The Airfreight Company – Delivering change
The Challenge
A review of the organisation's operations clearly showed that, unless it fundamentally changed the way it carried out its operations, it would soon be put out of business. Processes and operating procedures were severely out of date, the organisation did not appear to be customer focussed and employees paid little attention to laid-down standards. The company decided to make a huge investment in a three-year programme, part of which was the building of a £250 million state of the art cargo centre. But management realised that investment in technology was only part of the story - to get any benefit, people had to change.

The Solution
To change the culture of the organisation and bring people on-board with new ways of working. This was achieved by not only explaining to staff why the changes were necessary, but through consultation and involvement. Specifically, the project involved:

• Developing and implementing a communications strategy to help drive change
• Consulting with staff at all levels through a series of presentations and workshops; these were designed to challenge current thinking as well as involve staff in shaping the new culture
• Delivery of clear and consistent messages through a variety of media including branded video and print, a new team briefing process and culminating in a walk through exhibition
• Working with the senior management team to ensure their behaviours supported the new vision and values for the business
• Analysing and changing individual processes such as HR and marketing to ensure they were aligned with the new culture.