ICI Paints
How clients raise their game
ICI Paints
"It's how we run the business." Setting objectives, identifying the metrics, measuring the gaps and improving performance. It all sounds logical, but how do you get people in all functions to do it?
You can bet on it that people don't see this as their day job. Stopping to do gap analysis is not immediately about productivity. People are generally too busy managing. However, give them effective tools and an impressive framework and you begin to grab their interest. The rest of the message is compelling only when it shows them the benefits.
The Challenge
Its a great idea on paper, a slim control manual for every function - all structured in the same way. Put them togther and you have the guide to 'how we run the business'.
In reality, the Vice President tasked with the job of getting the buy-in saw it as a global mission to win people over. Armed with the slides, an impressive reportoire of witty one-liners and the experience of having heard every excuse in the book, he took the business case to functional managers around the world.
The real test was whether they would be committed enough to develop their functional guides along the guidelines provided.
The Result
Well, it worked. In a period of just six months, seven of the functional areas of the ICI Paints business had their guides out and published. In fact, each guide published had a positive effect on those managers still to produce. Momentum was growing as people could see how they all fitted togther as a map of the business.
The How
Engaging
You can't separate communication from engagement, if you want to get people to do things differently. The business case for change needs to be both persuasive and do-able. These are the principles that helped win over some pretty busy and hard-headed managers in the Paints business. Through engagement they could see the benefits and also had the steps laid out for them to follow.
Listening and responding
What really helped was that through the process they could ask questions about their functional areas and customise the path to suit their own business without losing the essential structure. They perceived that it was all about them.
Treating the audience with respect
Saffron House ensured that the whole project worked under a living brand. It became more than a paper exercise. People could see themselves in the result. 'The Process Capability Assessment Tool' (PCAT) is now the recognised toolset for running the business.
The guides were produced for the internal audience with the same care and attention that would have been appropriate for customers.
Solutions
“The highly professional work done by you and your creative team was a major contributor to our success. The creative realisation was excellent. An outstanding performance especially given the short notice and limited briefing you received.'”
Brendan Rogers - Philips Lighting
“Overall, the aspect of working with Saffron House that I value the most is that they challenge my thinking, and then deliver pragmatic solutions.”
Paul Rutherford - Clearswift Corporation
