Practice Areas

Introductory text about Practice Areas

STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT

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MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

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TRANSFORMATION & TURNAROUND

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TALENT MANAGEMENT

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Verbatim (Comment) Analysis

Understand the themes and sentiments behind your employees’ open-text comments.

Denison’s Performance Analytics can dive deeper into your employees’ open-text comments. These findings will save you the time and energy it takes to review employee comments and help you target your actions on the feedback most important to them.

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Example(s) (Click To Enlarge)
Comprehensive Linkage Analysis

Understand how leadership and culture are interacting to drive the outcomes you care most about (modules, KPIs, custom items, etc.).

Denison’s Performance Analytics can pinpoint the specific leadership competencies and cultural levers to drive change. Through this analysis we will help you identify the specific leadership behaviors that will drive culture change and, in turn, the subsequent outcomes you care most about (modules, KPIs, custom items, etc.).

Example (Click to Enlarge)
Overview

Brief Explanation of what types of collateral can be found in the Overview section

ACCESS OVERVIEW MATERIAL
Transform - Thought Leadership

Brief Explanation of what types of collateral can be found in the Transform - thought leadership section

ACCESS TRANSFORM MATERIAL
Sampling

Collect data from a subset of your employee population while ensuring their perceptions will best represent everyone.

Denison’s Performance Analytics provides expert support to build a population sample that is sufficient to represent the organization as a whole. Use our sampling support to select a survey population, interview list, or focus group.

Example (Click To Enlarge)
Private Equity
As a CEO of a private equity firm, you know that firms with a strong, vibrant culture perform better in a highly competitive marketplace. Denison can work with you to build an effective culture in all of your portfolio firms. Our assessment tools enable you to capture a clear picture of the current cultural state of your organization. Our consulting expertise supports you in making the changes necessary to achieve superior financial performance. It is about how you work as a team, how your policies meet practice within the culture of the organization, and even how performance aligns with your investment criteria.
  • Deliver a consistent assessment of your portfolio companies
  • Give you an unambiguous picture of the culture of your organization
  • Provides a disciplined process and measureable action plan for
  • Offers hands-on strategic consulting to address gaps and affirm best
practices currently being employed by your portfolio companies
improvement
Our approach:
Financial Services
In the financial sector, you are active in a wide variety of client environments that need to support both accountability and the highest ethical standards. The trust that your customers place in your organization is dependent upon the culture that your employees exhibit every day.

You need to have a clear understanding of how your culture and the people in your organization function amidst the complexities of the current financial institutional marketplace. The Denison Model can provide you with that clarity. From brokerage firms to retail banking to institutional banking to insurance, Denison has specific, measurable benchmarks that identify both the strengths and weaknesses of your organization. With this baseline diagnostic, our consulting team can support you to put into place action plans that help sustain your high standards and see improvement in your financial performance.
Manufacturing
The manufacturing environment is constantly being tasked with improvements in both quality and delivery while also having to maintain the highest levels of safety. The Denison Model equips you with the tools to reach anyone, from the senior leadership team to the shop floor, in a globally networked manufacturing environment to build a culture oriented towards continuous improvement in these critical mission areas.

Through our consultancy services, we work with a broad cross-section of your technical and operational staff to align them around the goal of producing the highest quality products in the world—both on time and on budget.
Healthcare
Within the healthcare market, high performance is measured primarily in patient outcomes. The marriage of the institution with doctors, support staff, and operational teams is key to achieving the best patient outcomes. Denison works with you to achieve these outcomes by building a culture that is attuned to the unique ecosystem of support that patients require.

Our organizational culture assessment based on the Denison Model is a proven approach that has supported healthcare providers with actionable feedback for decades. The assessment identifies successes and clarifies challenges that you may be facing by comparing your data against the four core drivers of cultural high performance. Then, our consulting team is able to support you in addressing these challenges with action plans tailored to your inclusive and diverse environment.
Case Study
The management of culture in an organization whose members are always on the move.
Education
At Denison, we understand that student success is the goal of every educational organization. Our consulting expertise and diagnostic tools will allow your team to better understand, articulate, and implement your mission.

You will gain a collective understanding of your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, and challenges benchmarked against other peer institutions, all targeted toward providing students with the best learning environment. Then, through Action Planning, we will work with you to improve your academic and operational excellence to support the diverse student learning environment of higher education, K-12 schools, and related associations.
Retail
As a retailer, you know that culture drives the customer experience of your organization. The hospitality, support, and the follow-up lived out by your staff help make the difference in each consumer interaction. It is that experience that really drives what your organizational behavior should be.

Denison allows you to understand how your organization can support each customer's experiences. We provide you with data that helps you understand your organization right from each customer’s entry all the way to checkout. We also provide sustainable support programs that enable you to address your challenges, allowing you to attract new customers, retain loyal brand customers, and ensure superior financial performance.
Restaurants
Smart restaurant owners know that their patrons’ experiences are driven by the culture of their organizations. The hospitality, support, and follow-up lived out by their culinary and wait staff help make the difference in each dish that is served. They know that it is each patron’s needs and expectations that really drive what what a team’s behavior should be on the floor.

Denison allows you to understand how your organization is positioned to support each patron’s experience. We provide you with benchmarked data from across the food industry to help you understand your organization right from each patron’s entry to the final after-dinner mint. We also provide sustainable support programs that enable you to address your challenges, allowing you to attract new customers, retain loyal brand customers, and ensure superior financial performance.
Government
To achieve high performance in a government initiative, one requires a different understanding of the metrics of success. Therefore, the advancement of the mission is measured instead of the typical KPIs or financial results of a business, such as sales growth or ROI.

For example, Denison supports both military men and women in action through our work with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). We provide a core culture assessment and an improvement program that helps this department maintain a strong culture to fulfill their mission, addressing everything needed to support men and women in combat through readiness preparation.
Case Study
A transformation that didn’t require thousands of dollars, but a new way of interacting.
Technology
Because of the ever-changing pace of the introduction of new technologies and the shortening of the technology life-cycle, exhibiting adaptability in your organization’s culture is critical. These factors drive both the need to recoup costs and the need to show profit more quickly. Therefore, being able to seamlessly change business models to drive market expansion, product acceptance, and superior performance is absolutely critical in this high-potential return but volatile market. Talent is also at a premium.

Based on diagnostics structured through the Denison Model, our consultancy team can help you build a culture in which all stakeholders understand who the organization is and who will fit the organization the best. With this alignment, you can gain a competitive edge in both attracting and retaining the engineers, researchers, and innovators needed to lead any market-changing innovation.
Transportation
Whether you deal with business travelers, tourists, or products in the supply chain, safety and schedule reliability are two of the key deliverables in this industry. For decades, Denison has worked with leaders from the transportation industry, helping to transform organizations in the face of changing markets and technologies to ensure consumer safety, satisfaction, and bottom-line business success.

When you bring Denison on board, our experienced consultants help you make decisions and plans based on data benchmarked against the global industry. As a result, we put your organization on the path to high performance, with measurable benefits right to your bottom line.
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Empowers People
The individual helps to create an environment where individuals have authority, initiative, and ability to manage their own work. The individual has a sense of ownership and responsibility for the organization.

Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you with (or take the initiative to identify) a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles and strengthen your competencies.

• Include employees in the decision-making process, where possible, and discuss the reasoning behind certain decisions and actions as a team.

• Provide employees with a greater sense of autonomy or control in their job responsibilities and decisions.

• Create a supportive and safe environment where employees feel comfortable in having a voice and ask employees for their inputs and ideas.

• Encourage open communication with employees and listen to employee’s needs, desires, and career aspirations.

• Recognize and reward individuals and teams that take the initiative to solve a business challenge or obstacle.

• Empower employees by giving them the ability to “stop the line” if they see a quality or safety risk, and recognize and reward those who do.

• Give employees the opportunity to provide feedback and tailor their training curriculum to fit their interests and needs.

• Hold weekly “current affairs” meetings to provide regular updates and information to employees so that they can make more informed decisions.

• Ask employees to provide a list of responsibilities and decisions that they believe they should own and why. Afterward, engage employees in discussion to discuss the list, clarify what decisions they can make, those they can influence, and those that are beyond the scope of the employee’s responsibility.

• Provide employees with opportunities for additional responsibility and challenges at work to foster empowerment and development.

• Convey confidence in employees and voice your appreciation of employees.

Defines Strategic Direction & Intent
The individual communicates the organization’s overall strategies so that everyone can see the relationship between their work and the accomplishment of the work group or organization’s goals. S/he effectively implements short and long-term strategies to meet organizational goals.

Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Develop a 1-page document that includes the company mission, vision, and values, and the team’s goals – connecting them to the bigger picture. Share this document with your employees and discuss the connection between the mission, vision, and values, and the team’s goals.

• Adopt Denison’s Create-Communicate-Clarify-Reinforce model to ensure that vision and strategy move beyond the communication stage to enhanced ownership, with a clear demonstration of how they impact decisions.

• Develop a strategic roadmap for “winning” in the marketplace, highlighting growth, productivity and accountability, and for possible future situations, such as an acquisition or merger.

• Clarify and communicate five strategic priorities after conducting a needs assessment with external customers – priorities that help connect the internal actions to the customer wants and needs. This can also be done with internal customers.

• Hold “what-how-and-why” town hall, weekly, or one-on-one meetings with employees to build their understanding of the company direction. Encourage employees to ask questions, gain greater clarity about the priorities and direction, and how they affect their work. Ask for input and feedback from employees.

• Hold leadership-led strategy workshops, bringing all managers together to discuss and understand each division’s strategy and goals, and how they align to support the company vision and strategy.

• Create “strategic thinking” teams to engage staff in dialog about institutional priorities and future opportunities.

• Create transparency and discuss leadership long-range strategic planning process. Invite employees to voice their input regarding the planning process.

Creates Shared Vision
The leader helps create a shared view of a desired future state for his/her organizational unit. S/he inspires others with this vision, translates it into everyday activities, and engages others to ensure buy-in and commitment.
Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Place posters of the company mission and vision in highly trafficked areas to remind employees of the organization’s mission and vision.

• Make the mission and vision key components of your employee onboarding process.

• Start important meetings with a reminder of the vision of the company, why it is important, and how the meeting relates to the vision.

• Ask employees to identify what the vision means to him/her and what he/she could do to make the vision come to life.

• Link discussions about the strategy, goals, and daily tasks directly back to the vision, to create line-of-sight between the near- and long-term priorities.

• Check-in with employees on the progress of the goal to reach or maintain the mission and vision. Ask for input from employees in what can be done to accelerate progress.

• As a leader, elude more clarity and excitement about the vision, including your stories of success and progress.

• As a leader, demonstrate your own passion about the work of the company and share stories of how your passion has translated into your work.

• Use social media, case studies, and internal communication vehicles to highlight examples of the company, demonstrating the mission and vision.

Promotes Organizational Learning
The individual leader encourages innovation, risk taking, and continuous improvement. Sees mistakes as opportunities for gaining knowledge and developing capabilities.
Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Hire talent that brings a unique set of experiences that are new to the organization and allow them to promote a different way of thinking.

• Send employees into the field/customer site to observe their designs and products in use, and bring that knowledge back for process design or improvement.

• Create a “knowledge channel” to facilitate employees sharing information, stories and best practices. This could be monthly learning circles, profession-specific meetings, internal social media, internal shared drives, emails etc.

• Promote AAR’s (After Action Reviews) or “Lessons Learned” events to deconstruct an activity and share what was learned – capturing the positive and negative in an effort to inform future actions.

• Utilize Action Learning methodologies to not only broaden the team participating in problem-solving, but also to discuss what the team is learning about the way they solve problems.

• Implement “Fu Pan” (replaying the chess board), a process that promotes revisiting a set of actions for evaluating and improvement of work quality and speed.

• Allocate time for learning and innovation, making them an expected component of an employee’s job.

Emphasizes Customer Focus
The individual is driven to clearly understand the present and future needs of the customer, seeks ongoing input from the customer, continuously strives to improve customer service, and ensures that all employees are driven by a concern to satisfy the customer.
Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Create customer personas to help the team better understand customer (internal or external) wants and needs.

• Create a program or workshop to “walk a mile in the customer’s shoes” and collect customer stories that are then shared within the organization.

• Have a recognition program that is based on exceptional customer service.

• Start every meeting with a customer story or update to reinforce the importance of the customer.

• Conduct customer satisfaction surveys and require corrective actions for any teams that fall below a targeted percent satisfaction.

• Use stories and examples to encourage team to challenge customers when it is in their (and/or the organization’s) best interests to do things differently from their expectations

• Share/cascade examples of customer expectations to the team.

• Interview customers to get a clear picture of their expectations and feedback on the current service/deliverables.

• Do periodic check-ins with the customer and show visible course-correction, when needed.

Builds Team Orientation
The individual manager places value on employees working cooperatively toward common goals and often relies on team effort to get work done. S/he helps establish a sense of mutual accountability for the accomplishment of goals.
Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Embrace the differences between team members and play to each team member’s individual strengths.

• Encourage trust, communication, cooperation, transparency, and information sharing among team members.

• Create a supportive and safe environment where team members can discuss issues within the team, including differences in personality styles, decision-making approaches, conflict resolution preferences, and so on.

• Ask for information and formal feedback, and allow team to offer innovative solutions to critical business needs.

• Recognize and reward “winning” solutions, but remember to convey appreciation for all solutions.

• Clearly define the roles and responsibilities as well as the values and goals for each team. Have each team provide input regarding the values and goals for their team.

• Use an “open-office” working environment and instant messaging applications (for remote employees) in order to encourage more collaboration and communication.

• Promote social activities that allow for the building of stronger working relationships and fostering team spirit (volunteer work, sporting events, team competitions, etc.).

• Select a team-building framework (for example, the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team) and use that framework for a team assessment and improvement.

Defines Goals & Objectives
The individual encourages high employee accountability in setting and accomplishing organizational goals. S/he communicates a clear set of goals and objectives that can be linked to the mission, vision, and strategy of the work group or organization.
Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Utilize a specific framework for goal setting (SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely).

• Set clear, high but attainable goals for individuals and teams. Develop these goals with the individual or team.

• Split large or “big picture” goals into smaller attainable goals. Communicate how these small goals will eventually help accomplish the larger goal.

• Adopt a performance management process that includes feedback and dialogue about progress towards individual and team goals. Feedback should not be limited to meetings but should be given at every opportunity.

• Recognize and reward employees and teams when goals are reached and work together to set additional high but attainable goals.

• Give a quarterly award for employees and teams based on measurable contributions to goals. Also, highlight contributions employees and teams made that contributed towards a goal, even if that goal was not met.

• Develop a set of clear behavioral objectives that reinforces how work needs to get done in order to support shifts in the strategy. Ask for input and feedback from employees regarding this.

• Implement the use of scorecards to increase transparency and accountability regarding critical KPIs. Be sure to communicate whether scorecards will be taken into account during performance appraisals.

• Adopt several “big picture” goals that promote cross-functional coordination in order to achieve those goals.

• Open meetings with progress updates on team goals to keep them top-of-mind and relevant to leaders from across the organization.

Creates Change
The individual knows the organizational environment, quickly reacts to current trends, and anticipates future changes. S/he continuously creates adaptive and innovative ways to meet changing needs.
Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Identify key stakeholders when implementing changes to proactively engage those stakeholders throughout the change process.

• Use communication with the team at various points in time to create excitement, openness and readiness to change.

• Volunteer to be a change agent for organizational or cross-team initiatives to design and/or deploy new initiatives.

• Create sub-teams to assess and support change readiness for new organizational initiatives rollout – using sub-teams who can later support their colleagues in adopting the changes.

• Develop or cascade clear messages regarding organizational changes that reinforce why the change is important and how it will move the organization forward.

• Implement lean principles and processes to involve employees in redesigning efficient work processes.

• Create communication plan for change to cascade message effectively starting from direct reports to the broader team.

• For organizational changes, demonstrate support for the change through communication and actions.

• Use the opportunity to coach employees through the change.

• Engage with and provide support to the project team managing the change.

• Identify and manage resistance and create a plan to address it.

• Re-allocate resources and accountabilities, if needed, to better meet customer needs.

Develops Organizational Capability
The individual manager continually focuses on the development of skills and knowledge to meet ongoing business needs. S/he knows how to effectively utilize the diversity in the work force.
Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Conduct developmental and professional training for employees that includes 360-degree feedback.

• Provide coaching and mentorship for employees’ personal and professional development.

• Create a learning center (e.g., folder) with relevant resources to allow for employee self-directed learning and development. Encourage employees to share and add resources to the folder.

• Develop individual development plans with employees.

• Schedule weekly and/or monthly one-on-one meetings with employees or teams to discuss progress towards organizational and professional goals.

• Create an explicit map of career paths and the competencies needed to move along those paths.

• Discuss with employees their current career path standing and what needs to be done to move their career forward. Identify any high potential employees.

• Review the talent strategy on a regular basis to support the evolving needs of the business.

• Provide employees the opportunity to work on “stretch-assignments” in an effort to build additional skills while working on interesting projects.

• Cross-train employees to broaden skill set, increase department collaboration, and enhance organizational efficiency.

• Require all leaders to dedicate at least 10% of their time to professional development for themselves and those who report to them.

Manages Coordination & Integration
The individual ensures that different functions or units of the work group or organization are able to work together well to achieve common goals. S/he establishes necessary contacts and coordinates resources in other groups to prevent organizational boundaries from interfering with getting work done.
Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Conduct facilitated cross-functional “give-get” sessions to clarify interdependencies and expectations for working across teams and functions.

• Identify the strategies and goals that require cross-organizational execution to deliver, and clarify the expectations for how different groups need to work together to meet those goals.

• Create job shadowing or rotation programs to pair up functional counterparts across divisions.

• Hold routine coordination meetings with critical external vendors and suppliers to ensure that they understand your company’s needs and expectations.

• Map out your key stakeholders across groups and rate the overall effectiveness of those working relationships.

• Create stand-up cross-functional teams to study complex issues and problems that require a “big picture” perspective, then recommend integrated solutions.

• Hold “brown bag” sessions where employees can hear what others in the group are working on, learn about problems they are trying to solve, and hear success stories. This increases awareness of the broader group activities and provides a platform for sharing what is going on outside of one’s own immediate team.

• Conduct an organization network analysis (using survey or current digital data) to understand patterns around communication and information sharing. Take actions to address issues emerging from the analysis.

• Conduct a team workshop to identify areas for improvement in the coordination and integration competency - Link.

• Reward behaviors that exemplify good coordination efforts.

• Communicate examples of collaboration and how it impacts better business results.

Works to Reach Agreement
The individual helps to reconcile differences when they occur by actively promoting constructive discussion of conflicting ideas, incorporating diverse points of view into decisions, and working toward win-win solutions.
Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Train employees on skills for having honest, crucial conversations.

• Institute “direct with respect” as an expectation for managers to engage in candid feedback and performance discussions.

• Adopt a decision-making model that utilizes prioritization and risk tools to promote more thoughtful, yet expedited, decisions.

• Create a clear approach for escalation of issues – with specific directions regarding whom to engage with and when.

• Adopt a RACI approach (Responsible-Accountable-Consulted-Informed) to determine ownership and influence over decisions.

• Set the tone on how diversity in thoughts and ideas can help to make better decisions. Introspect on own biases and make effort to overcome those.

• Be an ‘active’ listener (by giving undivided attention and acknowledging the message).

• Manage conflict at work thoughtfully and respectfully by ensuring privacy of employees, learning about the complete picture, and enabling objective decision-making.

• Promote and leverage ‘healthy’ conflict related to work related tasks through structured discussions (facilitated group meetings, brainstorming, etc.).

Defines Core Values
The individual communicates and lives by a set of nonnegotiable core values. S/he helps to define the work group or organization’s culture, values, and ethics; and helps employees learn to apply the organization’s values when dealing with customers, stakeholders, and other employees.
Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Establish core values and engage team in an exercise to discuss the behaviors that would be “in-bounds” or “out-of-bounds” in an effort to surface what the values look like “in action.”

• Incorporate the core values into the performance review process – indicating that how work gets done is as important as what gets done.

• Teammates agree to “donate to the bucket” for any behaviors that violate their values – allowing for a fun, yet practical, way to hold each other accountable.

• Recognize behaviors and actions that reflect a core value in-practice.

• Refer to the values as key decisions are made and describe how the values informed those decisions.

• Include an opportunity for employees to describe the ways in which the organization is “living the values” and where the organization is “falling short" as part of the annual culture assessment.

• Add a cultural component to the onboarding process to accelerate a new employee’s cultural awareness, including emphasis on the core values and the reason those values are important to the organization.

Demographic Analysis

Determine where and why significant differences in the perceptions of your employees exist.

Denison’s Performance Analytics allows you to tailor actions to meet the needs of diverse employee populations (e.g., location, tenure, age, gender, race/ethnicity, etc.)

Example (Click To Enlarge)
Driver Analysis

Understand how culture relates to outcomes and where action can be focused to impact change in outcomes of interest.

Denison’s Performance Analytics connects the dots between culture and outcomes, like employee engagement. With the Driver Analysis, you will be able to pinpoint the areas of your culture that will have the greatest impact on the outcomes you care most about. This knowledge will allow you to make targeted interventions to maximize impact.

Example (Click To Enlarge)
Performance Linkage Analysis

Understand how your culture, leadership behavior, or any “people data” are impacting your KPIs.

Denison’s Performance Analytics connect the dots between culture and business performance metrics. With the Linkage Analysis, you will be able to pinpoint the areas of your culture that will have the greatest impact on the KPIs you care most about. This knowledge will allow you to make targeted interventions to maximize impact.

Example (Click to Enlarge)
Archival Data Analysis

Understand your culture without administering a survey.

Denison’s Performance Analytics allows you to gather insights about your culture without administering a survey. We partner with you to analyze and map your policies, procedures, and existing data to the Denison Model. From there, we help you determine where to drive change.

Example (Click To Enlarge)
Leader-Culture Fit

Visualize how leadership and culture interact, and how one can be used to support the other.

Denison’s Performance Analytics can compare your leadership and culture against a proven framework. These findings will help you identify where your culture and leadership competencies work together and where they are working against each other. This knowledge will help you hire and develop the leaders that can shape the culture you want and need.

Example (Click To Enlarge)
Custom Benchmark Solutions

Every organization is unique, working in a niche market that differs from a typical organization. Understand how your culture scores compare to organizations just like yours.

Denison’s Performance Analytics helps you understand how your unique organization compares to similar organizations (e.g., industry, size). Using data from thousands of organizations, Denison’s database provides you with the exciting opportunity to create the right benchmark to meet your needs.

Interested in this Service?
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Custom Content Development & Review

Create a unique survey measurement to capture data on a concept or area outside Denison’s survey library.

Denison’s Performance Analytics provides expert support to create custom survey content to measure the concept and areas most important to you. Our Ph.D. - level team gives you the assurance that any custom item, scale, or open-ended question will gather the highest quality and most actionable data. If you have already drafted custom survey content, let our expert team review them to ensure your survey collects the best and most actionable data.

Example (Click to Enlarge)
Concept Mapping

View your past surveys, tools, and models through the lens of our research-backed and intuitive Denison Model.

Denison’s Performance Analytics scientifically compares your past survey's tools and models to our research-backed and intuitive Denison Model. This knowledge will allow you to design a custom Denison Culture Survey that takes advantage of our valid, reliable, and benchmarked assessments while ensuring we continue to measure the concepts and areas you care about most.

Example (Click to Enlarge)
Change Over Time

Understand how your culture, engagement, or leadership behavior has changed over time.

Denison’s Performance Analytics gives you the ability to view assessment scores across multiple years. With this capability, your organization can determine significant and meaningful improvements and remaining opportunities. This knowledge will help you reinforce your new strengths and pivot to address arising needs.
Interested in this Service?
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Overview

Brief Explanation of what types of collateral can be found in the Overview section

ACCESS OVERVIEW MATERIAL
This is a Test
The individual communicates the organization’s overall strategies so that everyone can see the relationship between their work and the accomplishment of the work group or organization’s goals. S/he effectively implements short and long-term strategies to meet organizational goals.

Self-Directed Learning:
Learning On-The-Job:
Social Learning:

1:1 Mentoring
Identify or ask your manager to match you with an executive mentor or a peer mentor based on your action plan focus area.

Group Mentoring
Join or create a group of 4-6 peer leaders who engage a senior mentor and meet as a group once or twice a month to discuss various topics and do structured group activities. Group mentoring combines senior and peer mentoring, as mentees learn from both the mentor and each other.

Training-Based Mentoring
Join a training program that matches you (or take the initiative to identify a mentor) with a mentor based on the specific skills taught in the training program.

Community of Learning: In-Person
Community or learning (often called “learning circles” is a great way to network and learn from peers and leaders for a common area of interest (management excellence). Join or start a group of employees who are interested in strengthening a particular competency. Identify specific topics, format (talk, panel, discussion, etc.) and meet periodically.

Community of Learning: Virtual
Similar in concept to “In Person” community of learning, except that where in person interaction is impractical or impossible due to different geographic locations. Instead, members use electronic methods such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Join or start a community of learning that is virtual and build your global network and expertise.

Coaching
Identify a professional coach to help you improve, grow, and develop skills to overcome obstacles strengthen your competencies.

• Develop a 1-page document that includes the company mission, vision, and values, and the team’s goals – connecting them to the bigger picture. Share this document with your employees and discuss the connection between the mission, vision, and values, and the team’s goals.

• Adopt Denison’s Create-Communicate-Clarify-Reinforce model to ensure that vision and strategy move beyond the communication stage to enhanced ownership, with a clear demonstration of how they impact decisions.

• Develop a strategic roadmap for “winning” in the marketplace, highlighting growth, productivity and accountability, and for possible future situations, such as an acquisition or merger.

• Clarify and communicate five strategic priorities after conducting a needs assessment with external customers – priorities that help connect the internal actions to the customer wants and needs. This can also be done with internal customers.

• Hold “what-how-and-why” town hall, weekly, or one-on-one meetings with employees to build their understanding of the company direction. Encourage employees to ask questions, gain greater clarity about the priorities and direction, and how they affect their work. Ask for input and feedback from employees.

• Hold leadership-led strategy workshops, bringing all managers together to discuss and understand each division’s strategy and goals, and how they align to support the company vision and strategy.

• Create “strategic thinking” teams to engage staff in dialog about institutional priorities and future opportunities.

• Create transparency and discuss leadership long-range strategic planning process. Invite employees to voice their input regarding the planning process.