CDA consulting - developing effective organisations

Developing effective organisations

Many organisations today are facing dramatic changes in their markets and technologies. These often require ongoing change to processes, team structures and skills to maintain competitive position or meet agreed service levels.

Here at cda we have a strong track record of working with our clients to enhance organisational effectiveness through a range of interactions including:

Working with top teams to develop a clear Vision and Values
Reviewing leadership capability and resolve
Assessing management style and working culture
Gathering data to understand the views of internal and external stakeholders
Reviewing the capability of managers and their teams
Mapping and improving key business processes
Auditing and improving internal communication processes

Our aim is to help our clients develop a Performance Culture; to facilitate this process we have developed a range of tools and materials which can be used to audit teams against a benchmark of a high-performing organisation and prioritise the resulting improvement activity.

Our approach is to work collaboratively with our client to develop and agree a plan for change and subsequently provide the skills transfer required to support the implementation of the plan by the organisation.

Case studies

Alpha Airport Shopping worked with cda to deliver improvements in sales and customer service in their duty free shops in the UK. We worked with an Alpha project team to review the current organisation and develop an integrated change programme ('Growing Alpha's People'), focused on delivering improvements in team structures, skills and ways of working. These were implemented through new team structures, training programmes, reward and recognition schemes, performance management processes and supporting communication. As part of the change programme we also helped the business to evaluate progress and refocus effort to overcome barriers and problems. The programme delivered measurable enhancements to sales, customer satisfaction and staff retention.

Anglian Water Group (AWG) was undertaking a major strategic review of their entire business. We led the 'People' strand of this diagnostic activity and worked closely with the GCEO to determine the main areas of focus for the Group’s businesses. Subsequently we undertook work with both Anglian Water Services and Morrison plc to define a Vision and People Strategy for each business. We provided change management support for the programme and worked on specific aspects of HR strategy implementation including a Skills & Behaviours Framework and a new performance and development review process. As part of our ongoing relationship with the business, we have recently worked with the HR team to develop their HR plan.

We worked with the Co-operative Group (CWS) Ltd to design and implement a change programme aimed at delivering improved business performance in two key parts of the business. We developed a new organisation structure for the newly merged CRS/CWS Funerals business, with supporting role profiles, competencies and job grading processes. We subsequently delivered similar support for the creation of a new Shared Service Centre for Commercial Division, working alongside another consultancy who were responsible for configuring and installing the Centre's IT systems. Throughout the projects we provided a range of wider change support - for example by developing and managing internal change communications.

Toyota GB (TGB) asked us to work with them to roll out 'Retail Concept'; a change programme aimed at delivering a new customer experience to their customers across the UK. Although the main thrust of Retail Concept was focused on changes to the physical environment of the dealership and training in customer service and selling skills, we designed and introduced a range of other tools designed to support the change and improve the overall effectiveness of the organisation. These included improved recruitment and performance management processes, advice on pay structures and an employee survey tool, which evaluated the overall impact of the change programme on working culture in the dealership. We also worked with TGB during the life of the programme to ensure the Retail Concept philosophy was aligned with other important changes in the business - such as the changes to franchise standards in 2002.