Cultural ChangePowering Cultural Change
To drive this transformation, they partnered with Actio Consultancy Group to lead a three-year cultural change and behaviour adoption program. This initiative revolutionized their leadership thinking and approach to collaboration, fostering new ways of working that positioned them for long-term success.
challenge
Transforming Culture in a Shifting Energy Landscape
In a highly regulated industry undergoing deregulation, our client faced a perfect storm of challenges. Rising fuel costs, intense competition, and global market volatility had put immense financial strain on the company, leading to continued losses. A traditional top-down leadership model and outdated company values hindered agility, while passive worker engagement further stalled progress.
To remain competitive and sustainable, the company needed a deep cultural transformation—from the CEO to frontline operators. The goal was to instil new behaviours that fostered collaboration, innovation, and accountability, all while maintaining an unwavering focus on worker safety. This was not just an internal shift—it was a fundamental reinvention of the way the organization operated in an evolving energy landscape.
Actio Consultancy Group was brought in to lead this ambitious three-year transformation program, guiding the company toward a more adaptive, engaged, and high-performing culture.
Resetting Company Values & Simplifying the Message
To drive meaningful cultural change, the company needed a clear and unified foundation. Teams across all levels—executives, managers, operators, and frontline staff—came together in collaborative workshops to redefine the company’s core values.
This inclusive approach ensured that the new values were not just dictated from the top but truly reflected the collective vision of the entire workforce. These values became the bedrock of the transformation, guiding behaviours, decision-making, and daily interactions. By simplifying the messaging, the company made it easier for every employee to understand, embrace, and live these values—creating a stronger, more aligned culture for the future
Bringing Values to Life: From Assessment to Action
To turn values into daily practice, the company first needed to understand the key barriers preventing cultural change. A comprehensive cultural assessment revealed several critical challenges:
- Passive Behaviours – Employees were disengaged, often avoiding proactive problem-solving.
- Lack of Unified Goals – Teams operated in silos, with little alignment on common objectives.
- Managerial Courage – Leaders at all levels hesitated to make bold decisions or challenge the status quo.
- Reluctance to Speak Up – Employees were hesitant to voice concerns, share ideas, or challenge ineffective practices.
- Mindset Shift Needed – Both individuals and teams needed to strengthen their focus on achievement and collaboration.
Through structured process teams were able to accurately diagnose these issues, the company was able to correctly target its transformation strategy. The focus shifted to fostering a culture where employees took ownership, aligned around shared goals, and developed the confidence to drive change together. Through structured leadership development, team coaching, and realigned performance frameworks, the organization began embedding these values into everyday
solution
Driving Change Through Viral Influence
Actio Consultancy Group implemented a Viral Change program, designed to cultivate leaders and teams who would model and champion best-practice behaviours. These role models not only set examples but also demonstrated the tangible success of adopting the new approach.
Through the co-development of structured, collaborative activities, reinforced by a unified single narrative, these behaviours spread organically—much like a virus. Rather than relying on top-down mandates, change took hold at every level, becoming deeply embedded in daily ways of working. This approach ensured the transformation was not just adopted but sustained long-term.
results
Over a five-year partnership, Actio Consultancy Group supported both a business turnaround strategy and cultural transformation. The results were transformative:
- New Values Established & Embraced – The company fully adopted and integrated its new values, creating a stronger foundation for future growth.
- Collaboration Became the Norm – Multi-level collaboration on problem-solving became ingrained, with teams working seamlessly across functions.
- Embracing Speak Up & Step Up to Lead Behaviours – At every level, employees adopted a mindset of ownership and accountability.
- Behavioural Award Program Implemented – A recognition program rewarded team and individual efforts, further reinforcing the new cultural norms.
The impact of this cultural shift was profound. As the company embraced the turnaround strategy, it moved from years of losses to profitability. In the final year of the change program, EBIT improved by over 340% compared to the prior year, with a forecasted outlook showing continued growth.
Contact us at the Actio Consultancy Group office nearest to you or submit a business inquiry online.
Having worked with Geoff & the Actio team over many years I am constantly amazed at their ability to understand our business needs and drivers. Our team greatly value their ability to turn strategy into actionable initiatives.
