Challenge:

Improve Pool of General Manager Candidates

A large manufacturing company was struggling to fill its GM ranks because it lacked clear insights about the key competencies needed to succeed in the position as well as a talent management approach to increase the number of qualified internal candidates.

Solution:

Launch Targeted Effort to Identify and Develop Internal GM Candidates

To help the company expand its pool of qualified GM candidates, the Chatfield Group made three key recommendations: first, conduct “need-and-gap” analyses of internal talent; second, expand the use of employee self-assessments; and third, identify the key core competencies necessary for success as a general manager at the company.

After gaining company buy-in for these recommendations, Chatfield consultants worked with the company’s senior leaders, department heads, and current General Managers to identify the skills, knowledge, and key competencies required to succeed in the GM role. Then the Chatfield Group compared the company’s GM needs against the skill sets of internal GM candidates as identified through employee self-assessments and observations from senior leaders.

After identifying the key competencies needed for general managers, and assessing the relative strengths of its internal candidates, the Chatfield Group designed a series of integrated training workshops and hands-on work assignments to strengthen the abilities of its GM prospects. In addition, Chatfield consultants developed a system of on-going curriculum support to ensure sustained training success.

Tags: Succession Planning — Custom Surveys — Coaching — Training — Assessments

Challenge:

Boost Marketing Impact from National Survey of Practitioners

A world leader in professional services had been taking a bare-bones approach to reporting on its annual survey of practitioners. The firm sought greater marketing visibility from the ongoing project.

Solution:

Create High-Impact Marketing Vehicle for Interpretive Insight

The Chatfield Group suggested transforming the survey report into a high-profile marketing vehicle that would integrate the firm’s insights and expertise with annual survey results. What’s more, The Chatfield Group provided the editorial resources to achieve this objective on a multi-year basis. Today, this much-anticipated annual survey report is viewed as must-reading within the profession.

Tags: Marketing — Custom Surveys — Editorial

Challenge:

Update Paid-Time-Off Policy

A leading Chicago not-for-profit was concerned that its paid-time-off (PTO) policy was failing to meet employee expectations. It needed help addressing the problem in order to compete effectively for talent in a highly competitive metro market.

Solution:

Conduct Customized Survey Assessing Paid-Time-Off-Policies of Peer Organizations

To improve its paid-time-off programs, the NFP needed to know how members of its peer group were handling paid-time-off benefits. To gain this insight, The Chatfield Group conducted a tailored survey to assess the paid-time-off policies of regional cultural organizations and private industry. The engagement included survey design and administration as well as the analysis of survey findings and the reporting of survey results.

In particular, the survey looked at how organizations handle holidays, vacations, personal days and sick pay as well as short- and long-term disability, bereavement pay and leaves of absence.

Tags: Time-Off Benefits — Custom Surveys

Challenge:

Improve Retention and Strengthen Brand

A top-tier accounting & consulting firm needed to gather data on a wide range of employee perceptions as part of an organization-wide effort to change the firm’s culture.

Solution:

Design Surveys for Employee & Alumni Groups

To facilitate culture change, The Chatfield Group designed an all-employee survey to gather data on a wide range of employee perceptions. The project included survey design, administration, feedback reporting and focus groups. The attitudinal data gathered provided the basis for cultural change.

In addition, The Chatfield Group developed a customized alumni survey to gather exit information from former employees to strengthen management awareness of the need for culture change.

Tags: Culture — Employee Retention — Custom Surveys — Focus Groups — Exit Interviews