Empowering Global Teams
Culture Stretch and Trade Nation Success Story
Client Profile
Challenge
- During the COVID-19 pandemic all teams were fully remote, the CEO wanted to transition to a hybrid model.
- The need to enhance employee engagement and improve recruitment quality and processes.
- Silo mentality within departments and a lack of trust in the leadership team.
- Build trust and engagement across the global teams in the UK, Australia, South Africa, Seychelles, Malaysia and The Bahamas.
- Need to engage teams and build better relationships.
Solution
We created a tailored strategy to revitalise the workplace environment, directly addressing the challenges outlined in our analysis. An initial engagement and feedback survey provided us with deep insights into the issues employees were facing, allowing us to target our solution accordingly.
To ensure continuous improvement and measure our success, regular engagement and feedback surveys were essential.
We introduced the Everything DiSC suite focusing on building stronger interpersonal relationships and leadership skills, supplemented by workshops to guarantee the lasting impact of these improvements.
This approach enabled us to establish a functional hybrid work model, encouraging a return to the office, while continuing to offer ongoing consultation and guidance for sustained development.
Goals
- Engage teams and build better relationships between silos.
- Improve communication and collaboration across all departments and countries.
- Improve leadership and cross-departmental trust.
- Create a high-performing leadership team.
- Increase engagement and participation rates in quarterly surveys.
- Improve the recruitment process and increase retention.
- Improve the overall company culture.
Tools
- Everything DiSC
- Catalyst
- Workplace
- Productive Conflict
- Agile EQ
- Managers
- PXT Select
- Engagement Multiplier
- The Five Behaviors
What We Did
Engagement
We started by assessing the business to gain a better understanding of how the employees felt using anonymous surveys and listening groups. We set up an initial engagement assessment to monitor engagement and participation levels and put together a quarterly assessment to monitor results and gather regular feedback from employees.
Communication and Personal Development
Once we understood the challenges within the business, we implemented a range of Everything DiSC tools and workshops to help employees gain a better understanding of themselves and others in our communication programme. We ran this programme with all existing employees and added it to the onboarding process.
First, we implemented Catalyst, a personalised learning platform that integrates DiSC into the flow of work.
Each DiSC learning experience starts with Everything DiSC Workplace. Helping people to understand themselves and others in the global business while learning to appreciate the different behavioural preferences and tendencies each person brings to the workplace.
Conflict is unavoidable in the workplace, we used Everything DiSC Productive Conflict to increase self-awareness around conflict behaviours, helping employees effectively respond to uncomfortable and unavoidable challenges of workplace conflict and help recognise and transform their destructive habits into more productive responses.
We implemented Everything DiSC Agile EQ to teach employees to read the emotional and interpersonal needs of a situation and respond accordingly. Combining the personalised insights of DiSC with active emotional intelligence development, employees discover an agile approach to workplace interactions, empowering them to meet the demands of any situation.
All managers underwent Everything DiSC Management to help successfully engage, motivate, and develop their employees around the world. This was achieved through personalised management insights, helping them to understand their own management style, how that can impact others, and how those who work for them can be positively impacted when leaders tailor their approach.
Leadership
In a bold move towards leadership excellence, Trade Nation underwent a profound transformation. The journey began with an intensive three-day programme, “The Five Behaviours,” focusing on Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results.
Trust: The foundation was laid with a focus on trust, creating an environment where collaboration thrived and mutual reliance became second nature.
Conflict Resolution: Embracing constructive conflict, Trade Nation’s leaders discovered that differences could be a catalyst for innovation, fostering a resilient and united front.
Commitment: Aligning personal and professional goals with the company’s vision became the team’s commitment, infusing purpose into their collective efforts.
Accountability: Owning both successes and failures, the leadership team embraced accountability as a driver for continuous improvement and elevated performance.
Results: Armed with new tools and strategies, the team shifted from activity to purposeful action, translating aspirations into tangible, measurable outcomes.
360 Process and Leadership Reorganisation: Post the Five Behaviours program, the team underwent a 360-degree feedback process, complemented by coaching interventions. This comprehensive approach allowed for individual growth and honing of leadership skills.
Creation of the C-Suite: Following the 360 process, our mandate extended to the reorganisation of leadership, culminating in the creation of a C-suite. We played a central role in identifying and selecting the talent required for this new senior leadership team.
Trade Nation’s comprehensive leadership transformation, encompassing The Five Behaviours, 360 processes, and strategic reorganisation, stands as a testament to the profound impact of a holistic leadership development approach. Their journey serves as a beacon for businesses aspiring to elevate their leadership capabilities and drive sustained growth.
Recruitment
We transformed the hiring process using PXT Select to gain actionable data to select the right people for the right job. With this tool we were able to match people to roles based on job-specific traits most important to be successful, reducing employee turnover and increasing the quality of hires.
We assisted in bringing in a new HR system to upgrade personnel data and enhance performance conversations for the future.
Wellbeing
Mental help and wellbeing support is essential to any business. We set up a range of global mental health initiatives at Trade Nation, including training for Mental Health First Aid (MHFA); regular MHFA support sessions, interactive campaigns and competitions to raise awareness for mental health, support a healthy lifestyle and increase engagement; guest speaker events; we also introduced a neuroscientist to support mental health in the workplace.
We set up a work social club, to organise more universally desired events and virtual and in person team building initiatives.
Results
- Improved team dynamics, leadership effectiveness, and mental health awareness.
- Employees have a deeper understanding of self and others, enhancing team communication and leadership effectiveness across the business.
- Engagement score increased by 4.2%, with a 20.2% increase in survey participation from the start.
- Headcount more than doubled to over 130 employees with significant improvements in company culture.
- Implementation of PXT Select led to over 80 actionable data assessments for recruitment, significantly enhancing the match between job roles and candidates, contributing to reduced turnover and higher quality hires.
- Increased participation in mental health and wellbeing campaigns, with latest campaign at 89.17% participation globally.
Testimonial
As a leader dedicated to cultivating a thriving work environment, integrating DiSC into our organisational fabric has been nothing short of a game-changer. My journey with Culture Stretch in implementing DiSC for our entire workforce has been both personally fulfilling and professionally rewarding.
At the heart of our commitment to employee engagement, the decision to adopt DiSC was guided by the belief that understanding and embracing diverse personalities is key to unlocking the full potential of our team. Culture Stretch's expertise and support throughout this process have been invaluable. From the initial assessment to the personalised workshops, Culture Stretch demonstrated a profound understanding of the intricacies of human behaviour in the workplace. The result has been a more cohesive, communicative, and empowered team. DiSC has not only enhanced our communication but has also fostered an inclusive culture where every team member feels seen, heard, and appreciated.
What sets Culture Stretch apart is not just their proficiency in implementing DiSC but their genuine commitment to the well-being of our workforce. Their tailored approach, coupled with a deep understanding of our organisational dynamics, has undoubtedly elevated our workplace culture. I am proud to endorse Culture Stretch as a partner in creating positive and productive workplaces. If you're seeking a solution that goes beyond the surface and truly transforms the way your team collaborates, Culture Stretch is the right choice.