Case Study: Automotive Industry

Pain points driving consultancy engagement

Several attempts had been made previously to address a culture which for years has been masculine, competitive, unaccepting and unwelcoming of difference.  The leadership team had several committed members, but the issues reached the top team, many of whom had come up through the ranks and saw it as normal and inevitable.  

The most senior leader realized he needed to bring in external expertise to get an objective view of what was happening, why, and what to do about it.

Approach undertaken

Individual conversations with members of the leadership team to gauge their levels of understanding, commitment and bravery around the topic.  

Workshops with managers and employees to surface examples oftheir experiences, their hopes and aspirations for what the culture could be, and brainstorming ideas of how best to progress.

Created a ‘People Partnership’ with a team of internally committed employees who wanted to clarify what the expectations were, the benefits of building an inclusive culture, and the consequences of inappropriate behaviour.

Outcomes

Feedback to the leadership team around ‘the good, bad and ugly’ of what had surfaced through conversations and workshops.  Followed by discussion around inclusive leadership and the role of the leadership team in building an inclusive culture.  This was supported with additional 1:1 coaching with the members of the leadership team.

Workshops on the theme of being a responsible bystander, covering what this is, why it’s important and the risks of colluding and collaborating in poor behaviour.

Launch of the People Partnership, a document shared from the point of onboarding to clarify expectations, benefits and consequences of poor behaviour.

Further work has been carried out for the business including speaking at their conference, contributing to management development, supporting the role of the work with their supply chain and stakeholders.

Testimonial

“We spoke to several organisations in our search for a partner to guide us through becoming a more inclusive workplace. We decided to work with Clare because of her pragmatic, professional and conscientious approach. 

Clare conducted thorough research interviews, designed and delivered workshops for the leadership team, line managers and all employees, and has also gone above and beyond the brief in working collaboratively with us on communication programmes, internal branding and next steps.“