Brief
Mosaic International was engaged by a UK manufacturer with an overseas PLC parent company to moderate and facilitate a high-level strategy meeting between the directors of both entities. The objective of the three-day meeting was to establish the UK company’s strategic positioning for the mid-term. The process involved formal presentations, informal discussions, and dinners.
Challenges
The biggest challenge was to try to bridge the difference in language and culture of both boards and to find sufficient common ground to achieve their goals. A more practical challenge was to devise a method of capturing, retaining and understanding the wealth of information provided by various department managers without sacrificing the nuances.
Preparation
We had several calls prior to the meeting with both the UK and PLC team. It was an opportunity to understand their intention and what they wished to achieve, and to determine what tensions there may be underneath the surface with a view to minimising the same.
We researched both company’s vision and mission statement and used that as our ‘north star’. At a practical level, we made a few suggestions on the set up of the room and ensuring that department managers addressed their main drivers and barriers in achieving their goals.
Delivery
We had to understand the inner workings of the business very quickly. We queried various aspects of the presentation to challenge or highlight points which were important. The drivers and barriers were appropriately noted.
On completion of the presentations, we prepared a summary using a framework linking two distinct performing parts of the UK company. This was then presented to the board with our observations. We also made some suggestions for both the UK and PLC company.
The differences between the UK and PLC board’s preferred strategies were acknowledged and with careful use of language, we crafted three strategic positions taking into account each board’s preferred wording. We included illustrations of what these positions would mean in practical terms. Following that, we helped facilitate the discussion between the two boards and ultimately, all three were accepted with only minor adjustments.
Outcome
After three days of meetings, both boards agreed that the wording of the strategic positions with the minor adjustments. The UK directors used our summary to debrief department managers internally and are now able to forge ahead with their detailed planning to deliver the strategy.
Feedback
‘Kiley handled the whole process well and managed to get a very good understanding of the business during the two days of presentation. His ability to summarise the many presentations made during the first two days into a cogent and understandable framework gave us the opportunity to focus our minds. The strategic position statements laid the foundations of our discussions on the final day. Without Kiley’s involvement, there was every chance that we would not have achieved the goal.’
Mr C, UK Company Board Member