Stakeholder-ology Case Studies

PROBLEM:   In a small town, a group of employees left the only company in town providing an essential service  and started their own to compete.  After about 15 years, their small entrepreneurial venture responded to changing market forces by re-joining the original company.  Fierce competitors, they now found themselves needing to reunite. 

SOLUTION:  A cultural assessment consisting of confidential interviews was conducted by an impartial party and that feedback informed a working session with senior executives to determine the cultural goals for the newly merged organization.  A one-day session was facilitated with 100 managers and senior leader.

RESULT:  By the end of the day the group went from anger and distrust to excitement about the future. They ended the day with specific action plans to intentionally create the merged culture both parties desired and implemented in the months following. 

PROBLEM:   Six siloed locations who were reluctant to work together needed to cooperate to gain economies of scale, shift some professionals to a new role, and increase patient/customer satisfaction. 

SOLUTION:  Key stakeholders were carefully chosen from all six facilities with a variety of expertise and capabilities and their sponsors were invited to a three-day facilitated dialogue and planning process.  

RESULT:  By the end of the meeting, they had a plan agreed to by all parties to meet customer needs.  After the event, they continued to work together and accomplish operational changes with their colleagues, spreading good morale and inspiring the workforce. 

PROBLEM:   A group of project managers and experts struggled for a year to find a path forward to solve multiple, inter-related complex problems for customers.    

SOLUTION:  Susan and her team worked with eight executives and the project managers to design a strategic planning summit.  The three-day event included a group of 80 carefully chosen stakeholders to address the clinical operations of a health care organization.  

RESULT:  On the third day, there was a plan yielding three workstreams, each containing multiple projects to accomplish the goal of a new way of operating.  Program management then kicked into gear to oversee the details, with newly engaged experts willing to help.