In Their Words
“We didn’t know what was informing our culture or its impact. The OSCR practice supported us to understand the root causes of our success factors and challenges.
We reformed as a global integrated team. Working together to leverage our strengths, interrupt norms and transform how we were getting in our own ways of achieving our aspirations.”
COO
Global Finance Division
Financial Services (undisclosed by agreement)
Deliverables
- Strategy & operating models
- Infrastructure & systems
- Leadership, talent & performance
A global financial services organisation needed to turn several specialist Treasury entities into one integrated global function after six months of activity had produced little meaningful progress.
The Challenge
A global financial services organisation had launched a programme to combine several business-led Treasury entities into one 500-person global division.
The objective was to generate operational economies of scale, improve service standards and strengthen relationships with clients and stakeholders. Six months into the programme, considerable activity had taken place, but little meaningful progress had been made towards integration.
The original entities continued to operate through divergent cultures and siloed ways of working. A political, low-trust and fear-based environment was developing, while fragmented systems, processes and policies were affecting operational efficiency and working relationships.
The organisation risked creating a single global function in structure while its original entities continued operating separately in practice. This would prevent it from realising the intended efficiencies and improvements in service and stakeholder relationships.
What We Found
The division possessed significant expert capability and a deep understanding of financial markets. These were important strengths that were required to be retained within the new global function.
Although, the diagnostic work revealed that specialist expertise did not automatically provide leaders with the broader business leadership capabilities required to run an integrated division.
Established approaches to organisational change had focused on activity and structural integration without addressing the necessary shifts in leadership, mindsets, operational practices and capabilities.
The division lacked a shared purpose and aligned strategic intent. Fragmented processes and political behaviours had also created an environment in which no one held collective ownership for the performance of the whole function.
Our Approach
We conducted operational functioning, capability and leadership diagnostics to identify the patterns enabling and obstructing performance. This gave leaders a clearer view of the gap between how the division currently operated, its strategic intent and the practices required to function effectively as one global team.
Working with the leadership team and wider workforce, we defined a shared organisational purpose and involved employees in refreshing the strategy and shaping its implementation. We translated the organisation’s strategic values into observable behaviours and performance standards that could be applied consistently in everyday work.
We developed transition leadership capabilities and introduced new workforce engagement practices. Individual and team coaching, alongside tailored development workshops, helped leaders build the knowledge, skills and confidence required to lead beyond their technical specialisms.
The work also helped the organisation distinguish between expert and business leadership talent, enabling it to retain valuable market expertise while strengthening the broader leadership capabilities required to achieve its strategic and operational goals.
Measurable Impact
Within 12 months, the division reported a demonstrable shift towards a unified culture and integrated operating model.
One global function built around collective ownership
Leaders introduced more collaborative and mutually supportive practices across the division. Political behaviours reduced, working relationships strengthened and the workforce became more actively involved in strategic and operational decision-making.
The original entities began operating as an integrated global team, using their combined expertise to address shared priorities and improve relationships with clients and stakeholders.
Purpose and strategy embedded in everyday work
Employees contributed to the strategy refresh and developed a clearer understanding of how the division’s purpose and strategic intent related to their roles.
This alignment was reflected in day-to-day working practices, helping the workforce make decisions around shared organisational priorities rather than the interests of individual teams or entities.
Stronger internal leadership and regulatory capability
Expert leaders developed the wider business leadership practices required to achieve the division’s strategic and operational objectives. This strengthened the organisation’s internal development capability and reduced its reliance on external courses and consultants.