Change our Business

“We can see our industry changing and know we need to operate differently. We’ve changed our talk, but we’re still doing the same old things.”

When Allison Partners received a call from this privately-held distribution company, it sounded like an almost-textbook change management conundrum. Leaders had seen the need for change and shifted sales and operations strategies accordingly, but employees seemed stuck in their existing work habits and mindset. The structural barriers to change were amplified by an inconsistent performance management approach that made it difficult for individuals or departments to effectively set goals and measure progress.

An Allison Partners consultant worked with the organization’s Vice President of Human Resources and departmental leaders to examine business and employment practices and reshape them to support a new business model. Sales compensation was adjusted to remove barriers to internal collaboration and performance rewards were introduced company-wide. A new competency model was introduced and began influencing employee hiring, training and development. Clear goals were established for every department, and managers implemented new practices for measuring and improving individual performance. The result? Leaders reported an almost immediate increase in cross-functional collaboration while maintaining their payroll efficiency.