dynamic cultures

At Corinthian, we view the development of a vibrant and challenging internal culture as one of the key drivers of both marketing and overall business success.

Marketing dollars are often wasted when companies forget to look inward. If an organization’s internal culture doesn’t match its external brand promise, customers and employees will sense a lack of authenticity and seek opportunities elsewhere.

The strongest brands – those that foster enduring customer and employee loyalty – are based upon marketing messages and corporate cultures that exist in harmony with one another. At the same time, the most talented employees flock to organizations that foster an environment of transparency and a sense of trust and empowerment.

The following are examples of the services that Corinthian provides to help organizations build dynamic cultures.

conduct cultural assessments

• Through interviews and focus groups, Corinthian can assess current levels of employee engagement, latent employee issues and frustrations, and levels and quality of internal communication.
• After leading a cultural assessment for a mid-sized financial institution, Corinthian partnered with management to implement new internal communication methods, an updated performance review process, and incentives for managerial coaching.

assess the alignment of internal and external messages

• Corinthian can uncover disconnects between an organization’s external brand messages and internal cultural support for those messages. If, for example, a brand’s attributes include “caring and fun”, employees also need to believe they work in a caring, fun environment in order for the brand to permeate throughout the organization.
• In order to assess brand perceptions, Corinthian recently facilitated a series of focus groups with customers of an $800 million financial institution. These focus groups uncovered disconnects between the brand attributes that the company wanted to convey, and what their customers perceived them to be. As a result of these focus groups, Corinthian partnered with the client to change internal operational and managerial practices that were impacting customers’ perception of their brand, and also recommended graphic and creative changes to their brand identity.

manage internal brand roll-outs

• Any time an organization plans to roll-out a new brand – or just ensure that it is living up to its brand promise – internal communication and buy-in become critical to success.
• When Corinthian consultants deployed a new brand for Oregon Community Credit Union, we facilitated multiple “brand camps” for the Board, senior management, middle management and employees. These training sessions ensured that everyone at the credit union, from tellers to Board members, understood their brand, why it was valuable to the organization, and how they could each contribute to that brand promise becoming a reality.

build a strong customer service organization

• The level and quality of service that an organization provides to its customers are the most important public representations of its brand.
• For a franchise restaurant chain that was seeking to increase its customer traffic as well as its average check size, Corinthian assessed existing customer service, built an action plan for customer service improvements, and trained staff on relationship selling, critical elements of service satisfaction, and how to deal with difficult customers.

implement and support change management initiatives

• With the business landscape undergoing more frequent and rapid change, effective change management is essential. Corinthian understands how to develop change programs based around a desired organizational culture, how to provide a clear structure and framework for change, and how to manage the priorities and insecurities of various stakeholders during change.
• For a multi-unit supermarket chain, Corinthian consultants worked with management and employees to develop a shared vision of the future, to communicate the value of the needed change, to uncover and overcome resistance, and to celebrate the new, desired behaviors. The result was an improved culture of customer service, which led to a growth in new customers and a measurable increase in profitability.

train executives and managers in subjects such as:

• Managing across generations
• Becoming an employer of choice
• Building a strengths-based organization
• Conflict management for stronger teams
• Creating an agile, transparent, creative company
• Honesty and courage in the workplace

Above all, however, Corinthian seeks to address the specific challenges faced by each individual client by developing customized solutions to their particular needs. We are always happy to have a no-fee strategic discussion about your organization’s goals and opportunities. Please contact us to discuss how we can help you build the foundations of your success.