An IT division in a large UK bank had recently undergone a major restructuring programme fundamentally changing its operating model. The change programme had used external experts to design the new model and communicated extensively with staff during implementation. Financial targets had also been met, but there was growing discontent amongst staff and management was exhausted. Nine months after the change the banks regular organisation-wide survey showed that staff morale in this division was scoring much lower than all other areas – in spite of a programme of initiatives to address these issues. There was a sense of loss of belonging to a team, distrust towards senior management and lack of engagement from staff. It was realised that the foundations for the service and financial improvements were in danger if the staff issues were not addressed effectively.

JBBI’s assessment showed that there was an alarming capability gap in the organisation and that the recent changes were not embedded or sustainable. JBBI supported management in a total review of the operating model where staff and customers were truly engaged in providing insight and challenging the proposals. When a new operating model was presented it was widely endorsed by staff and customers. Implementation was quick and successful. Trust in management, morale and performance increased dramatically witnessed by an outstanding 50% improvement in employee survey scores

In late 2003 JBBI conducted a comprehensive organisational survey at a loss making utility company and helped the new management team define a compelling vision and clear strategy to turn around the business.

Initially in the transformation programme JBBI was directly involved in establishing
buy-in, creating early wins and commencing positive action towards the goals. Gradually over a six month period management was coached and trained to improve their capability in changing behaviours and implementing new ways of operating.

Within 7 months the business had reached break-even. The result for 2004 was a £13million operating profit, a £25million improvement compared to 2003, and the best result in the company’s history.

JBBI recently worked with a manufacturing company in the UK, a division within a multinational organisation. The management team’s plans and sales projections were based on a conviction that 1% growth would be a “good” result in a declining market. They believed that aiming any higher would be setting themselves up for failure. We challenged those assumptions and transformed their mindset of what was achievable. We helped them create alignment around a new ambition, including defining clear goals, values and action plans that engaged the entire organisation in the transformation.

The activities transformed the UK division from a loss-making operation to one of the highest performing in the group. Profit improved by £4.8 million and a decline in turnover of 3% was turned around to a growth rate of 10% in the following year and a remarkable 14% the year after.

“JBBI has played a key role in the successful transformation of the bank’s Corporate IT. The strong processes surrounding the engagement of all staff and the organisational change programme have enabled us to bring the underlying issues to the surface and getting these addressed constructively together with colleagues across the organisation. The approach has been a radical change in our leadership style and the effect on trust, engagement and sense of belonging across the organisation has put the organisation in a much better place to take IT services forward in bank. JBBI has been a valued partner in the transformation of Corporate IT and I am very happy to recommend them.”

Head of UK Bank’s Corporate IT Division

“JBBI has played a vital role in the successful transformation of our organisation. JBBI had a brief of helping us create a high performance organisation and they have been very successful in delivering this. They helped us create a winning mind-set and build a management team and an organisation capable of successfully turning around the business. We are now creating true shareholder value through customer preference because of our people strengths. The combination of insight into the business issues and a fantastic ability to engage and develop people in a practical way have been unique compared to any other experience I have had with consultants in this area. The fact that JBBI linked a large proportion of their fee to business results and measurable improvements in behaviour created a strong alignment between our goals and showed their commitment to making this transformation a success. I have continued to use JBBI in other projects and strongly recommend JBBI.”

Managing Director

“If I had known what we were taking on, I might not have gone ahead. I am extremely pleased that we did, however. I thought I was buying team clarity of vision and mission, with projects and activities to develop my leaders and deliver improved performance. What I actually bought was of much higher value. We have achieved a mind-set shift that has enabled us to handle multi-dimensional change while managing the tension of Business as Usual demands, which are great. The level of individual and collective learning we experienced far exceeded my expectations. Through mobilising a broader leadership community we are really starting to see the benefits in the performance of the operation.”

Head of a large shared services division