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Client stories
Turnaround
Air New Zealand
When Ralph Norris took over as the new CEO of Air New Zealand in 2001, the company was in trouble. He recognised that something radical had to happen to signal a new era, and to ready the organisation to change its business model. We were invited to work with him and his executive team on this transformational journey.
Robyne helped to design and facilitate a large group intervention which bought together, in one room and at one time, 800 people from around the airline's global network for a three-day dialogue. Over three days, those 800 colleagues co-designed the vision and values of the new organisation and met global industry experts who broadened their perspective. During the Summit, we invited the group to rise up and meet the challenge to help turn the organisation around in a positive, but no holds barred approach. Eventually 30% of the organisation was engaged in a total of six similar summits. Thanks to the ongoing skills and dedication of everyone in the organisation, Air New Zealand is now a highly successful airline which has reshaped its business model, image and culture.
Robyne helped to design and facilitate a large group intervention which bought together, in one room and at one time, 800 people from around the airline's global network for a three-day dialogue. Over three days, those 800 colleagues co-designed the vision and values of the new organisation and met global industry experts who broadened their perspective. During the Summit, we invited the group to rise up and meet the challenge to help turn the organisation around in a positive, but no holds barred approach. Eventually 30% of the organisation was engaged in a total of six similar summits. Thanks to the ongoing skills and dedication of everyone in the organisation, Air New Zealand is now a highly successful airline which has reshaped its business model, image and culture.
Good to great
Financial Services -Team coaching
Over the years, Robyne has worked with a large Operations Leadership team to help them strengthen their team effectiveness. Quarterly, she works with the team using an approach which focuses on using 'real work' to enhance the team's effectiveness
E2E repair
Bank, Collections Dept
Our client inherited a dysfunctional debt collection business which was significantly underperforming. It had large loan impairments, system outages, a disheartened workforce, and broken relationships up and down the value chain. Our client was determined to transform the situation and wanted us to apply Positive Psychology to the process, so that people would come through this change feeling energised.
Over a two-year period we worked with our client in a number of ways. We ran leadership offsites to bring together leaders from across the business to build a shared sense of accountability for a business turnaround. We then facilitated a three-day summit for 120 people who were a microcosm of the whole end-to-end system. During the summit the group created a shared vision for a successful debt recovery system, identified critical changes that needed to be made to achieve the vision and initiated self-directed action teams to deliver some targeted goals. We then helped to establish a leadership forum which brought together leaders from out of their traditional silos to collectively lead the way forward.
Over two years, the department resolved all their critical IT infrastructure issues, enhanced their culture survey results, reduced their loan impairment expenses by at least $300 million and achieved ‘world’s best’ on a number of critical characteristics (as determined by an objective third party.)
Over a two-year period we worked with our client in a number of ways. We ran leadership offsites to bring together leaders from across the business to build a shared sense of accountability for a business turnaround. We then facilitated a three-day summit for 120 people who were a microcosm of the whole end-to-end system. During the summit the group created a shared vision for a successful debt recovery system, identified critical changes that needed to be made to achieve the vision and initiated self-directed action teams to deliver some targeted goals. We then helped to establish a leadership forum which brought together leaders from out of their traditional silos to collectively lead the way forward.
Over two years, the department resolved all their critical IT infrastructure issues, enhanced their culture survey results, reduced their loan impairment expenses by at least $300 million and achieved ‘world’s best’ on a number of critical characteristics (as determined by an objective third party.)
Culture story
Member Organisation
We were engaged by our client to create a High Performance Culture. Our approach to the challenges was steepd in Positive Psychology and Appreciative Inquiry and comprised of a 3 day Summit for all staff, culminating in deep alignment, strengthened trust and a pathway forward. We also convened an internal design team to help the organisation to create their own leaership model and then designed and delivered leadership capability development programs for all their leaders. This approach was so successful that, in the end, every person in the organisation went through a self leadership programme to help the organisational resilience and engagement.
Merger
Global Law Firm
Our client was a top tier Australian law firm and we had worked with them for many years to develop leadership capability in their partners. When they merged with a UK based Global firm, we were priviledged to be invited to help merge their cultures. As part of that, we facilitated their inaugural leadership team meetings and over the years supported their cultural integration in a number of different ways.
Trust restored
Govt Department We worked with a number of network partners within a regional government service department.
Morale was at an all-time low, with open conflict existing between members of the management team and a generalised mistrust throughout the wider organisation. Engagement was low and customer and performance metrics were suffering.
We kicked off with extensive qualitative research going deep into the organsiation to help to reveal their rich legacy of strenghts, the organisation's highest hopes and the current issues that were impeding performance.
Based on our research, we worked with a client team to design two streams of work. The first was targeted at the unhappy leadership cohort, and the second at the rest of the organisation through a series of 'all hands' experiences.
We used a classic Appreciative Inquiry, focusing on carryforward strengths, shared aspiration, and a design plan to bring the future into reality.
During the process, a number of 'informal' leaders really stepped into the limelight and helped bring the organisation back into shape.
Morale was at an all-time low, with open conflict existing between members of the management team and a generalised mistrust throughout the wider organisation. Engagement was low and customer and performance metrics were suffering.
We kicked off with extensive qualitative research going deep into the organsiation to help to reveal their rich legacy of strenghts, the organisation's highest hopes and the current issues that were impeding performance.
Based on our research, we worked with a client team to design two streams of work. The first was targeted at the unhappy leadership cohort, and the second at the rest of the organisation through a series of 'all hands' experiences.
We used a classic Appreciative Inquiry, focusing on carryforward strengths, shared aspiration, and a design plan to bring the future into reality.
During the process, a number of 'informal' leaders really stepped into the limelight and helped bring the organisation back into shape.
What our clients have said
“No one gets off lightly when working with POD. We are all challenged and provoked, but they do it in such a way that we feel well cared for. They can smell BS from 50 metres and are not afraid to go there.”
“POD are the best team ever in facilitating dysfunctional teams to help them find a way forward. They can read a room and understand individual and team perspectives. They bring people into the game, even the recalcitrant ones who end up feeling like they are critical players in the team.”
“For any complex problem with a human element, I come to you.”
“We use you guys, because you ‘just get us'."
“We have worked with Robyne for many years as both a Team Coach and a specialist Executive Coach. She has also designed and delivered large group events for our total leadership cohort that have really moved the dial of our performance."
"Robyne worked with her team to create a well thought out, research backed, highly experiential Leadership Development program. Our 60 graduates have added signifcant value to our business."
"Robyne and her team are great partners who work tirelessly to build an approach that meets our needs."
“We value POD's wide ranging experience and flexible approach."