The Winning Formula Profile® Drives Merger Integration
Consumer Beauty Firm
Challenge
Integrate leadership chosen from contrasting cultures.
A beauty company had the opportunity to purchase several product lines of a major consumer products conglomerate. The acquisition would consolidate its position as a global leader, but the available talent from each side of the transaction represented contradictory cultural values: the acquired company embraced a conservative approach that stressed hierarchy and order; the client encouraged an “ownership mentality” that favored innovation and speed. RHR International was engaged to help the merged organization establish a foundation of core values, and identify ~150 executives and managers capable of fulfilling them. With a public announcement of the merger pending in a matter of months, the client was under considerable pressure to assemble its executive team fast and with a minimum amount of friction.
Solution
Select hires consistent with the organization’s The Winning Formula Profile®.
The client engaged RHR to serve as an objective third party for the assessment of talent, identification of appropriate hires, and the promotion of a corporate culture capable of accelerating an innovative product pipeline.
RHR began by working with the client’s CEO to develop The Winning Formula profile, a set of five key values, attitudes and attributes essential for the merged company’s success. The Winning Formula profile, in turn, became the foundation for the personality questionnaire given to potential executives, and the interview protocol developed for the hiring process. After the first wave of top executives were selected, RHR facilitated a leadership meeting to refine the corporate vision, establish guidelines for team collaboration, and prepare the communications strategy for the upcoming launch announcement. Successive waves of hiring, reporting and team meetings applied lessons learned to improve the hiring process, and ensure constructive decision making throughout the leadership pyramid.
RHR began by working with the client’s CEO to develop The Winning Formula profile, a set of five key values, attitudes and attributes essential for the merged company’s success. The Winning Formula profile, in turn, became the foundation for the personality questionnaire given to potential executives, and the interview protocol developed for the hiring process. After the first wave of top executives were selected, RHR facilitated a leadership meeting to refine the corporate vision, establish guidelines for team collaboration, and prepare the communications strategy for the upcoming launch announcement. Successive waves of hiring, reporting and team meetings applied lessons learned to improve the hiring process, and ensure constructive decision making throughout the leadership pyramid.
Results
On-time fulfillment of roles, reinforcement of a motivated executive team.
By launch, RHR had assessed more than 270 personnel and helped identify the top ~150 leaders the client needed to establish its common culture. Feedback from participants confirmed that the process was fair, sensitive to individual needs, and capable of helping the executive team engage positively with the new organization. The client’s internal HR team was impressed with the overall accuracy of the assessment, and it helped them make important hiring and integration decisions.
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