doing that we helped them with better communication with the IT builders and with a better planning. They walked the talk and communicated in the colors of their public.

Result

At the end of the project the department was well within budget, on time and did the project with buy-in for the whole company.

Client

A Dutch company within a pharmaceutical enterprise in the USA

Challenge

Individual managers and employees often have difficulty buying into a common set of organizational values. The local management team of Abbott Logistics BV developed a Dutch Mission and Vision Statement and set of Values to guide employees in the Netherlands to meet specific objectives.
However, in seeking buy-in to the new Mission, Vision and Values, leadership discovered that sub-cultures and even individual employees had their own set of expectations and assumptions regarding the common goals and objectives.

Solution

Management Drives profiles were used to create a common vocabulary for all Abbott Logistics BV employees and help define gaps between employees’ values and the common values. Through Management Drives, individuals were able to make personal commitments and targets they could live with consistent with the common values.

Result

The company proved to be compliant to the whole enterprise. Almost everybody met their targets in the year following the sessions. A real culture change happened.

Client

Hospira Enterprise BV (HEBV)

Challenge

The company (US based) has merged with Maine Enterprise (Australia based) and was looking for a way to smoothen this merge and by doing so getting the best of both worlds.

Solution

HEBV knew profiles of its own staff. In their cultural due diligence at the merge they used Management Drives to decide on their communication styles. So they tested everyone within the Maine division. After looking at the group profiles, leadership determined what was likely to happen in terms of which groups would be most likely to be obstacles to successful integration of the staffs. Since they were looking for the assets, using Management Drives they could alter their own communication and by doing that motivate the Maine people.

Result

After half a year the merge was completed and no employees who were real assets to the group left the company. They felt that they belong to the new company.