Culture Definition

Results

Fantastic business performance

in the months that followed.

Clearer ambitions and hooks

to engage the rest of the business.

A shared leadership understanding

of strategic goals and the culture needed for success.

THE BUSINESS

pladis, part of a global family of brands, faced an identity challenge within its UK and Ireland division after several leadership and structural changes. Whilst the commercial strategy rationally made sense, the newly formed leadership team were struggling to unify and create a shared, compelling story that would engage their people.

External factors, including new generations entering the workplace and challenging trading conditions such as inflation, magnified the need for clarity, prioritisation, connection and a reason for employees to believe in the direction of the company.

THE CHALLENGE

In our experience, the challenge for creating a compelling story that inspires internal audiences is twofold: first, the leadership team must be aligned around the purpose, direction and strategic narrative.

Then, there are two key enabling steps to prepare for sharing the story with the organisation. The first is to develop the case for change and the next is to build storytelling capability.

“The Coode team were brought in when our leadership team needed alignment. Their approach reconnected us and helped us become better leaders and a better team.”

pladis

Global Chief Safety & Quality Officer

THE APPROACH

Once we were clear on the direction of pladis and their goals, we:

Fleshed out the ‘from/ to’ narrative that could be used to build belief, meet people where they are, and bring them into the future. This involved the leadership team co-creating the case for change for UK&I, including why things needed to change, the key mindset shifts they needed to see, and what was in it for their people.
Developed a story capability once the leadership team were aligned on the elements of the strategic narrative and the case for change. We gave them a chance to practise and make the story their own and, since then, a portable narrative has been used to provide context and clarity to the rest of the organisation in a meaningful way.

More case studies

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) recognised that strengthening its executive team would be critical to delivering its strategy. While its leaders brought significant individual expertise, there was an opportunity to create a more integrated, high-performing team that was greater than the sum of its parts, while establishing the ways of working and leadership behaviours needed to support this.

Since 2019, Coode has partnered with Solina to support its transformation into a globally aligned organisation. As the company achieved fivefold revenue growth and expanded across Europe, the Americas and Asia, integrating 18 acquisitions, Coode helped define a unifying strategic narrative and operating model that balanced local agility with global scale. By aligning leadership and embedding shared cultural principles, Solina built one cohesive story that continues to drive its international success.

In 2022, a new CEO took to the helm of Concurrent Technologies Plc, an organisation that was well-established in its niche but had hit a plateau. The business had no formal leadership team, with most key decisions previously made by the former CEO. There had been little emphasis on leadership development, and the company lacked the ambition to grow.

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