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Chapter 4: Enablers of Engagement – What has to happen to make engagement work
Case Study
7side
7side is a small business based in Cardiff providing corporate and property
search data, documents and services. For 23 years it was a traditional successful
organic growth partnership with a focus on protection of senior owner equity.
Five years ago it became a limited company with a new board of directors, eager
to break away from its historical approach of command and control and ready to
compete in a new technology driven market place dominated by the commercial
giants. This could only be achieved by taking bold investment steps and changing
the longstanding culture of employee expectancy that strategy, innovation and
development was purely in the hands of the business owners. They recognised
that radical change was needed to survive and thrive, with every single member
of the organisation being a critical component of the process.
7side developed a new Foundation with its employees which included Mission,
Vision,Values and Culture statements that were discussed and communicated
with staff to deliver a clear message on the direction of the organisation and
create a clear framework for all decisions and behaviours. Positive culture
changes, shared values, agreed attitudes, beliefs and behaviours are now
profoundly imbedded within the organisation. Strategic business planning
involves input from all staff resulting in an inclusive system that encourages
innovation and creates a strong sense of personal ownership and destiny control.
Tangible profit share and recognition benefits have been implemented and
multiple fora for active regular and structured communication are in place.
Continual development of the business leaders was also seen as critical and 7side
has called on expert external support for diagnostics and coaching support.
7side is convinced that its total engagement culture has been critical in its
business success as it has led to consensus employee decisions to combat the
economic crisis, resulting in significant ‘bottom line cost savings’ and a true
sense of positive team spirit. It has helped them gain recognition as a market
leader and win contracts against industry heavyweight competitors. They have
attracted at least 75 per cent of the top 100 UK legal law and accountancy
firms as customers and boast the position of world’s biggest customer and
reseller of the Companies House Direct on-line service.
Their compounded growth for the last three years was 49 per cent and despite
a financially challenging six month period from June 2008 as a result of
inactivity within their client base of corporate and property legal clients, they
have managed to turn the situation around and are back on course to grow
turnover by a further 30 per cent by the end 2010, operating effectively with
leaner, more efficient operating systems and costs.
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