Reinventing a legacy organization
Decades of steady growth had left a rigid organization: siloed departments, static leadership structures, and planning that reacted to the quarter instead of the decade.
- Industry
- Drilling
- Engagement
- operating design
- Duration
- 12 months
Results
- 3
- New product and service initiatives launched
- Launched within 12 months of the new governance model taking effect.
- +40%
- Increase in leadership satisfaction
- Measured through internal pulse surveys, pre- and post-engagement.
- 25%
- Reduction in time-to-market
- Attributed to accelerated decision-making under the revised governance structure.
The condition
Over decades of steady growth, the organization had become increasingly rigid, with deeply entrenched processes and hierarchies. Departments operated in silos, limiting collaboration and cross-functional visibility.
Leadership structures remained static, lacking clear accountability and adaptability. Strategic planning was largely reactive and short-term, leaving the organization unprepared for shifts in market dynamics, emerging technologies, and evolving customer expectations.
What was getting in the way
The inertia was structural, not personal. Good people were working inside a design that slowed decisions, hid accountability, and kept innovation at the edges of the business rather than in its operating rhythm.
The work
We worked with executives and staff together, so the future direction was built by the people who would have to run it.
- Facilitated cross-departmental vision workshops with executives and staff
- Designed a new org chart and governance model aligned with future goals
- Mapped 5- and 10-year trajectories
- Developed KPIs tied to innovation, agility, and culture
What changed
The engagement left behind structure the organization could operate on its own.
- A unified purpose statement and mission cascade guiding all levels
- A revamped governance structure enabling faster decision-making
- Quarterly progress dashboards tracking culture, capability, and scalable delivery
The result
Within 12 months the organization launched three new product and service initiatives, leadership satisfaction rose 40 percent on internal pulse surveys, and accelerated decision-making cut time-to-market by 25 percent.
Some might say they can't afford this type of consulting. I can't not afford it.
Related operating areas
- Operating design
Build the roles, decision rights, and operating rhythms required by the strategy.
- Strategy alignment
Turn direction into choices, priorities, and measures the business can actually carry.
Start with a conversation.
Twenty to forty-five minutes with a senior practitioner. No deck.