CPM UK Case Study
- Client:
- CPM UK
- Project:
- Board-level strategy workshops - design
Highly customer focused, CPM UK was used to working with immediate goals, but the board found it challenging to think and plan further out. TSOC encouraged them to think longer term first, and then be clear about the steps to achieving their strategy.
Result: The company was already highly customer focused, used to
working with immediate goals, but the board found it challenging to
think and plan further out. TSOC encouraged them to think longer term
first, and then be clear about the steps to achieving their strategy.
The board’s working style became much more effective, with properly
debated and well-considered options becoming the norm. The younger
members of the board were able to contribute fully, demonstrating their
value as directors.
The decision to ‘live with’ the developed values for at least six
months, challenging each other on effective behaviour, before launching
the values throughout the company had a powerful effect.
The goals they developed were ambitious, and the strategy far sighted.
They incorporated the means to flex their plans should it become
necessary.
They continue to have a market-leading position, and integration of the
telemarketing company, while demanding, has provided a new suite of
products.
Situation: CPM UK, a leading field-marketing company and part of the world-wide Omnicom group, were concerned to maintain their market share and position. Recent restructuring resulted in a number of new and younger directors being appointed to the board.
Task: CPM needed to develop a new business strategy, and gain the involvement of its new board members.
The managing director and finance director asked TSOC to support their strategy development, through the provision of research data and a series of structured board-level workshops.
Although the explicit requirement was clear, there was also an underlying need to use the workshops as a means of creating a cohesive and effective top team.
Action: Using the intial research as a springboard, TSOC worked with the board in a series of workshops. We chose a scenario-planning approach as a means of exploring a range of options, and used a visual-mapping technique to create maps of the company’s ideal scenario, with detailed implementation plans.
This led to a very fruitful debate about values and goals, and over a nine-month period the directors developed a robust approach to their future.
Several challenges met them along the way: the UK MD was asked to take on an international role, a new MD was appointed, and a telemarketing company was acquired.
