Organizational Responses to the Current Economic Crisis

Challenging Times

Times are tough for most businesses. Aggressive competition, new technologies, global markets, demanding customers, disengaged employees, and a severe downturn in the economy are putting unprecedented pressure on many companies who must rethink the way they do business or, in some cases, face extinction.

We work with these companies.Our clients come to us because they are facing a defining moment--a challenge or opportunity that forces them to rethink how they do business if they are to survive and grow. We help them define a response to their challenges and emerge as a stronger and more capable company. 

Defining Your Solutions

We believe that the results you’re currently getting in your organization are not by chance. And although influenced by factors outside your control (not the least of which is the current economic crisis) they also have a great deal to do with factors within your control—most notably your business strategy, leadership practices, and how you have designed your organization.

We work with you to:

• Create a new strategic direction
• Streamline the design of your organization (work processes, structure, systems)
• Develop leaders and managers
• Open channels of communication and collaboration
• Increase employee commitment and productivity 

We provide step-by-step methodologies, which improve both the technical and people side of your business, and result in:

• Increased profitability
• Strategic clarity 
• Reduced operating costs
• Improved organizational efficiencies
• Engaged employees
• A culture of trust, accountability, and results
• Excellent customer service

Our methodologies, consulting, and training solutions have helped hundreds of businesses and hundreds of thousands of people during the past several years. Consider the following examples of companies we've assisted:

• The Rockwell International Corp. Space Shuttle Site Modification team finished ahead of schedule and under budget and achieved outstanding customer quality ratings, working almost no overtime, with 20% of previous manpower levels and one half the previous management hierarchy for the $60 million project. They improved customer relations, implemented self directed work teams and had employees training employees in team skills with the full and enthusiastic support of the UAW Union.

• A Corning Mold Machine Shop was non-competitive internally and externally in cost, quality, and delivery, and was on the verge of closing. Through redesign, they moved from a failing cost center to a viable profit center, realizing 100% improvements in quality and delivery, reducing costs from 15% above competition to 15% below the competition. They retrained an alienated workforce into multi-skilled work teams and reduced headcount by 15% with full support and involvement of employees and the local union. Today they compete head to head with any outside machine shop, earn high customer ratings and are looking for ways to get even better.

• By implementing several self-managing mini-labs, the Rocky Mountain Analytical Labs (Enseco Inc.) improved productivity by 50% in 18 months, increased profit margins by 20-25%, reduced turn-around time from 28 to 14 days and reduced internal handoffs between departments by many times. Quality is at an all-time high.
• Coach Leatherware's Northeast Manufacturing facility went through a cultural change process that included strategic visioning, redesign and training that improved leather utilization by 48%, reduced overhead spending by 10%, and increased plant efficiency from 88% to 100%.

Whether a single intervention or ongoing consulting relationship we partner with you to go from where you are to where you want to be, by following a process of assessing what you need, planning innovative strategies of growth, executing those strategies and evaluating progress against predetermined business metrics.