Staff Buy-In & Motivation Strategy, Black & Decker (Europe)
Client Issue: In 1917 two young entrepreneurs, Duncan Black & Alonzo Decker, founded a small machine shop in Baltimore, Maryland. They called it The Black & Decker Manufacturing Company. Their shop has grown beyond anything they could have imagined. Today, Black & Decker is a global marketer & manufacturer of quality products used in & around the home & for commercial applications. It is also a major supplier of information systems & services to government & commercial client’s worldwide. With products marketed in over 100 countries & approximately half of its revenues from outside the US, Black & Decker's product lines hold leading market share positions in their industries. Due to the development in technology; the continuous flow of innovative new products; & a number of key acquisitions during the late 1990’s, the company reported its strongest balance sheet & sales since its inception & embarked on an organisational development (OD) program to ensure that it could effectively globalise by employing the internet & e-business strategies to support key retail partners as they expanded in the US & around the world. Post major restructuring across Europe & the implementation of a new supply chain strategy, Black & Decker found themselves with a lack of staff buy-in & motivation problems. At the time, there was also a problem concerning a perception that the company was developing a strategy without a clear vision.
Solution: Facilitation of two senior team workshops to create a clearer vision & obtain senior management buy-in before communication to staff.
Outcome: Change/HR strategy to support the business strategy & an action orientated implementation plan. Change management workshop to supply chain team to raise awareness of causes of resistance & stimulate change management thinking when planning for implementation with greater staff buy-in.
By 2004 the company reported record earnings per share from their global operations.