turning challenges into cultural change: breakthrough transformation for a leading water utility
the challenge
Our client, a major water utility, found itself at the bottom of national league tables, dealing with serious incidents that triggered regulatory investigations. Frustration and morale were at an all-time low. Brought in by new leadership, we launched a transformation program lasting seven years, touching the lives of 10,000 employees and aiming to restore the organisation’s standing.
We applied our change architecture to keep initiatives connected, ensuring the transformation was sustainable and that employees felt recognised and respected throughout the journey.
the results
As a direct result of our work, our client moved up to mid-table in national rankings within four years, with financial benefits of £40–£50m. The program broke even within 18 months, and the company won 'Utility of the Year' five years later.
Reduced customer complaints by 60%, brought operational measures up, and cut leakage rates.
Over 3,600 employees now use the new work methods, sustaining impact a decade on.
the process
Our initial scoping work led to the design and review of a transformative vision: “Be the best” within four years. We developed mechanisms to sequence and sustain change using our systems thinking map, ensuring strategic alignment.
Starting with the operational units, we introduced continuous improvement skills and tools, transferring knowledge to line managers from day one. We built an in-house transformation team, regularly reviewing team progress. Once the programme’s credibility was firmly established in the four main operational areas, we began working on the core end-to-end processes in the head offices and executive team. This enabled us to connect the ‘bottom-up’ and ‘top-down’ elements required to create a more consistently performing business.
The programme steering group met monthly to review and consider where and how to focus the transformation effort next. This led to us supporting a host of enabling projects and working across our client’s supply chain.
Our communications approach was to tap into the informal network, involving the teams in describing the problems and finding solutions, and sharing this at events across the business.