Job Model Basic
Increasing Sales by Restructuring Corporate Culture
In 2005, PDP Representative Dan Schneider began working with Rawls Family Business Resource Center, a consulting company focusing on family-owned and privately held businesses. Rawls specializes in strategic succession planning with an emphasis on helping move a business to and through the next generation by improving family-member communication, designing successor development programs, and identifying key management strengths of non-family executives. Rawls put PDP to task by helping re-shape the culture of a two-billion-dollar family-owned business. This company wanted to restructure its culture from one that tended to be more reactive to one that was more proactive and response-oriented.
Where We Are, Where We Want to Go
The first order of business was to uncover clues about the existing corporate culture. Using TeamScan reports, Rawls was able to learn that “caution” and “requiring proof” were deeply embedded in the corporate culture. One goal, then, was to increase the percentage of people who engage in confident risk-taking. In order to reach that goal, Job Models were created that described the desired behavioral characteristics for success both in specific positions and within the culture they were creating.
The Job Models were created from two sources. First, they used ProScans from people who were already “moving in the direction” of the culture they wanted to create. Second, they used Job Dynamics Analysis (JDA) surveys to describe the successful behavioral characteristics of the position. Through this process, Rawls found a great deal of consistency between the ProScan and the JDAs. As a result, they were able to create accurate Job Models to use in training and development with current employees.
Rawls began a review of individual ProScans, starting with the sales team. Outside sales were a priority in the new, “confident, risk-taking” culture being created. The ProScan results indicated that while sales team members were strong with regard to inside sales, certain changes were necessary for greater success in outside sales. In the Priority Environment specifically, Extroversion (the People Trait) needed to increase, while Pace/Patience (Rate of Motion Trait) needed to become more urgent.
Proactively Managing Change
Using individual ProScan results and the Job Model Rawls created, the company was able to look for new employees who matched their expectations. They also engaged current employees with specific training designed to help them learn to adapt to changes they wanted to make. Knowing that stress occurs when culture changes, training was designed for current employees to optimize eustress and decrease distress. In a sense, employees were able to see where they were and where they needed to go to be successful in the future. For those who felt it was not worth it to make the trip into that restructured culture, the company helped to find positions more suited to them. For those who chose to learn how to adapt, specific training plans were created to help them.
Great Results
The process of restructuring the corporate culture took time and effort in both the sales team and in the management team. However, all the effort was worth it as year after year the company improved the bottom line. Amazingly, even in the poor economy of 2009, the company had its best year ever in terms of percentage of growth! Rawls Family Business Resources will continue to assist its client in improving the bottom line. Their next phase of development is to leverage PDP tools to bring desired changes throughout the Marketing, Customer Service, and General & Administrative Departments. Given the resounding success they have had so far, the company is excited to continue PDP as it engages its workforce.
