How Chelsea Frames Adopted A New Team Culture

A Case Study of how KB Consulting’s programs created a cohesive team

Overview of the original situation:

The Chelsea Frames team needed a clearer path to success

When Jaclyn Acker took over Chelsea Frames, she knew that her employees were struggling to stay up with the high demands of a busy company. Jaclyn realized that she was working way too many hours to keep the company on track instead of leading it. She described the need to micromanage every detail of her company because she felt responsible for every aspect of the business. The result was a very heavy investment in labor without the results she was looking for. She believed it was time to find a new motivation for her staff, realizing that many employees were unhappy.

Jaclyn had a set of goals which she shared with KB Consulting as she sought to change her company culture, including budget-friendly ways of motivating team members, improving team performance and allowing her the ability to refocus her efforts on building her company rather than maintaining it. She also hoped to have the ability to enjoy some time away from work once in a while.

What we did to change things:

Made success easy for everyone

First, we had to create ways for every team member to be successful. Jaclyn learned that the single most important role of a company leader was to invest in a system which made the success of each member of her team possible. We created a short list of very key elements of what she considered to be vital to her company’s success. They included; great customer service and a timely produced product which exceeded client expectations. By stating company goals in writing, Jaclyn created a vision for her company which could be shared by every member of her team.

Now that she knew where she wanted her company to go, we created the paths to get there. First, detailed job descriptions were created for every position in the company so that each team member knew exactly what their responsibilities were. Once these job descriptions were completed, team members signed them – like a contact, signifying their agreement to take full responsibility for their position. Accepting responsibility allowed Jaclyn to hold team members accountable for the performance of their jobs. Accountability is the key to successful delegation and vital to any company using a team culture.

Now that the team had agreed to accept accountability for their own areas of responsibility, we set out to create a system which would ensure their success. We created a new company manual which detailed the direction and vision of the company and clarified all company procedures and basic policies. Now team members could access solutions to questions without interrupting management. Then, we created complete training manuals were created to document the “Chelsea Way” of doing every task in each department. There were training programs for her sales team and each area of the production team so that everyone joining Chelsea Frames would have the same consistent understanding of how to perform their responsibilities. Finally, testing and certification levels were introduced into training to ensure that new team members were confident in their performance.

The last step in rebuilding the company culture was the introduction of daily scorekeeping so that all teams and the individuals on those teams received daily feedback on their performance. Incentives were created to reward teams and individuals who continually performed at or above goals.

The results of this program:

A new, clear direction with everyone working as a team towards shared goals

Today, Jaclyn’s company operates as a set of teams with common goals and clear objectives. When problems occur or performance is below expectations, team members take the lead to create ways to overcome these challenges. Training is ongoing and team members become more and more valuable as each month passes. Turnover has been reduced and morale is much higher.

Here’s what Jaclyn shared about her experience with a new team culture, clear outlook, and improved results: