Re-focusing after Re-structuring

After a radical restructuring of their business, Nottcutts Nurseries selected Cedar Associates to help train, coach and motivate their people to tackle the new challenges of the Manager and Supervisor positions.

Poor summers and droughts have made selling plants more difficult, and as a result it has been essential to become most efficient. Cedar Associates approach has been to design a process that dovetails with the company’s change initiative and enables people to deliver it at all levels in a joined up way.

A comprehensive top to bottom approach was taken to ensure a clear picture of what was required from all staff was promoted throughout the company. It was also structured to ensure there was plenty of management support to sustain the changes being anticipated.

As a result there has been a marked change in the feel of the business and those involved. “It’s brought people together, departments are working better with each other” was one view. Others felt that the workforce is much more flexible and that we “work better as a team”. There have also been comments like “The Company is now going somewhere” and “we feel included”.

To enable staff to deliver, and react to change, Cedar Associates designed a development programme to address specific areas of: -

1. Handling responsibility more effectively
2. Understanding and managing change
3. Getting the best from teams
4. Strengthening communication
5. Making better use of time
6. Developing ability to take on more responsibility

Included in the design were linked tiers of progression to enable staff to move up the development ladder where opportunities had been created, or would arise in the future

* Level 1 Staff new to supervision
2 day course giving an introduction to supervision

* Level 2 Supervisors
4 part programme

* Level 3 Managers
6 part programme

* Level 4 Managers and Directors
1 to 1 coaching

Having evaluated the success of the programme over twelve months Cedar Associates have been asked to run the process again, taking into account what was learned from the process. This will allow staff to access the next level up and build further on their previous development.