Our Work.

A federally funded research and development center recognized that the pandemic had created a major shift in the way they worked. They wanted to seize the opportunity to align on a change strategy, set and prioritize goals, and chart a course forward.

​We conducted a detailed Operations Planning session. Before the workshop, participants submitted their draft goals and milestones. We used those inputs to created a consolidated picture to use in the session. During the session, we confirmed and prioritized goals, then mapped those goals to strategic objectives and a timeline. Finally, we helped this public sector client build messaging and a 90-Day Plan to implement their decisions. With our help, our client was aligned around one strategic direction and an approach to change.

A federal banking institution had a crack Organization Change Management team, but they were overwhelmed. They were facing nine bank transformation initiatives but had no overarching view of the timing or impacts. They knew these projects were touching many of the same stakeholders, but they didn’t have a good sense of how their employees were being stretched due to all this work.

​Emerson partnered with the client’s OCM team to understand which initiatives needed change management support. Emerson evaluated project timelines and stakeholder impacts for those high-priority initiatives. Then we created a comprehensive view that included all the bank’s change projects – we built a Bank Transformation Timeline and priority “heat maps” for their four most critical stakeholder groups. Using this information, the client’s OCM team shared the true impacts, priorities, and dependencies of the entire Bank Transformation Program with its executives. We were happy to help our client craft a robust plan and a smooth path forward.

The largest hospital system in Missouri needed to reduce the cost of service while improving quality. They asked Emerson to help them transform while maintaining high levels of service.

First, we helped the team identify their strengths and weaknesses going into the transition. We facilitated structured working sessions to align leaders around a compelling message and identify the impacts on each group of employees. Then we worked with key stakeholders to identify and plan the critical employee behaviors that would drive the change. Finally, we created a master employee experience plan, describing the unique change journey for each employee group.  With our help, the hospital’s own change team is guiding the organization forward.

A university needed to streamline employee time tracking. The campus had over 100 ways of tracking time, and over two-thirds of employees were still recording their hours on paper. This meant inefficiency and inaccuracies in pay and employee leave. The university developed a new time tracking software. And they needed employees up to speed and excited about the change, so they turned to Emerson Human Capital Consulting for help.

Our work included change management and learning plans that reflected new operational roles and responsibilities. We launched the Local Implementation Manager model for department communication and built support for the new LIMs. We also created the online training knowledge base, including trainer support, UPK tutorials, procedures and job aids for all roles. The new tool is a big win for the university, aligning time tracking with strategic priorities and redirecting cost savings to students and research.

One of the best-known retail brands in the world decided it was time to standardize their product creation processes, from design to manufacturing. They turned to Emerson for help.

The Emerson team provided transition management, training and communication strategy, and planning for the Product Lifecycle Management system. We stood up and provided a “war room” for post-go-live support. We developed the entire infrastructure of the change, including end-to-end process mapping, change agent and super-user mobilization, leadership engagement, and a training curriculum for the U.S. and in Asia—all leading to a successful launch.

A major investment management firm was leader in emerging markets and client relationships but, in the recent years, the firm had under-performed. They realized they had to transform quickly or risk losing clients to competitors. They turned to Emerson for help in three key areas: ensuring a smooth involuntary separation of a handful of employees, developing a compelling message for their transformation, and identifying new behaviors critical to their success.

Emerson led a workshop to build the message, align leadership, and prepare them to engage the firm on this necessary transformation. We also facilitated a Key Behaviors session, where executives and managers identified the new employee behaviors that would drive the change.

Their president remarked, “[Emerson]…has been invaluable. They have consistently gone above and beyond, sharing insights and perspectives.”

A major retailer’s traditional brick and mortar stores faced tougher competition in the rapidly changing retail landscape. It was time for executives to “Lead Transformation FORward” – to Focus on the work ahead, to Own the opportunity to lead their teams, and to Reinspire for the future. The company asked Emerson to lead the communication effort for this monumental change.

We worked with them to build a FORward change model that defined the new behaviors leaders would need, including quarterly leader summits.

A major healthcare organization was launching a professional services procurement system that would impact all 28 of its suppliers and potentially touch 5,000 employees. The new technology would replace outdated, non-integrated systems, and inconsistent, manual processes. They asked Emerson to build communication and training for this important new tool.

The focus of our project was to improve understanding, confidence, and usage, while decreasing user dissatisfaction. We then conducted an executive team workshop to craft a message to describe the vision for employees. We developed a manager toolkit that business leaders could share with their teams, the end users. The toolkit addressed challenges and solutions, where to go for help, and upcoming training.

We also developed three role-based support guides focused on the end-to-end process and interactions needed to successfully transact business. We also conducted train-the-trainer sessions for our client’s training team. Leadership was thrilled with the results.

One executive remarked, “This is how change management should be done.”

A major internet services provider was growing fast, both organically and through acquisition. They had data centers spread across five continents and 48 markets. As a result, there were discrepancies between regional onboarding programs. And they had to fix that, quickly. Corporate talent management needed to efficiently and effectively onboard more than 2,000 employees in 2018. But they saw this as an opportunity — to use the best-of-the-best onboarding resources and develop a global solution. They asked Emerson for help.

We worked with them to create a global onboarding experience. We conducted interviews with the corporate management team and recent new hires to gather content and insights. Then we built two distinct learning courses, each encompassing 120+ onboarding activities, to be completed by new-hire individual contributors or managers. Each employee had a custom program with nine learning paths.

We also created two Learning Channel portal pages to enable employees to launch and track their own progress to success.

One of the world’s biggest professional services firms believes strongly in ongoing learning for its employees. They asked Emerson to develop an engaging learning program for direct-hire consultants. We used a “Hero’s Journey” theme to tie the courses together.

Also, we used concepts like allies/mentors, sharpening weapons, and facing conflicts to teach business skills like strategic networking, data visualization, storytelling, and presentation.

When a data management company wanted to create home-grown change agents, they reached out to Emerson for help. We developed a six-hour instructor-led course to teach employees to be change professionals.

The course included an introduction to a new change management methodology, creation of a change plan, and Emerson’s messaging approach. We partnered with company instructors to deliver the course, which covered methods, tools and overcoming barriers to success. The first conduct prepared seven in-house leaders to carry the course forward.

Emerson worked with one of the country’s biggest clothing retailers define a new HR operating model while improving business processes. We gathered a group of HR representatives and helped them document existing processes. We then held visioning sessions with the larger group of HR stakeholders (50 people) to vet the findings from the subgroup. We worked with stakeholders to refine and agree on the major processes within the new framework.

These processes became the baseline for the new HR organization and a key factor in selecting the optimal HR operating model.

A major technology company recognized their executives needed greater awareness of and sensitivity to diversity issues to make their multicultural teams more effective. Emerson presented the Broadening the Perspective workshop which helped participants understand diversity and multiculturalism as tools that help companies gain a competitive advantage.

Based on an in-depth cultural assessment, we designed a custom solution that included leadership training, awareness training, and management/team leader training.

The result: innovation and risk-taking behavior – which had diminished due to workforce and environment changes – increased. Company leadership attributed the change to a more affirming and inclusive environment. Comments from participants of the workshop attest to its success: “Exceeded my expectations…. Should be mandatory …for all new hires, middle management and senior executives.” “I now have more consideration for using diversity as a tool instead of just a ‘difference to overcome.’” “My expectations were much lower. I thought it would be a waste of time. I was totally wrong.”

A major food and beverage conglomerate had gone through a merger and was in the process of an enterprise-wide systems implementation. People were feeling overwhelmed, confused, and divided. Leadership engaged Emerson to help them motivate employees to work together, so they could thrive, rather than survive, through the changes.

We began by conducting one-on-one interviews and focus groups with executives and employees to understand the challenges, motivations and assumptions that contributed to the environment. We led participants through activities that changed the way they thought about key business problems. They learned how information could help alleviate confusion and discussed the personal benefits of effective teams.

At the end of the workshop, we provided a robust summary of their work, which included documentation of their frustrations, revelations, and to-dos. Team members reported that they were grateful to be heard and motivated to participate in the change.

The support site of a major network storage and data management company contained a wealth of information for its partners, distributors and service providers. But the site was hard to navigate and discouraging to users. Partners would rather call the company for answers than use the self-service reference material on the site. Leadership asked Emerson to help encourage people to use the site as it was intended.

We created simple YouTube-style videos to promote and teach the features of the site. The two-to-five-minute interactive demos helped people navigate and find information. Each demo guided the user through one feature of the site, such as looking up the status of a bug fix or ordering new parts.

The videos were interactive and provided real training, not just exposure. The program exceeded our client’s expectations and improved site traffic and user experience.

With over 11,000 SAP users, a large pharmaceutical company had a challenge on its hands. Historically, they had focused on excellent training for users on major releases and upgrades. But they had few resources to support and enable new employees, or to address the ongoing needs of existing employees. The good news? Their business technology solutions group created a new organization focused on user effectiveness. Their leader asked Emerson to develop both short-term and long-term strategies for the group.

In addition to helping define the company’s approach to large-scale organizational transformation, Emerson delivered quick-win SAP training and performance support solutions for two key business units. The project created a scalable model to replicate, helping enterprise SAP users stay sharp and effective.

A major international hotel and hospitality company wanted to surpass other premier lifestyle hotel brands. The solution was a rebrand from top to bottom, including updated lobbies, modern rooms, the latest technology and employees who understood the needs of today’s high-end traveler.

It also meant getting employees up to speed on the ways the new brand served its customers.

Emerson partnered with our client’s change professionals to pilot the new program in select hotels. This included new standards for cultural knowledge, style and area expertise. We diagnosed readiness for managers and introduced a peer-to-peer feedback tool for employees.

Walk in to one of their hotels today and you will be met by ambassadors steeped in new behaviors and values that reflect the best this premier brand has to offer.

A major U.S. clothing retailer hired a premier strategy firm to develop a new retail concept and sales/service model. Then the company turned to us for implementation. We developed and conducted the training, communication and coaching required for the concept store.

Our longstanding relationship with this client, across many years and many projects, has made us their go-to partner for human capital implementations.

The world’s first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm, with over 400 locations worldwide, was number one in the world and they wanted to stay there. They realized that many of their leading competitors had moved to mobile platforms and more efficient systems, so they launched a significant process and systems transformation. Salesforce would be the CRM system for their 12,000 employees across the globe. All client-facing employees would use tablets, freeing them office-based interactions. They asked Emerson to diagnose their readiness for the change and then develop and execute a change management plan.

We assessed impacts and developed custom solutions, including communications and stakeholder engagement to make the transition a success. Our team also built skills within the organization to create internal capability for future changes.

Consistently named one of the Best Places to Work, the world’s leading biotech firm produces innovative medical solutions that have transformed our lives. Teams seeking the latest cures must juggle multiple projects, often with multiple timelines and jurisdictions. They needed a super-powered, cross-functional project management process. What a challenge!

As the company redefined business processes across functions, Emerson partnered with them to develop an effective change strategy and an impactful communication plan.