We have had the good fortune to work with hundreds of leaders in both large, well-known businesses and smaller, privately-held entrepreneurial businesses over the past 15 years. If their challenges sound familiar, contact Route 2 today to begin developing your customized solution. (Client names have been omitted to protect their identities.)
Growth and Assimilation Challenges
Integrating more than 50 businesses across four states, all acquired within a three-year period, was a daunting challenge facing one client. Business growth and assimilation created significant costs related to turnover of personnel, customer service problems, and difficulties in installing economies of scale. Route 2 engaged 25 leaders from four states in a unique and creative three-day strategic planning event. Facilitators guided the team through the creation of the future of the organization and, in the process, helped build the team unity needed to implement that vision. At the event, the group collectively developed a Strategy Map which became the guide for the business. Route 2 designed and delivered a comprehensive organization-wide year-long leadership education process. The result: the business strategy was implemented and Route 2 continued to support the executive team in improving business results until the business was sold with a positive return to shareholders.
Departmental Strategy Development
The IS department of a nationwide retailer needed to develop a strategy to support business growth over the next five years. Route 2 helped select the client team and then led a multi-day strategic planning event. With a completed Strategy Map, it was easy for the leadership team to prioritize initiatives into an Implementation Roadmap and to communicate their plan to the broader audience within the organization. Route 2 then engaged additional department members in a business process improvement initiative using the Route 2 Business Process Mapper™. Route 2 assisted with the early stages of implementation and ultimately handed off the tools and processes to the client, who has become self-sustaining.
Improving Internal Support
A large high-tech firm wanted to improve the ability of support professionals to serve their internal operating clients. Route 2 built and delivered a customized two-day interactive course focusing on business operations. In order for these professionals to have higher-level discussions with upper-level management, Route 2 helped enhance their general business acumen. The team learned how to ask better questions of their internal customers in order to provide the right solutions. This ultimately led to the support staff providing a higher-value-added service to the organization.
Management Systems for Communications and Processes
Customer complaints were rampant, as was employee turnover. The 24-hour emergency and specialty center had just started business in a new and much larger facility, and the new leadership team of eighteen highly-trained veterinary specialists was experiencing significant internal conflict. Route 2 chartered an internal steering team to lead the necessary changes and taught them how to do so. A visual system was established for managing facilities issues. Business Process Mapper™ was applied to improving patient flow-through and communication with pet owners. Supply and records challenges were identified and fixed. Route 2 then engaged an expanded team in a multi-day strategic planning event to define the strategic initiatives essential to the future of the organization. A management system was installed to guide the implementation of strategic and process improvements. Revenue grew 50 percent and profitability improved 600 percent as a result of the Route 2 work.
Leading the Organization to Business Process Improvement
Leading twelve departments within a large state-level government agency was a challenge in and of itself for this client. Each department operated independently, with minimal cross-departmental communication, substantial duplication of effort, and no sense of connection to the larger organization. Considerable future funding cuts made it essential to improve the cost structure and teaming between the departmental leaders. Route 2 engaged 20 leaders in a comprehensive business process improvement project utilizing discovery, facilitation, and business-process mapping methodologies. The result: a significantly improved team-based approach identified opportunities for eliminating duplication of services and installed a process of continuous improvement, yielding major cost savings.
