Challenge:

Share Business-Critical Insights with 200+ Global Locations

A large multinational corporation needed to do a better job of disseminating key insights and information stemming from key bi-monthly business review meetings with employees at more than 200 remote locations around the world.

Solution:

Record, Edit, Produce & Distribute Meeting Content

To capture and disseminate critical business insights from the company’s bi-monthly business-review meetings, the Chatfield Group recommended the following approach:

• Technology: Evaluate, select, and purchase a coordinated set of technology tools to record proceedings; tools included video cameras and accessories as well as post-production software


• Production Training: Assemble and train a dedicated team responsible for pre-production videotaping, post-production editing, and multiplatform content delivery


• Presentation Training: Train executives and presenters on camera presence, video etiquette, on-camera movement and presentation skills

After accepting the Chatfield Group recommendations for capturing and disseminating business-review meeting insights, the company put together a well-equipped team to achieve its communications objectives. Once its tools and training were in place, the company began to distribute PowerPoint presentations highlighting the results of its business review meetings with its more than 200 locations worldwide via DVD and web broadcasting. The presentations featured photography and animation as well as smartphone technology.

Tags: Global HR — Training — Process Improvement — Technology

Challenge:

Reinvigorate Corporate Sales

A large multinational corporation was struggling to adapt its 75-year-old sales process to changing market conditions. Sales were stagnant, largely due to difficulty attracting new customers.

Solution:

Rigorous Sales Certification Program

To reinvigorate its sales department, the company needed to make a seismic shift in its approach to sales. To facilitate this needed change, the Chatfield Group developed a new, customer-centric approach to sales that took the form of a redesigned Sales Certification program centered on five key components: Territory Management, Business Development, Presentation Excellence, Performance Management, and People Development. By focusing on these five components, and by constantly challenging salespeople to meet and exceed customer expectations, the company was able to increase market share through targeted “go-to-market” sales activities.

Through consultation with management, and by conducting focus groups, process mapping, train-the-trainer sessions, and emotional intelligence (EQ) workshops, Chatfield consultants were able to initiate change throughout the multinational sales force. At the conclusion of the engagement, the client recognized a 53% increase in average sales, a 30% increase in close rate, and a 31% increase in product mix.

Tags: Corporate University — Management Development — Focus Groups — Process Improvement — Train-the-Trainer — EQ - Emotional Intelligence

Challenge:

Strengthen a Best Place to Work

A top-ranked employer in a major metro area wanted to know what it could do to enhance its already strong corporate culture.

Solution:

Conduct Employee Focus Group to Identify Areas for Improvement

To determine how best to fine-tune an already strong culture, The Chatfield Group conducted a series of employee focus groups to pinpoint areas of opportunity. Feedback from these focus groups suggested the need to strengthen communications. In particular, employees said organizational silos were stifling communication across business lines, hampering the ability of employees to build cross-functional product knowledge, and interfering with career advancement.

Focus group participants cited the need for a performance management process so employees could get the feedback they need to improve. And they highlighted their interest in formalized training and development opportunities, adding that managers, in particular, should improve their listening skills to do a better job eliciting ideas and feedback from employees.

Key Focus Group Recommendations

After an analysis of focus group feedback, The Chatfield Group presented specific recommendations to the company, including the following:

• Strengthen Branding & Marketing: Update marketing materials to reflect a shared vision and consistent messages … Build deeper awareness of products and services at all levels…
• Break Down Organizational Barriers: Build cross-functional alliances and teamwork to combat organizational silos that stifle communication across business lines … Expand personal relationships across functions…
• Strengthen Communications: Increase straight-talking business updates from key executives … Create opportunities for employees to connect face-to-face across departments and levels and to offer suggestions…
• Give Employees First Crack at Open Positions: Update the job-posting process to give employees first consideration for open positions … Require that jobs be posted before recruiting externally…
• Provide Focused Training and Development Opportunities: Target leadership development … Provide 360-feedback to high-potential managers … Train executives and managers on listening skills, on providing feedback to employees, and on facilitating employee suggestions … Provide work-flow training to help employees in process-oriented jobs identify process improvements…
• Require Goal-Setting and Performance Reviews Firm-Wide: Hold top executives accountable for reducing organizational silos and for improving communications … Ensure that managers take responsibility for cascading business goals across their departments and for conducting annual reviews with their direct reports…
• Communicate About Pay Practices: Provide employees with clear communications about the company’s pay policies and how pay is linked to performance…

Tags: Culture — Focus Groups — Organizational Structure — Employee Retention — Training — Career Development — Process Improvement — Performance Reviews

Challenge:

Strengthen Performance Management Across Business Units

A Fortune 100 packaging company serving industrial and consumer markets needed to address performance management issues following the merger of several packaging units.

Solution:

Training Workshops Focusing on Performance Review Process & Communications Skills

The Chatfield Group developed and facilitated management training workshops at multiple U.S. locations of the packaging company, focusing on performance management basics and the core communications skills needed to manage performance.

With feedback from the sessions, The Chatfield Group teamed with the client’s HR staff to create an improved performance management system for the merged businesses.

Tags: Performance Reviews — Management Development — Process Improvement — Training

Challenge:

Train Process Improvement Staff

The HR department of a large, rapidly growing packaging company needed to quickly develop and deliver a comprehensive training program for the company’s process improvement staff.

Solution:

Design & Implement Process Improvement Training Program

Working closely with the firm’s HR group, The Chatfield Group developed a comprehensive training program for the packaging company’s process improvement teams that included team building blocks and both facilitator and TQM training.

Despite tight time constraints, The Chatfield Group achieved rapid delivery of the comprehensive training program to the firm’s process improvement teams.

Tags: Process Improvement — Training — Lean — Teamwork — Train-the-Trainer